Morisset Childcare Centre

The client came to me wanting a childcare centre that would be both a beautiful place for children and a sound investment. The site in Morisset had good bones, with mature trees on the boundaries and a gentle slope that could be used to separate age groups naturally across the outdoor play areas. My job was to squeeze every possible childcare place from the site without it feeling squeezed.

Through careful planning of indoor and outdoor spaces, I increased the approved number of places to eighty two, well beyond the client's initial expectations. The key was treating the outdoor areas not as leftover space but as integral rooms of the building. Each age group has direct access to their own outdoor zone, with covered verandahs creating a transition between inside and out that children move through instinctively.

Inside, clerestory windows bring natural light into the centre of the floor plan where conventional windows cannot reach. This was particularly important for the sleep rooms and activity areas in the middle of the building. The light quality changes through the day, giving children a connection to the outside world even when they are indoors. Ceiling heights vary between spaces, lower in the quiet reading corners and taller in the active play zones, so children sense the shift in mood as they move through the building.

Sustainability was built into the project from the start rather than bolted on at the end. Solar panels on the north facing roof generate a significant portion of the centre's electricity. EV charging stations in the carpark anticipate where transport is heading. Rainwater harvesting feeds the landscaping and toilet flushing, reducing the centre's water bills. For the client, these features lower operating costs year after year, which matters enormously when margins in childcare are tight.