Woodleigh School Homestead

Surrounded by nature, new school buildings reflect care for the environment and support student wellbeing.

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Services (2)

Building Services Engineering

Sustainability

Sectors

Schools and Colleges

Location

Langwarrin South, VIC, Australia

Client

Woodleigh School

Architect

Law Architects

Occupying a 20-hectare bushland site on Melbourne’s outer southern-eastern fringe. The Woodleigh School Senior Campus combines a unique blend of teaching and learning with emphasis on environmental stewardship as a core value. The three new homestead buildings provide spaces for socialising, pastoral care and study with a home-away-from-home emphasis for over 70 secondary school pupils.

Working collaboratively with Law Architects, our team created an integrated and holistic, climatically responsive design that brings the sustainability ethos to life. Initiatives include optimised external solar shading, enhanced passive thermal performance and high-performance fenestration. The design also increased daylight penetration, reducing reliance on artificial lighting and incorporated a thermal labyrinth within the natural ventilation and thermal comfort strategy.

Jason Wren, Principal Engineer, commented, "This award-winning project uses a district heating and cooling approach that saves on capital costs and ongoing maintenance. The centralised Building Management System (BMS) incorporates smart controls for the mechanical systems and LED lighting. The thermal labyrinth pre-conditions outside air, significantly reducing energy requirements for heating and cooling and ensuring high levels of fresh air in the homesteads."

Key fact

Designed to create a sense of community for young people, and foster an environmental ethos through engagement including opportunities for volunteering on wildlife protection activities.

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Key fact

Cundall’s masterplan study established that a district heating and cooling utilising central plant to service the whole campus would save on upfront equipment costs and longer term energy and maintenance costs.

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Key fact

Dating back to the Pyramids, thermal labyrinths are an approach to cooling or warming outside air that extends the time when natural ventilation alone is sufficient, and also supports effective night-purging of buildings.

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Jason Wren

Principal Engineer, Building Services

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Indoor environment quality is critical in supporting students to learn effectively, and our engineering delivers this using robust, efficient solutions.