Founded in 1846, The Hutchins School is an Anglican day and boarding school for boys from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12, all on one campus.
The campus is located about 5km from the centre of Hobart, on the slopes of Mount Nelson, with a beautiful view of River Derwent. Upholding its promise of delivering quality education, The Hutchins School is well-rounded with high-tech classrooms, science, computer labs, a performing art centre, a recording studio and multiple sporting grounds.
In 2021, the Hutchins School committed to an exciting new development of their Middle School, which will provide additional spaces for Year 6,7 and 8 classrooms, along with multipurpose areas for drama and dance. Designed to create a contemporary educational environment, the Middle School uses Unios luminaires throughout the spaces.
The Akira Round lights are suspended from the ceilings at different heights in the communal space to create a coherent yet visually exciting design. Due to the limited ceiling space on the mezzanine, the Akira Round lights are surface mounted instead of suspended. They render soft and comfortable ambient light whilst ensuring table surfaces are well illuminated for activities like studying or group gatherings. At the same time, the Titanium Downlights provides aesthetically pleasing illuminance throughout the communal space and across hallways.
In an education setting, flicker-free technology is essential as it protects eye health while ensuring the best learning outcomes. With high-frequency drivers, Unios luminaires remove flicker’s cause and limit the temporal light artifacts that can negatively influence students’ visual perception.
The dance studio features a series of square-shaped details on the wall, adding just the right flares to the space. Mimicking this design, the Akira Square are uniformly suspended from the ceiling, radiating even spreads of light. Similarly, in the drama class, the Akira Square complements the space perfectly with its 4000K illuminance. The cool light temperature creates a needed sense of dramatic contrast with the all-black walls, ceiling, curtains and flooring.
Informed by educational research in early adolescence developmental needs, The Hutchins Middle School’s design builds on the institute’s pioneering work over the past 60 years while reflecting its commitment to keeping education at the forefront.
Credits
Consulting Engineer: JMG Hobart Engineers & Planners
Lighting Distributor: Southern Lighting
Photographer: Matt Sansom
