Terrigal Early Learning Centre
DESIGN
The Serpentine Road Terrigal Childcare Centre was designed around landscape integration as a core architectural driver.
A central external rain garden is positioned between learning rooms, creating visual connection to greenery while managing stormwater on site.
These pockets of landscape improve internal amenity, natural light penetration and cross-ventilation, while providing passive supervision opportunities.
Outdoor play areas are layered with planting, shade and sensory elements to support child development and wellbeing.
The integration of built form and landscape reduces bulk from the residential interface and enhances staff amenity, reinforcing Armada Architects’ design-led approach to early learning environments.
OUR ROLE
Armada Architects was appointed architect and design lead for the Serpentine Road Terrigal Childcare Centre, delivering full architectural design, consultant coordination and successful Regional Planning Panel approval on the Central Coast.
Replacing an existing dwelling, the project delivers a purpose-built early learning centre designed to meet contemporary operational, regulatory and community expectations within a sensitive residential setting. Armada led the planning strategy, design development and technical documentation required to secure approval, working directly with Central Coast Council and the Regional Planning Panel.
The development required careful resolution of residential interface impacts, traffic and access design, acoustic performance, bushfire constraints, environmental considerations and SEPP (Transport and Infrastructure) – Childcare compliance. Landscape integration, including structured outdoor learning areas and stormwater-sensitive design elements, was embedded into the architectural response.
Armada Architects coordinated the full consultant team, managing traffic, acoustic, civil and landscape inputs to deliver a cohesive, commercially viable and approval-ready submission. Services included concept design, DA documentation, site planning and yield optimisation, planning response strategy and Panel presentation support.
The Serpentine Road Terrigal Childcare Centre aligns with the National Construction Code (NCC), Education and Care Services National Regulations and Central Coast Council DCP requirements, reflecting Armada’s specialist expertise in childcare architecture and complex approval pathways.
