St Kilda Park Primary School

Melbourne

Tensile has delivered a safety barrier, green wall and ball screen for a new play area and outdoor learning space at a Melbourne primary school.

School Buildings Victoria commissioned the playground for St Kilda Park Primary as part of a building program that also includes a two-storey learning centre.

The architect for the project was Law Architects and the builder was Lloyds Group.

Tensile was engaged to both design and install the barrier, green wall, and ball screen. The main material we used was stainless steel Webnet mesh. The finished project demonstrates the versatility of Webnet, and how it can perform a variety of different functions in one installation.

About the project

The new learning centre is called ‘Nozomi,’ to reflect the school’s Japanese program. It is made up of a series of open-plan areas split into clusters, and is designed to facilitate flexible learning.

The outside play area comprises green spaces, seating, ramps, and decking. The covered deck area is bounded by a green wall to provide shade, contributing towards the school’s sustainability initiatives.

Tensile’s role in the project

Webnet can be used for many functions within the one project. This certainly happened here, with the barrier doubling up as a support structure for climbing plants.

This creates a kind of full-height green barrier that not only provides fall protection, but also shade, beautification, reduced solar entry into the building and a natural cooling effect in the summer.

It’s important to address climbability with barriers – especially in a school environment with active children!

Webnet can be configured to reduce climbing risk by using a mesh with a smaller clear opening to prevent footholds. In this project, we addressed climbability by using a very tight mesh (25mm aperture) in the lower areas where climbing was a possibility. Above this, we used a larger mesh (40mm).

Using a combination of mesh sizes like this can help reduce the quantity of material required, reducing the costs involved.

We were also able to design and engineer the mesh to work with the primary structure, meaning no extra secondary structure was required, resulting in further savings for the client.

Where form meets sustainable function

Webnet has a light, translucent appearance, which means it doesn’t interfere with architectural design. In this project, the Webnet complements the design – the stairway in particular looks amazing with its built-in play equipment, showing that functional elements can have a role in the play space without impinging on the design.

Another advantage of Webnet is its sustainability profile. It’s made from a high level (up to 70%) of recycled content in facilities that run on 90-100% solar power. This is important for school building projects where sustainability is a priority.

This installation demonstrates how Webnet not only provides benefits in performance, sustainability, efficiency, and safety, but can also look great. There is no other material on the market that can match it!

Recognised for outstanding achievement in educational construction, St Kilda Primary School secured the coveted Best School Project ($5-15 million) award, VIC, highlighting its exceptional transformation.

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