The Journey

Following a design competition, GW. were selected to develop the new Master Plan for Marist College Canberra. The plan reflects the values and aspirations of the Marist community, creating a connected campus while laying the foundation for a long-term vision. Based around the narrative of “The Marist Journey”, the plan integrates learning, faith, and environment into a cohesive design to support development into the future.

We framed our ideas with embedding the values: Honest. Kind. Industrious.

A ‘green filter’ is provided on the western and southern sides, so that those entering can move through the trees and gardens. These elements are a transition promoting a sense of wellbeing. The first visible message of faith is a new chapel within the Village Green. Kind and simple in form, the chapel sits in a place of prominence and become the heartbeat of the campus: a beacon.

Quiet moments of faith are woven together with the industriousness of learning. We have employed a pinwheel cross to bring order to the journey through the campus, removing barriers and increasing links / breathability.

The intent was to create a sense of place characterised by light and warm, tactile and natural material selections, that invite participation and contemplation.  The Marist College Canberra Master Plan promotes an architecture that ‘grows from the earth’. Solid building foundations with a floating-elements which rest on simple columns to enable each element to be expressed as a layer. Built forms that are contextual to their Canberra setting without being monolithic, maximising connectivity to the sky and mountain surrounds through strategically framed outlooks.

Key Value Adds

1.   Value for money utilising simple forms & standardisation to minimise waste and cost

2.   Staging/sequencing to suit funding and priorities

3.   Leveraging space

4.   Maximising outdoor learning and sport precincts

5.   Connections to Faith built into master plan

6.   Adjacencies, connections and movement

7.   Adaptability / flexibility

8.   Sustainable selections and sections

9.   Contextual aesthetic

10. Vehicular traffic separation

11. Maximum use of controlled daylight for well-being

Veritas 2023, Stage 1 of the project, is the first built outcome of this Master Plan.