Carpet tiles from Godfrey Hirst Australia were part of the grand design by Darren Carnell Architects for the new Haileybury school, which opened in Melbourne in 2017. Standing 10 storeys tall, the building located opposite the iconic Flagstaff Gardens was Melbourne’s first vertical school and the fifth campus for Haileybury, one of Melbourne’s top private schools. The city campus welcomed over 230 students, providing parents working in the city access to Haileybury’s leading academic program for their children.

The stunning, architecturally designed campus features an indoor sporting facility, a contemporary floor dedicated to music, art, dance and drama, two outdoor terrace gardens and six advanced science labs.

For the flooring in various areas of the school including their collaborative learning spaces, carpet tiles from Godfrey Hirst were chosen in a vibrant magenta to reflect Haileybury’s corporate colours. This solid pop of magenta on the floor was blended with Hyper Earth, a grey base tile featuring highlights of magenta, and Drifted Ground, a mixed grey tile to help balance the design. The carpet tiles from these three ranges made for a seamless transition across the floor and provided a unique installation design around the campus.

Often the largest surface area to consider in a project, flooring has a significant impact on the built environment, making it an important component of the overall design process. The colour palette for an educational space needs careful thinking since colours stimulate the senses and encourage creativity in the classroom, often leading to a better educational environment for students and staff. In addition to colour, acoustics also contributes to improved learning outcomes. When acoustic considerations are not factored in during the design process, it can lead to unnecessary distractions for students. Noise can also make it challenging for teachers to impart education.

Carpet is, therefore, the perfect flooring choice to help eliminate noise created in educational spaces. For the Haileybury City Campus, Godfrey Hirst products installed by Cotter Floors included Drifted Ground in Clean Slate, Hyper Earth in Pink Quartz and Colorbeat in Kaleidoscope.

Images: Lee Bird Photography