Woodleigh School’s new Homesteads development has won the 2016 Learning Environments Australasia Award for best new construction/major facility.
Principal Jonathan Walter said the award was an “outstanding result” for the school, especially considering the standard of competition within Australia and beyond.
“Our Homesteads provide a home away from home for students at school,” Mr Walter said. “They blend social learning spaces with open-planned, flexible teaching spaces, and connect beautifully with our natural environment.
“This is an exceptional project, chiefly because the design team’s deep understanding of the school’s educational philosophy is manifest in every aspect of the Woodleigh Homesteads design. Woodleigh’s commitment to environmental education is visibly embedded in the environmental function of the buildings.”
Mr Walter said the Woodleigh Homesteads were now part of a major research collaboration called Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change, an Australian Research Council Linkage project valued at more than $1 million that will run over the next four years and will investigate the impact of new learning spaces within schools.
“We believe that great education is more than just an excellent academic preparation for the future. A great education equips a student with life skills – resilience and independence. It provides an understanding of service, the building of a strong moral and ethical base, and the desire to make a contribution to the broader community. It’s the ability to work hard and give your best effort to everything that you do.”