A family and child support centre designed to feel like part of a home.
The Muylatina Child and Family Learning Centre provides a fully integrated, interdisciplinary child and family service for the East Tamar region in northern Tasmania, focusing on the well-being and educational development of children and their families.
Located within the existing East Tamar Primary School grounds, the centre’s exteriors reference the surrounding suburban streetscape, playing with the recognisable gable house form and supporting the idea that the space is not an institution, but an extension of the home.
Balanced, familiar, playful.
The centre operates as a single body, providing an individual point of contact for the local community, early childhood services and family support services. Because of this, the design balances its function with a sense of familiarity for the community through its form and open, light-filled interiors.
Through considered material use, we’ve made a clear distinction between the public and more private spaces of the centre. The side facing the suburban setting houses the quieter zones - the admin area, staff hubs, and rooms for visiting doctors to attend to families. On the other side, facing the school, the interactive child areas - the sandpit and playground - frame the 'heart of the home', the community kitchen.
A strong focus on the ‘natural’ has been used in the playground with native flora and fauna dotted throughout the area to intrigue imaginations and challenge growing bodies.
A canvas for the community.
Through discussion with the community at the beginning of the project, we knew that the building had to blend in with its suburban context to create that sense of familiarity and comfort for the families using it. The materials, just like the facades and general form of the centre, reflect the rhythm and aesthetics of houses along the street: brick, metal roof sheeting, and neutral colours.
The subtle colour palette was maintained throughout the centre to allow both the children and staff to bring colour to the space and make it their own. The design reflects Cumulus Studio’s approach to public architecture and community-focused design, delivering a space that is welcoming, familiar and grounded in place.
