City Beach Boarding College houses 66 gifted students from some of Perth’s top schools in Australia. The newly designed accommodation offers after-school teaching and tutoring areas, along with spaces for entertainment, dining, sports, administration, and meetings. Situated on a steeply sloped site near the beach, it provides breathtaking panoramic views of the city. Adjacent to Bold Park, the design thoughtfully integrates the natural landscape, balancing city, beach, and tranquil park surroundings.
The new teaching and recreational facilities are designed around a mature banyan tree, an important element of the public domain and street. This tree acts as a welcoming and familiar landmark at the edge of the site. It shades the building’s west-facing side from harsh sunlight, concealing it from the small residential street and creating an immediate sense of a mature garden within the indoor environment.
The building wraps around this mature tree, creating a sunny, north-facing courtyard that offers a comfortable buffer from the street. This space blocks strong southwest winds and provides acoustic privacy from neighboring homes. The courtyard serves as the main outdoor entertainment area, with the original administrative building located to the north. Landscape architect CAPA collaborated closely with iredale pedersen hook architects to design flowing, sculpted concrete block walls that partially conceal existing structures while offering interactive seating and climbing features. To the east, a grove of eucalyptus trees enhances the natural setting, complemented by Jon Tarry’s spiral, weightless blue sculpture in the foreground.
The first-floor design emphasizes passive supervision from the reception area to student spaces. The arrangement, influenced by restricted zones, mature trees, the steep slope, and existing administration buildings, forms a dynamic windmill-like layout. This ensures staff have clear sightlines to monitor students while maintaining privacy and respectful distance from the teenage residents.
The open-plan layout encourages students to observe their peers passively, promoting alternative social interactions in a safe environment. It fosters informal gatherings and exchanges while accommodating formal teaching and training sessions. The exterior materials evoke the style of 1960s modernist residences, featuring robust and refined block details that filter sunlight and enhance indoor intimacy. The entrance wall’s overhang acts as an abstract timepiece, connected to the sun’s movements.
The site lies within a fire-prone area and is part of indigenous land. Cultural consultant Whadjuk was engaged to assess the cultural significance of discovered artifacts, ensuring proper classification and preservation. By isolating facility services from nearby international schools, expanding site boundaries, and creating new pathways, the small-scale venue remains protected from potential future developments in the neighborhood.
Project Drawings
△ Base Map
△ Base Schematic Diagram
△ First Floor Plan
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Section Diagram
△ Detailed Drawing
△ Hand-drawn Drawing
△ Hand-drawn Drawing
△ Hand-drawn Drawing
Project Information
Architectural Design: iredale pedersen hook architects
Area: 1421 m²
Project Year: 2019
Photographer: Peter Bennett
Design Team: Adrian Iredale, Finn Pedersen, Martyn Hook, Mary McAree, Fred Chan, Gian Tonossi, Daniel Martin, Catherine Dupuy, Leo Leong
Art Installation: Jon Tarry
Interior Design: iredale pedersen hook architects
Structural Engineer: Terpkos Engineering
Landscape Architect: CAPA Carrier and Postmus Architects
Location: Perth, Australia
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