We are thrilled to be working with Ohana College on their brand-new campus which will replace their existing facility and better meet the school’s unique pedagogical or operational requirements.
Ohana College is a co-educational secondary Special Assistance School located in Logan. Their ethos centres around their provision of a safe, inclusive education and wellbeing programs tailored to students with diverse learning, psychological and physical needs.
Our extensive briefings and consultation with staff and teachers at Ohana have informed a new built environment designed for secondary school students who have disengaged from mainstream schooling. These discussions have resulted in spaces designed to provide maximum opportunities for withdrawal, and sensory rooms for emotionally heightened students. Finishes throughout are being carefully considered to minimise wear and tear, discourage vandalism, and provide visually and acoustically calming spaces.
Balancing the needs of supervision, privacy and minimising distractions and disruptions has been challenging, with the school opting for partially obscured (frosted) glazing used to separate learning, withdrawal and common area spaces. Common areas, including the dining room, aim to cater to a wide range of social preferences and emotional needs, including communal gathering spaces as well as places for individuals to retreat from others.
The new campus will also better facilitate the College’s strong welfare focus, accommodating the school’s many teaching and support staff including teacher aides, youth workers, psychologists, nurses, volunteers, and a full-time cook who serves three healthy meals per day.
Spaces throughout the campus have been designed to bring natural light in and connect to the outdoor areas in an effort to create calm, comfortable, non-threatening places to learn, gather, play, eat and socialise.
