St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects

St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - ChairSt Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Chair, BeamSt Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Image 4 of 23St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Image 5 of 23St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - More Images+ 18

  • Builder: Building Engineering
  • Landscape Architect: Formium
  • Civil & Structural Consultant: Cardno
  • Building Surveyor: BSGM
  • Lighting Consultant: Christopher Boot
  • Graphic Art: Kinart
  • Client: St Kevin’s College
  • Project Team: David Chandler, Steven Cortese, Loris Rebeschini, Marina Potter, Sophie Russell, Sherman Tan
  • Civil: Cardno
  • Structural Consultant: Cardno
  • Lighting Consultant: Christopher Boot
  • Structural Consultant: Cardno
  • City: Toorak
  • Country: Australia
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St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Facade, Windows
© Peter Clarke

Text description provided by the architects. St Kevin’s College had outgrown its existing music centre’s on their Glendalough Junior campus. The brief called for a new facility to meet the needs of its growing music program for both junior and senior students from their Heyington campus and to be accessible to the school community for performances and gatherings.

St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Chair, Beam
© Peter Clarke

The site is narrow and steep, bounded by residential apartments to the west and the college hall to the east. The design gives consideration to these and other constraints providing a response that addresses issues of visual bulk, scale, interest in the streetscape and acoustic separation to the neighbours. The need to provide a safe and equitable access for all from both the school and public side was addressed through the creation of a central gallery promenade for gathering and informal performances.  Two portals connect the school entry to the public entry.

Ground Floor Plan

The music centre provides a large recital and rehearsal space with a listening gallery, whilst a range of small and medium spaces provide opportunity for individual and group practice for various instruments.

St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Chair
© Peter Clarke

The external architectural expression of the new music centre consist of a robust palette of materials, responding to the college’s adjacent sports hall clad in charcoal zinc and taking cues from the architectural heritage of St Kelvin’s Monastery in Ireland with its solid granite construction and small slit windows, the latter of which is achieved with triple glazed windows providing improved acoustic and thermal performance. Through the consistent use of materials the Music centre integrates into the composition of buildings forming the college’s public face on to Lansell road.

St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Stairs, Facade, Handrail
© Peter Clarke

In contrast the interiors are inviting with walls and ceilings clad in Victorian Ash; like a musical instrument the spaces are detailed and sculpted to be warm and textural with timber chosen for its beauty and acoustic property. The interior detailing of the acoustic ceiling makes further reference to exterior facades with its block patterning. Graphics have been used to celebrate the life of Alumni Victor McMahon. “Advance Australia Fair” has been represented on the stairwell to provide a ‘sense of belonging' and an opportunity to learn music outside designed spaces.

St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Door, Handrail
© Peter Clarke
St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects - Stairs
© Peter Clarke

A new Oratory has been created as a place of personal reflection within. One enters the oratory through a compressed space into a small high ceiling space. Except for a solitary gold and black mosaic composition that celebrates St Kevin, the space is clad in bluestone to create a monastic feel. Two small openings bring in light. One to the west provides ambient light through the day whilst a slit window wrapping from wall to roof provides a dramatic shaft of light that marks the time of day, the shaft of light falls on the mosaic on the morning of 3rd June every year- St Kevin’s Feast Day.

Project gallery

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Project location

Address:73-75 Lansell Road, Toorak VIC 3142, Australia

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "St Kevin’s College, Victor McMahon Music Centre / Baldasso Cortese Architects" 19 Apr 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/620679/st-kevin-s-college-victor-mcmahon-music-centre-baldasso-cortese-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© Peter Clarke

St Kevin's 中学 Victor McMahon 音乐中心 / Baldasso Cortese Architects

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