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So Brooke, tell us a bit about yourself.
I completed a Bachelor of Built Environment majoring in interior design at QUT in 2001 and started working at Bligh Voller Nield shortly after that.
What about your practice? What sort of things inspire you?
A lot of the jobs I've worked on have had a fairly low budget. When you don't have much cash to throw around it forces you to be creative and devise innovative solutions. We approached the Mater Special School with that mindset, we tried to make it cheap and cheerful and do things a little differently.
What was your brief and design process for this project?
There was an in-depth briefing process with the school's staff and the Mater Children's Director of Mental Health to ascertain the students' requirements for the space. We observed how the students and staff operated within the school and found that the mental and physical condition of the students varied quite considerably. The design of the space had to be quite sensitive to accomodate all of the students' needs. We were then able to devise our own brief for the project, with the main parameters being classroom sizes and budget. We went to their old tenancy which was a really old and run-down, institutional feeling building. It felt like a dreary hospital ward, not much fun for the kids. So we came back to them and proposed that we create a fun industrial looking space that didn't really feel like a hospital. We then came up with concepts and sketch plans which were later developed into a working design.
Were there any special considerations or restrictions because the refurbishment was part of a hospital?
The building was actually classed as a school so we were lucky to escape any code restrictions associated with hospital design.
Did you collaborate with a graphic designer? You've got numbers on the walls and icons on the toilet doors.
The budget didn't allow for a graphic designer so I had to take a stab at it. Part of the reasoning behind using super graphics was that a number of the students struggle with reading difficulties. We wanted to make the classrooms easily identifiable for the kids and add an element of play into the space.
Why did you decide to use the A6 in this project?
I was going for a more industrial contemporary look for the building so the A6 was perfect for that. It tied in really well with the whole industrial aesthetic of the space, exposed air conditioning ducts and cable trays in the ceiling. It gave the corridors a certain level of interest. The tracks also functioned really well; the doors are easy for the younger students and students in wheelchairs to open.
What do you think (if anything) this product added to the project?
The track really helped to transform a series of otherwise conventional sliding glass doors into a really strong element of the design.
What kind of versatility do you think a product like A6 has?
I've seen the A6 used with a number of different materials and it's worked really well. I think that style is quite fashionable right now, it's appropriate in a whole range of applications from offices to residential fitouts.
Would you specify A6 Open Rail again?
It's quite a robust and durable system, it's performed really well in the classrooms and staffroom which are high use areas in the school. I've specified the A6 in a current warehouse conversion project. We're using polycarbonate sheeting for the door panels.
You received a Commendation at the Design Institute of Australia Awards for this project.
Yes, it was a big surprise, it was just an honour to be nominated.
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