Our client had a vision to bring childcare into the modern era. Detailed site analysis, discussions with our client, staff, and parents of pre-school aged children brought a deeper understanding of the needs for the centre and informed the design brief. The site itself is an inspirational location for young minds to develop. It gives the children a sense that they are immersed in nature. Abundant natural light flows throughout the centre’s interior and rooms open onto the natural amphitheatre.
We designed the centre to readily facilitate both age-specific and group learning while ensuring all 120 children – when at capacity – could be readily supervised from any vantage point. The decorative metal screens used on the building’s façade have become a talking point in the community. They serve as both a support structure and a decorative feature inspired by the Australian bush. Intricate shadows cast by the screens bring an element of playfulness to the centre.
Our vision with Alkira was to offer local residents a childcare centre unlike anything they’d ever seen before – the best on the Central Coast. We came to RZK with a brief that included a number of specific deliverables. RZK Group did an excellent job in terms of meeting our brief and fulfilling our vision.
Both Vince and Claudia were very easy to work with and highly responsive whenever we asked for changes to be made. While our vision and brief were very clear, we only gave Claudia a basic idea of what we looking for in terms of the design. She really understood what we were looking for and came back to us with a concept that we absolutely loved. The mock-ups Claudia created were an added bonus as they helped us visualise the completed project.
The fact that Claudia as our senior architect and Vince as our construction manager worked closely together was a major benefit to our project. Vince understood the architectural concept and they worked in partnership to bring the project to completion smoothly.
Even through I was aware at the time that RZK Group were in the process of relocating to new premises, it had no impact on our project whatsoever, such was the level of their professionalism.
I would highly recommend RZK Group to anyone looking for an architectural and construction management firm of the highest calibre.
- Bill Robinson, Co-founder Alkira Early Learning Centre
