​A World-First Design Project

We have been collaborating with a world-renowned international Architect on a very exciting project, a first of its kind for Australia!

Our client’s vision for an almost 1 hectare site in South Melbourne is to create a globally inspiring space of learning and living for a multi-generational audience.

​The first stage of the project for our long term client, Little Lane (developers of the Avenues Early Learning Centres in Brisbane), will be their flagship early learning centre.

​Little Lane’s goal was to design the best early learning centre in the world. In order to create the world’s best ELC we first needed to go and see the best.

​In early 2018 we visited: New York, LA, California, Pasadena and Copenhagen in our search, learning a lot and developing some great relationships with inspiring international Architects.

It was an amazing opportunity to visit the world’s best early learning centres and find a perfect conceptual partner for our project.

Happily, we found a great and most suitable collaborator in Takaharu Tezuka, founder of Tezuka Architects in Tokyo.

Global award-winning architecture

In 2007, Tezuka designed Fuji Kindergarten in Tokyo, currently the world’s best kindergarten. In 2017, Tezuka’s Fuji Kindergarten design was awarded the pinnacle of global architecture prizes, the biennial Moriyama RAIC International prize for a single building in the world that transforms the surrounding society. Take a look at Tezuka’s TED talk with great video and images of the Kindy that explains his inspiration and motivation for the unique design.

Collaboration

Over the last six months I have spoken with Taka (Tezuka-San) every second day working together on the conceptual design. (Read more about why conceptual collaboration works).

Now we are in the documentation phase and are very fortunate to have Sockkee Ooi seconded from Tezuka’s practice in Japan working with us in Brisbane. (Read more about Sockee’s enriching creative experience here).

Design outcome

The outcome of our collaboration is a conceptual design that has the potential to have a revolutionary influence on the education of young Australian children. Using many of the principles applied in the design of the Fuji Kindergarten adapted to our climate, culture and early learning regulatory environment, we have developed a world first in early learning and also something uniquely Australian. The interiors are bespoke and innovative to interact with the physical design of the space. Parents and children will benefit from having many amenities under one roof including: early learning, an aquatic centre, doctors and allied health professionals, a coffee lounge/ library and additional sporting facilities.

Learn More

We’ll post more updates as the project progresses. In the meantime, take a look the video below for an idea of the creative scope of Emerald Place and read more details about the Emerald Place scope and design outcome.