Good Counsel College

Good Counsel College is an independent Catholic secondary college in Innisfail accommodating 550 plus students. The school had developed over many years without any structured plan over the sprawling hilltop site. Opportunity for expansion was recognised and planned for through a Masterplan. The West Wing (Block F) is a bold expansion of built fabric of the school. Comprising a new library and a range of learning spaces, learning support, IT support offices and maintenance workshop, the addition was framed as an opportunity to create a new central hub within the school masterplan, connecting the split site over its four levels in change of height.

The West Wing creates a pivotal link between the lower Ernest Street level to the heart of the school, while allowing staff and students to easily circulate across multiple levels of the site.

A prominent double storey bay window defines the library as an integral part of the school. Designed to vertically connect the library and senior space below the window lends a more open, informal feel to both spaces while framing views across Innisfail and the Bellenden Ker Ranges. Lower levels contain the maintenance workshop, learning spaces, offices and areas for future expansion as the school grows.

Photography: Andrew Watson