Christ Church Grammar New Preparatory School

Established in 1910, Christ Church Grammar School is a Pre-Primary to Year 12 Anglican day and boarding school for boys in Perth, Western Australia. The addition of the new Preparatory School is an exciting and long-awaited project for the School community that provides premium state-of-the-art teaching and learning environments. Accommodation for Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten is included in the program, a new offering by Christ Church.

The location of the Prep School along the western Campus boundary was the result of a thorough review of the Masterplan by With_ Architecture Studio in 2015. This consolidated development along the western side of the Junior oval to maximise open playing space. Sited opposite the main entry, the location provides a distinct and impressive identity for its junior school and a branding opportunity for Christ Church.

A core goal of the project was to consolidate and reduce the physical footprint of the Prep School which was dispersed across the campus. The new development unifies all the existing Prep School learning spaces into a single building configured over three levels. The general learning areas are on the lowest and upper-most levels, separated by a middle plane of administrative and specialist learning spaces.

A key feature of the Preparatory School is the central Innovation Hub. Set within a large undercover play-space this sculptural element features an impressive and digitally rich Technology, Research and Innovation centre, and a library. The two-level Hub is expressed as a distinct, free-standing element, deliberately contrasting in style to the main building, and wrapped in visually striking blue/green coloured stainless-steel tiles that change colour when viewed from different positions. Internally, the Innovation Hub offers a variety of spaces, vistas and framed views across the oval to the administration block, with a generous balcony for student use, such as drone launching and course tracking. At oval level, students are able to freely move under, around and inside the hub.

The new Preparatory School reflects the diversity of the learning community and is a modern, functional, efficient learning space that reflects the School’s values and captures the vitality of early years’ education.