Founded in 1872, The Hamilton and Alexandra College is a co-educational day and boarding school located in Hamilton, Victoria. The College comprises two campuses in Hamilton for their Senior and Junior students. Notable heritage architectural and landscape features characterise the school and the preparation of the landscape master plan required careful consideration of these.
In the initial stage of the process, Jeavons Landscape Architects conducted consultation sessions with student groups from all year levels, as well as the school project group, made up of staff and school council representatives. The landscape master plan is intended to raise awareness of issues and assist the school to identify priorities, prepare an implementation plan, and prepare budgets for future works.
Goals identified in the landscape master plan included:
- Establish a cohesive identity across both campuses through visual signals in landscape style and wayfinding signage.
- Improve the wayfinding and circulation for safe and accessible pedestrian and vehicle movement across both campuses.
- Respect and celebrate heritage values of buildings and grounds.
- Enhance the parent/visitor experience from point of arrival across both campuses.
- Improve accessibility across both campuses.
- Increase connection between indoor and outdoor learning environments.
- Create social spaces that meet the varying needs of diverse groups of students, including those who board.
- Improve the sense of arrival and entrance to the boarding area.
- Create cohesive spaces and recognisable design language that unites both campuses as the one school.
- Celebrate and enhance the heritage value of the grounds.
- Protect and enhance the unique qualities of the existing garden spaces.
- Create spaces that consider the schoolโs capacity for growth over the next ten years, including accommodating international students.