Donaldson Street Childcare Centre

The Donaldson Street Childcare Centre is a 92-place Centre that was designed across a large, ‘L-shaped’ site, created by the amalgamation to two separate lots in Corinda. To make the site work, we proposed a two-storey centre with playground space on both ground and the upper level.

The site presented particular challenges to do with privacy and adherence to the council’s character overlay in the area.  By locating the playground along the northern and eastern boundaries on the first floor, Elevation Architecture used the balustrading to provide screening of the children within the outdoor play area as well as create visual interest along the streetscape. Solid, gable roofed elements were introduced to each corner of the upper level to resemble two little timber cottages, which anchor the first floor and satisfy the character overlay across the site. The building itself acted as both an acoustic and visual barrier between the childcare centre and adjacent retail and multi-residential tenancies to the south and west of the site.

By working closely and cohesively with the Builder throughout the construction process, we were able to deliver a beautiful, well-functioning solution for the operator and an attractive addition to the street.