Mazenod College Founders’ Complex

About This Project

Mazenod College commissioned Cotter Reid Architects in 2005 to provide a new building for Music, Drama & Information Technology faculties. This building was subsequently named the Founder’s Complex.

Driven by a desire to reduce class sizes, the College embarked on a process to provide a new Music, Drama & I.T. Complex, thus allowing other existing faculties to be refurbished for alternate uses. The brief included the provision of the following:
• 2 x Orchestral Rehearsal rooms;
• A purpose-built Drama classroom & associated storage;
• 2 x Music Classrooms;
• 8 x private Music Practice rooms of various sizes;
• 2 x Information Technology classrooms;
• A small commercial kitchen for functions; and,
• Office accommodation for eight staff.

Bold forms highlight the exterior, with traditional materials utilised in innovative ways. Face brick (prevalent throughout the colleges existing building stock) was used in large monolithic panels, laid in stack bond. This allowed a contemporary appearance to a 1970’s material. Copper cladding has been employed in the form of large foils, which act as markers to highlight building entries, and allude to Catholic iconography through the use of ascending forms.

The complex was finished utilizing low maintenance finishes throughout, including copper cladding, face brickwork, honed block & prefinished panels. Many of these finishes were repeated internally, and tied together by the heated polished concrete slab.

ESD principles applied include the use of off-peak slab heating, natural ventilation, passive solar gain & rainwater harvesting.

* Undertaken as Latitude Architects