Chisholm Institute
Chisholm institute
Fast becoming one of the most advanced and innovative training and skills institutes in the region, Stage Two of the Frankston Campus Redevelopment Project for the Chisholm Institute was designed to deliver new state-of-the-art education and teaching facilities, responding to growing local industry needs.
Completed in 2024, the Stage Two Redevelopment Project at the Frankston Campus of the Chisholm Institute delivered a $67.6 million multi-level facility that introduces new learning spaces dedicated to student support and enrolment hub, community and social services, VCE/VCE Vocational Major and Foundation College, along with bespoke spaces for art and design.
To create a sense of belonging through a place-specific campus identity, an important step of the design approach was research into the Frankston area to understand the First Nations and colonial history of site, as well as site assessments for solar access, connections, winds, and local species to encourage biodiversity.
The result is a coastal inspired campus identity that represents Frankston’s precolonial natural landscape in an abstract yet literal form, as well as highlighting the proximity to the beach through the planting and material palettes.
The most obvious interpretation is visible in the super graphic used in the recreation zone. The green, yellow and blue used represents the bushy coastal vegetation, the coastal sand dunes, and the sea, with all three elements intertwined in a wave pattern symbolising the natural relationship between these elements.
The landscape and open space surrounding the Stage Two building has expanded the campus heart, creating a dynamic outdoor hub for socialising, learning and connections, with a diversity of spaces and improved pedestrian permeability, set within a landscape narrative reminiscent of the precolonial natural landscape.
A main pedestrian spine runs through the centre, allowing access to the different learning buildings, the open plaza and multiple gathering areas. The central open lawn is embraced for informal socialisation, relaxation and student events while the table tennis tables encourage physical activity.
With the campus easily accessible by public transport, including train and bus, the new landscape has delivered improved connections to the nearby Peninsula Aquatic and Recreation Centre and Frankston Station.
