(Above image courtesy Peter Bennetts)
The John Curtin College of the Arts Y7 teaching facility is a landmark school providing specialised education for academically gifted students.
The building is situated on the steeply sloping western side of the John Curtin College of the Arts, with views over Fremantle and out to the Indian Ocean. The building is characterised by a folded and perforated blue and silver metal screen that wraps itself around the façade and provides an imprint to precast concrete cladding panels.
The steel framing for this development was critical to the successful delivery of the project within a modest budget. The efficient steel support structure is seamlessly integrated with the artwork, creating a dramatic statement when viewing the school from the west. This dramatic visual effect was achieved using a modularised framing solution that was designed to be completely bolted together on-site, without exposing any connections to view, which would compromise the architectural intent.
Efficiency of steel structure was essential to ensure the project met its limited budget. This was achieved in a number of ways including the following:
Steel framing was critical to the successful delivery of the building, without compromising project speed or safety, while taking into account the steeply sloping hill the building is situated on. The use of steel framing allowed the following key benefits:
The entire upper floor of this visually expressive building was framed in prefabricated structural steel. Welded steel frames were initially documented in 3D, using Revit software to show each frame required and how it interacted with the folded aluminium façade. Using this technique, a visually complicate element was created using a standardised steel framing methodology. This methodology was then shop detailed and fabricated in the steel fabrication yard prior to transportation to site. Once on site the framing system could be quickly and efficiently installed, allowing a dramatic visual effect without compromising the construction program.