Nazareth College Student Hub
A welcoming heart for student wellbeing, putting care front and centre.
The Student Hub brings Nazareth College's wellbeing and support services together in one central, welcoming building. The three-level hub includes Student Services, health counselling, wellbeing and careers spaces, as well as a canteen and dining hall with an adjoining Seminar space.
Completion
Under construction, due for completion September 2026
Services
Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Design
Client
Nazareth College
Location
Noble Park, VIC
Taking Away the Stigma
The College's wellbeing centre was undersized, and its support services were disconnected. Coming out of our 2023 masterplan, the Student Hub replaces an ageing relocatable, bringing these services together and giving students a place where they feel comfortable to seek guidance and a more connected, collegiate approach to wellbeing.
Privacy Without Isolation
Counsellors were concerned about stigma, so the design balances privacy and dignity with safety and supervision. Construction also had to work around a tight site, soft ground and a canteen that couldn't close, solved with a temporary shipping container kitchen. Working closely with the builder, the project came in under budget allowing additional landscaping upgrades to be included in the scope.
Listening to Every Voice
We gathered briefs from counsellors, nurses, careers and student services, Year 12 staff, the canteen operator, school leaders and faith leaders. Presenting spatial relationships back to each group, and testing ideas that wouldn't work, helped everyone see the benefits of the final design. Faith leaders helped bring Catholic symbolism, artwork and stories into the building.
Wellbeing, Front and Centre
Sited at the heart of the campus, the Student Hub gives students a sanctuary and a place to seek help and support that many schools can't offer, shows parents that wellbeing is well supported, and frees up space elsewhere on campus for future works. Most of all, it gives students a vibrant place of their own to congregate, reflect and seek assistance.
