The concept was to place the new building at the southern end of the site opening up the north face to the outdoor play area so that the classrooms have direct connection to the outdoors via a large north facing timber deck. 

To allow for the process of welcoming the students as they arrive each day a central entry space was required with easy access to indivdual cloak areas leading into each classroom. This entry space also allows for parent drop off and collection.

The staff facilies and amenities are positioned behind the classrooms, with access to the rear portion of the site.

The building is designed for passive solar heating with thermal mass in the concrete floor and rammed earth feature walls.  High ceilings and opening windows allow for natural ventilation of the internal spaces. Rain water is harvested for use in the toilets and laundry.

From the early concept stage a decision was made to maximize the use of wood as a fundamental element of the sustainable design of this building.

Natural finishes are used on the interior surfaces where possible including linoleum, tile and sandstone flooring, clear finished timber ceilings and window reveals and low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints.

The building is designed to maximise passive solar heating from the north facing windows and clerestory and includes an insulated concrete floor slab for thermal storage. 

As the name implies the building includes two 350mm thick rammed earth feature walls, one to each classroom. The clay for these walls came directly from the site excavations and were constructed by Cliff Glass of Envirobuild.  The rammed earth walls form part of the passive solar design of the building.

There is a backup underfloor heating system run from an external heat pump, this supplies the hot water for both the heating system and the toilet facilities.  All concrete slabs are thermally broken from the foundations.

Externally the building takes on a simple and economic form with the two classrooms either side of the main entry.

The classrooms have direct connection to the outdoors via a large north facing timber deck.  The outdoor environment will function as an outdoor classroom and is a living landscape with natural discovery spaces, an organic garden, driftwood sand area, plants, trees and chickens.  The paths and Carparking area is predominantly limestone chip to continue the environmental emphasis of the project.

Externally, to further enhance the connection to the natural environment and as a reference to the plantation trees on the hillside behind the site, the building is clad in traditional vertical board and batten dressed Western Red Cedar.