Tempe Childcare Centre

Tempe Childcare Centre balances vibrancy, durability and an appropriateness of scale to create a recognisable and fun building for children.

Tempe Childcare Centre
The Tempe Childcare Centre sits adjacent to a heritage-listed site on Hillcrest street Tempe. The project organises three playrooms around a central outdoor play area and accommodates 71 children in total. The building is designed to provide an active and vibrant street presence. A series of recycled brick elements within the building and landscape provide a respectful response to the heritage context. The pitched roof of the project references the character of the surrounding houses and is imbued with the symbolism of home comfort.

Site plan

Landscaped heart
The central play area sits within a circular timber screen, creating a focal point for the street corner without overshadowing the neighbouring heritage-listed Lymerston House. Each of the three play rooms addresses the central landscaped area.

The project reconciles conflicting issues of scale, air craft noise, slope & natural landscape. Importantly the design offers an endearing and memorable built character to stimulate growth and learning whilst maintaining an appropriate street presence.

Ground plan

Council feedback
‘The proposed childcare achieves a very good architectural, heritage and urban design outcome and could become a benchmark for childcare developments in our LGA. The proposal has been carefully-designed. It is playful and creative, uses high quality materials, achieves a sophisticated architectural expression and sits well with its urban and heritage context.’ (Inner West Council)

Project: Tempe Childcare Centre
Type: Education
Description: A new two-level childcare centre with basement parking
Location: Tempe, NSW
Client: Private
Year: 2019
Area: 390 sqm gross floor area
Services: Architecture - Sketch Design, Design Development, Construction Documentation and Construction Tender
Team: A RobertsDay project - Adam Russell (as Principal Architect at RobertsDay) Benjamin Wollen, Victor Alcami and Ella Dunn
Project code: 1651