Eco-Cubby: footprint on the world

2012 Eco-Cubby schools and architects announced

We are very excited to announce the following Schools and Architects for the 2012 program: (School and architect pairings will be announced at the Eco-Cubby official Launch 11am, 17th February 2012 @ ArtPlay as part of the Sustainable Living Festival)

SCHOOLS

Camp Hill Primary School - Bendigo

Colbinabbin Primary School - Colbinabbin

The Farmhouse Bush Kinder - Mansfield

Goongerah primary school - Goongerah

Mallacoota P-12 College - Mallacoota

Mill Park Secondary College - Mill Park

Tarwin Lower Primary School - Tarwin Lower

Wangaratta District Specialist School - Wangaratta

Warringa Park School - Hoppers Crossing

Wooranna Park Primary School - Dandenong North

ARCHITECTS

Karl Baumann - Karl Baumann Architecture

Ammon Beyerle & Michelle James - here studio

Tonique Bolt

Gerard Brandrick - Brandrick

Emilio Fuscaldo - Nest Architects

Fiona Gray - Soul Dwellings

Anthony Lake & Angus McKay - Slap Architects

Harriet Stone

Charlotte Lindsay (Building Designer) - Charlotte Lindsay Design / Earth Structures

Sunny Wilder - Timbertrip

Mansfield Primary School - 2009

Creswick North Primary School - 2010

Gowrie Victoria - 2011

Bundarra Primary School builds a cubby!

Bundarra Primary School in Portland has worked with graduate Architect Tom Morgan from Sharkmouse in 2010 and 2011 to design and build this fantastic space! The children worked hard this year to refine their initial design into something that could be built in the school grounds. Their initial design was fairly large and enclosed, however it was redeveloped and tweaked to become an open space situated in a garden.

Plantings have been completed and cushions go out each day for the children to use. This is a space for the grade 6 children and they used it for about 3 weeks before the end of term. Art Teacher Jenn Collett has done an incredible amount of work seeing this project to fruition and is extremely proud of their achievements. We are too - an awesome job to all involved!

There will be an official opening of the Bundarra Eco-Cubby in March - we'll keep you posted!

image courtesy of Tom morgan

Another cubby is built!

Just before the end of Term 4 2011, I visited Olive Phillips Kindergarten to see their spectacular Eco-Cubby! They have worked hard this year to get the cubby built. They received a grant from their local council as well as from the Bendigo bank and were able to secure in kind suport from families and communities to bring the model to life. Angela Barr, Kindergarten Director has dedicated significant time to the project and recognises the important role it has played throught the centre for the past two years. The children have seen their cubby come to life and have been involved in its development and production every step of the way.

The children worked throughout 2010 with architect Barnaby Chiverton. They engaged in deep investigation of birds nests and eventually came up with their final design based on their shapes. The centre has many advanced trees in the garden and this promped talk of acually suspending a structure from the tree branches. An arborist was called in to assess the trees but unfortunately the branches were deemed unsuitable to hold the weight of a structure. This prompted design alterations so it became a freestanding structure on the ground under the trees.

The cubby has been developed as a special quiet space. The children have discussed and agreed that their cubby is to be used as a place to talk with their friends or to have quiet time and not something for loud play.

Large pots will be installed around the outside of the cubby and vines will be planted to grow along the wires. In time the space will become a more private place to be. It is a beautiful place to sit in and enjoy the surrounding trees. A nest, a pod, a seed...

Ripponlea Kindergarten designs an Eco-Cubby with a twist!

Ripponlea Kindergarten children and their 'cubby lady' aka Architect Juliet Moore from Edwards Moore have had a lovely journe of discovery...here's an extract from Juliet's blog describing her year with the children:

'...The children took us on a journey- one where imagination rules, where delight can be found in the simplest of forms and spontaneity is the fuel that drives all outcomes. The need for a demountable, mobile, movable, unique, customisable and durable structure was called for which could be the blank canvas for their dreams and visions. A series of inter-connecting shapes which could be easily assembled (and then dis-assembled) to keep up with their constantly evolving young minds….'

The shapes that were developed took the 'cubby' concept design to a different level. children use the shapes to investigate and create myriad designs - block construction with a difference!

The idea was to make large interconnecting shapes that children could move into and out of but for now, the shapes are a popular resource for the children to use on a daily basis.

images by Edwards Moore

image by Edwards Moore

image by Edwards Moore

Sneak peek

Anthony DiMase, from DiMase Architects has been working with children from The Victorian College for the Deaf to design their cubby - take a sneak peek here!

We'll be visiting the children next week and look forward to their stories about how they developed their interesting design.

Architect Expressions of interest for 2012 Eco-Cubby program

Expressions of interest are now open for the 2012 Program. Please email us on:

eco-cubby@rav.net.au

for more info and application forms

CLOSING DATE - 5PM 9TH DECEMBER 2011

Architect Fiona Lew from BENT Architecture demonstrates light and shade to children at Berwick Fields Primary School (Eco-Cubby 2010 Participants)

There has been some serious cubbying going on!

The children at Swinburne Prahran Community Child Care Centre have finished their design and cubby model.

We have been excited by the happenings at the centre and Architect Ben Statkus has been truely inspirational, not only in his dedication to the project (putting in many, many hours of his time) but also in the way he engaged with the children. The wonderful staff too have been dedicated and have supported the children's learning processes every step of the way.

The cubby design has been inspired by the existing plantings of bamboo at the centre. The final design has incorporated living bamboo plantings for the walls as well as a simple roof structure to divert water to the roots of the plants.

Staff are in conversation with Ben as to how to actually build (or in their case plant!) the cubby and will be working towards installing the cubby in their play area in 2012.

Step Up! Step Up! Eco-Cubby at the Royal Melbourne Show!

Phew! After a very busy but equally wonderful 10-day stint at the Royal Melbourne Show, we've finally found a spare moment to share with you all what a great time we had.

Assisted by a dedicated volunteer team and with some very skilled Eco-Cubby designs being built (including the Eco-Cubby-Ark and Eco-Cubby-Circus), I think it's a safe bet to say that this year may have been our best year at the Show yet!

Have a look below to see what we go up to...

Cubbies in progress...

Team effort!

Can you spot the retractable roof?

Happy designers with the finished Eco-Cubby!

Our lovely volunteer Architect Mani with her Eco-Cubby Circus

Some of the fantastic Eco-Cubby gang - L-R Hannah, Leona, Mani and Emily

 

Design and finished cubby!

The Eco-Cubby-Ark!

 

A BIG thank you to our fabulous volunteer team, and everyone who attend the Eco-Cubby workshops at the Show! It was a huge success and we can't wait to see you all there again next year for some more Eco-Cubby fun!

Kensington Primary School designing @ ArtPlay

Kensington Primary School grade 5/6 are using ArtPlay as the site for their design investigations. There are three classes of 5/6 and each class are visiting ArtPlay for design intensives with Architect Martin Musiatowicz and Curator Karen Fermo of KART. The children will be designing and developing their designs at ArtPlay and at school. Each class will produce a model of their design.

Session one - 27th July 2011

We started with some presentations looking at scale, mapping, drawing and modelling, as well as the role of architects. This was followed by an exercise exploring scale, where each person (including us and the teachers) built a scale version of themselves and placed it in the 1:20 model of ArtPlay. We lined everyone up from tallest to shortest to test if our
scaling had worked - they seemed to really enjoy this.

After this, we broke into groups of 3-4 and the students went outside to map the ArtPlay backyard (this was very funny as half of them just ran off and started rolling down the hill and playing on the swings!). Each group of selected a site for their cubby and presented their discoveries to the class.

Before beginning our design exercise, we discussed what the students' experiences of cubbies were, what they thought might be important consideration and requirements for the cubby. There was a lot of discussion about privacy, security and the need to select who might be included although some of the students thought that because the site was public, that it should be freely accessible to all. There was some concern that allowing younger children into the space might present problems with safety, so this would need to be considered in the design of the cubbies.

The final part of the day was a design exercise after which each group presented their concpet for a cubby in the ArtPlay surrounds - there were very diverse solutions which responded strongly to the selected site. Some groups were drawn by the steep embankment as it provided an opportunity to view, while other found sites hidden behind the playground. Many great ideas emerged from the process.

We are planning a follow up visit to the school in early September to see what Mr. Mills and the students have decided to pursue in the development of these ideas.

Books for kids

Onwards and upwards @ Gowrie Victoria

Here's the latest update from Gowrie Victoria:

The Kindergarten group at Gowrie Victoria had an amazing workshop session today (22/7/11) with architects Angela Woda and Yvonne Meng (a volunteer).

We broke up into teams of 3 or 4 children and one grown up and worked together to build models or 'sketches' out of a variety of recycled materials. We used clay, wood, wire, fabric, sticks and a creative mix of recycled bits and bobs. As each team worked together to build their 3D model, the children talked about the environmental aspects of their building, considering how to build to use sunlight and block it out, how to capture and conserve water, how the structure was ventilated, what space they needed for play and shading the building in summer.

Building these 'sketches' helped us to narrow down our design choices, as each team did a mini-presentation about their building for the group, and then the children voted on the 'best part' of each design. The children have now determined most of the main features of their final Eco-Cubby and are looking forward to the next building session. Onward and upward!