ALEKARENGE SCHOOL, NT

Alekarenge School engaged Bennett Architecture to provide a concept master plan to redevelop the extremely dilapidated school facilities as the entire site was beyond reuse. With school attendance significantly low at approximately 50%, student engagement and the need for a culturally neutral pedagogical environment was greatly needed.

In developing the masterplan, the site layout precedented a circular stamp of the 4 languages present in the area (Warlipiri, Warumungu, Alywarre and Kaytetye), all of which are spoken locally. Positioning of classrooms and subsequent year levels also move in a circular direction, while Outdoor teaching cultural areas and play spaces are centrally located to maximise visibility and staff supervision within the school grounds.