Harbour Early Learning
More than an education facility, Harbour Early Learning embraces innovative design—the bespoke environment encourages a strong sense of well-being, community engagement and connection to nature.
Design Collaboration: Danielle Brustman, SJB & Supercontext I Photography: Sean Fennessy
Every wall, surface and material adopts complex colour schemes that blend varying hues and texture through paint, materials and fixtures.
The project adopts a highly developed design language and approach that presents in varying ways throughout the building to maximise a child’s engagement with early learning educators, nature and the local environment.
Each play space is treated as a unique opportunity to stimulate the imagination of a child and engage with ideas and themes that will enhance their learning and experience.
Each room, surface treatment, mural, tap, colour palette, tile is individuated to the room/place in which it belongs.
Harbour Early Learning is adjacent to a public school, the facility significantly eases the daily logistics of drop-offs and pick-ups for families, facilitating a smoother transition for children and reducing commuter traffic.
A collaboration between Melbourne interior designer Danielle Brustman, SJB & Supercontext, Harbour Early Learning, in the Sydney harbourside suburb of Vaucluse, is not your typical learning centre.
Fostering a sense of connection and well being, the educational facility is a bespoke environment where both educators and students can revel in its design sensibilities, tapping into imagination and play.
The project extends beyond typical educational design norms, offering a bespoke environment that enhances children's identities. ‘Our design strategy was meticulously developed to connect children with educators, nature, and the broader community. This connection is facilitated through the thoughtful layout of indoor and outdoor spaces across three levels, each offering immersive thematic experiences,’ shares SJB.
The innovative design leans into imagination and emotive design elements—on the ground floor there are water elements such as boats and seas, while the first floor draws inspiration from sky elements like sunsets and clouds. ‘Each space is crafted to stimulate the imagination and enhance the learning experiences, deeply rooted in the natural beauty of the surrounding harbour,’ Danielle says.
Harbour Early Learning is innovative in its use of space and materials—oversized windows create a dialogue between indoor environments and the natural world outside, enriching children’s daily educational experience. Each room features hand-painted murals and custom Marmoleum flooring inlaid with thematic shapes, creating vibrant and engaging spaces. ‘Furthermore, all furnishings and lighting are locally sourced and bespoke, underscoring our commitment to sustainability and community support,’ says Danielle Brustman.
Moving beyond purely playful, the design incorporates high-quality, sustainable materials throughout, ensuring durability and environmental responsibility. Finishes are raw, with exposed concrete used throughout the interior and exterior of the building and all other materials chosen to contribute to the longevity of the building.
The center is equipped with advanced crossflow ventilation systems, complemented by ceiling fans, mechanical air systems, and HEPA air filters that remove up to 99.9% of airborne viruses and contaminants. The setup was crucial for maintaining a healthy environment, minimising the risk of disease transmission, and ensuring well being.
There’s nothing generic about the project—each room, surface treatment, mural, tap, colour palette, tile is individuated to the room or place which it belongs. Each play space is treated as a unique opportunity to stimulate the imagination of a child and engage with ideas and themes that will enhance their learning and experience, and is contextualised to the natural beauty of the surrounding harbour. Every wall, surface and material adopts complex colour schemes that blend varying hues and texture through paint, materials and fixtures. There are hand painted murals in rooms, Marmoleum flooring is inlayed with shapes relating to themes, the art sinks and bathrooms are all colour graded with curved D -Tiles–an incredible series spaces for both learning and teaching.
Harbour Early Learning pushes way beyond common conventions of education design and offers a fresh, unique direction in design for early education.
There are hand painted murals in rooms, Marmoleum flooring is inlayed with shapes relating to themes.
The center is equipped with advanced crossflow ventilation systems, complemented by ceiling fans, mechanical air systems, and HEPA air filters that remove up to 99.9% of airborne viruses and contaminants.
“Our design strategy was developed to connect children with educators, nature, and the broader community.”
‘It was important to acknowledge in the planning, the complexity of play and learning in the early years,’ says SJB.
The art sinks and bathrooms are all colour graded with curved D-Tiles.
‘Our building design not only responds to local conditions but also embraces the community's ambitions, aspiring to create a structure that radiates beauty, delight, and joy,’ says SJB.