Estella Public School, Wagga Wagga

Estella Public School is a new primary school in Wagga Wagga, located within the Wiradjuri nation area - the largest nation in New South Wales.

The design of the school buildings, the Wiradjuri influence of forms, learning, play, and planting are compiled as layers to create an outcome that respects the exchange between Wiradjuri and European cultures.

Designed to accommodate up to 480 students from Kindergarten to Year 6, the site design responds to the nearby Murrumbidgee River. The evocative form and finishes of the pedestrian pavement provides a clear pedestrian link that ties the school spaces together.

The strong design narrative, established by Taylor Brammer, was informed by the ‘Cultural Narrative in Design’ report, elevating the Wiradjuri values of language, land, time, totems, and flora throughout the school.

From this, a site wide landscape masterplan evolved through considerations of the existing site alongside extensive research into the needs of the school community and respecting the Aboriginal custodianship of country.

The diagrams below are representative of the design evolution leading to the final Landscape Master Plan.