Content Studio has been renewing and building Early Learning Centres for our clients and educators for over twenty years.
INTEGRATING OUTDOOR AND INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS
Alongside teacher and program quality, educators regard the physical environment as a critical partner in a child’s cognitive, social and physical development.
The external spaces on our ELC projects are linked to internal spaces through functionality and program; they are designed to help deliver teaching outcomes.
We create a mix of informal and formal learning environments tailored to the individual centre’s pedagogy.
THE CHILDREN’S HOUSE
Content Studio developed the master plan for a new two-room Montessori kindergarten on a vacant site in Brunswick North West. The form and siting of the building maximise solar access to the classrooms and create a strong connection to the playground.
The playground design follows the path of the original Moonee Ponds creek bed, featuring a sand play area, a native meadow, and a wet area planted with native species. Our approach reflects Montessori pedagogy, which focuses on natural play over formal play equipment for better cognitive outcomes.
View the Brunswick Montessori project page
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE ELC ECO-CUBBY
Regional Arts Victoria invited Content Studio to work on a sustainable design project with three and four-year-old students at the University of Melbourne ELC. Over eight weeks, the team worked with teachers, students, and an artist to design an eco-cubby. The children's involvement was hands-on; they helped us design the structure, make mud bricks, and source materials. The project's aim is to raise awareness of sustainability issues through design thinking, making and building. The idea is to encourage children to take action to ensure the health of their environment.
JJ McMAHON MEMORIAL KINDERGARTEN
Content Studio’s redesign of a 1950s-era community kindergarten situated in a leafy residential street in Kew maintains the residential feel of the original building in terms of scale, setback, and form. The new classrooms are orientated around a beloved 100-year-old Pin Oak tree, a feature of the outdoor play area.