Project Description:

The Quad reimagines a hard-paved courtyard at the heart of Loreto Kirribilli as a space shaped by the site's forgotten water history. Once threaded by small tidal creeks feeding into Sydney Harbour, the courtyard's concrete slab and ageing shade structure are replaced with a landscape that traces that lost hydrology back into daily use; a raingarden and native planting re-establishing the creek line, passive irrigation reducing maintenance, and a new canopy of climbers trained across a catenary structure to bring dappled light back to the space. 

Developed in close collaboration with BVN on the canopy and lighting, and with JHA Engineers and BG&E on hydraulic performance, the design balances the practical demands of a working school courtyard; durable paving, flexible fixed and movable furniture, clear circulation, with a planting and shade strategy grounded in the pre-1788 ecology of the site. The result is a courtyard that moves with the seasons: full shade and thermal comfort in summer, dappled winter light, and a quiet, ongoing connection to sky and water country.