Notre Dame College is a Catholic co-educational secondary school in Shepparton, Victoria. Inspired by the shape of a local Indigenous eel trap, we designed a contemporary science centre that enhanced the school’s contribution to the surrounding urban space.
Along with the eel trap’s curvilinear form, chemical symbol iconography was a key inspiration. We included an artwork on the western entrance wall that represented the chemical compound for love. The compound motif continues internally, in the lighting design and graphics.
Externally, the building’s material and colours complement the nearby historic buildings. Internally, colours, materials, and graphics reflect the house colours and provide bright, stimulating learning environments. Clad in white ceramic glazing, the building’s upper level is paler than the lower red-brick level. This gives the structure a sense of height and space.
