South Metropolitan TAFE

Not long ago, you could be forgiven for being unaware of the TAFE campus in Murdoc WA. It was, after all, a fairly non-descript facility, resolutely overshadowed by its near neighbour, Murdoc University. Enter the architects at Armstrong Parkin who have transformed South Metropolitan TAFE into a show-stopping building that has the whole precinct talking.

“We’ve done quite a bit of TAFE work over the last 12 years or so,” says Stephen Parkin. “This project is our largest TAFE facility. It was different in the sense of its scale. It’s a multipurpose TAFE facility which is about 11,000 square metres of building comprising three levels.”

One of the most striking features of the revamped building is a massive, 120-metre-long, geometrically complex building façade made of fibre-reinforced concrete. “The yellow back-glass works really well with the fibre-reinforced screen. We get nice shadows and light reflected onto that screen which works well in terms of identity for the college. We’ve also maximised opportunities with the glazing systems in lobby spaces and office spaces and classrooms to fill them with light…it’s about making education facilities more than just a classroom, it’s about making it attractive to be there.”

The team gravitated towards AWS glazing systems because they are Australian made, certified and tested. In fact, they were so impressed, they chose AWS systems for both the northern and southern curtain walls.

According to partner architect, Colin Armstrong, “There’s translucency in this building. It was very important that the use of light entering the building was to best practice from our point of view. They are better spaces because of the way that you manage the entry of light.”