Laura Raulings

This project was completed as a part of studio 42: CO2_Zero in collaboration with ACT education who provided a brief for two ACT primary schools in need of facilities that better respond to the changing climate. This project looks at Forrest Primary School, and includes a portion of the existing building which has been redesigned to achieve greater thermal comfort and learning outcomes, whilst retaining the existing structure. It also includes an extension comprising of new classrooms, a kitchen, waste management room and STEM classroom. The project puts sustainability at the core of its values, with good passive design, carbon neutrality and waste management a focus from the outset. This was achieved through collaboration with ARUP who assisted in specifying the appropriate active and passive systems that would become integral to the final integrated design. With a strong focus on outdoor learning, students are encouraged to interact with the world outside the four walls of their classrooms and begin to understand some of the bigger challenges facing our planet today, including waste, food production and carbon emissions.