New Schools 2025 – Wirrigirri Primary School Early Learning Centre

The Wirrigirri Primary School Early Learning Centre creates a warm and welcoming environment for children, families and the wider community. Co-located within the school campus, the kindergarten supports a smoother transition into primary school while making early learning programs easily accessible to local families. The 33-place kindergarten includes dedicated indoor and outdoor learning environments, supported by a foyer, office, staff and planning spaces, amenities, kitchen, laundry and storage. Outdoor play areas are positioned to maximise northern light, while generous glazing and openings strengthen the connection between interior spaces, the landscape and the broader school campus.

The Early Learning Centre is designed as an integral part of the Wirrigirri Primary School campus rather than as a separate facility. Views toward the primary school and surrounding learning spaces help children become familiar with the broader school environment before they transition into Prep. The kindergarten is positioned alongside the campus’s tessellated courtyards and central community heart, with its northern play areas contributing to the network of outdoor learning spaces. Shared design language, landscape narratives and material palettes create a consistent identity across the kindergarten and primary school, while maintaining an age-appropriate environment tailored to early learning.

Location: Wurundjeri Country
Wollert, Victoria
Client: VSBA
Year: 2025
Collaborators: Brand Architects
Project Contact: Christon Smith
Photography: Dianna Snape
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The design was informed by consultation with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and local Aboriginal education representatives during the planning and schematic design phases. This process established an approach grounded in connection to Country, cultural learning and the creation of welcoming spaces that bring people together.

The design narrative draws on the Lava Flow Country of Wurundjeri Country, including the volcanic landscapes of Organ Pipes National Park and Wil-im-ee-Moor-ring. These references inform the kindergarten’s identity, colour palette, materiality and landscape response. Timber, textured finishes and soft geometries create a calm, sensory-rich environment that supports exploration, discovery and early learning.

Design Strategies

Create welcoming spaces that support connection, gathering and shared learning.
Embed local stories, language and cultural knowledge throughout the building and landscape.
Draw on the colours, textures and formations of Lava Flow Country.
Strengthen children’s connection to nature through views, planting and seamless indoor–outdoor transitions.
Use soft forms at entries and transition points to create an approachable, child-friendly environment.
Incorporate natural materials and tactile finishes inspired by the local context.
Provide elements children can see, touch and experience as part of everyday learning.
Support health and wellbeing through access to daylight, landscape and outdoor play