Djarragun Boys Boarding

POD worked closely with Djarragun College on the design of a new 75-bed Indigenous boys' boarding facility at their Gordonvale campus on Malanbarra Yidinji Country. The new facility departs from the traditional shared accommodation model, instead providing separate bedrooms with ensuites to improve students' privacy and ability to manage their own space. Internal areas either cool naturally with cross ventilation or mechanically with air conditioning, while a 40kW solar power array offsets energy use. Six separate buildings are arranged around a landscaped courtyard that features endemic plant species, a yarning circle, and a choice of three separate covered outdoor areas. All areas are connected by multiple continuous, covered pathways, again offering a choice of ways to move around the facility. Openings between and within buildings provide long views to Country and admit cooling breezes. Perforated screens feature student artwork referencing aspects of Country from their many distant homelands. Construction of Stage 1 is scheduled for completion in mid-2025.

Drone images credit: Belinda Allwood

3D images credit: Enrico Bulic