Philip Smith Centre

Architects: Rudolph Koch (1909); Restoration by Lovell Chen (2021-2024), Builder: Hansen Yuncken

Past Fabric, Present Use

What can an old building teach us about the future of learning?

Step inside the Philip Smith Centre and discover a remarkable piece of Tasmania’s educational history, where more than a century of teaching, learning and community life has been woven into the building itself.

Constructed in 1911 as the Hobart Teachers’ Training College, the building was designed around progressive ideas about education and student wellbeing. Light and fresh air were considered essential, resulting in generous windows, spacious teaching rooms and large verandahs that helped bring the outdoors into the life of the building.

Look closer and you’ll discover a fascinating mix of influences. The building responds to the Gothic character of nearby Domain House, while its materials, simple forms and attention to craftsmanship reveal the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Over the decades, the building has continued to adapt, accommodating successive generations of educators, students and community groups. Its latest chapter has seen heritage architects Lovell Chen and builder Hansen Yuncken carefully restore and adapt the building for the University of Tasmania, bringing back much of its original clarity while creating flexible, contemporary teaching spaces.

The restoration has also revealed how much the original design already had to teach us about sustainable buildings. Natural light, ventilation, generous verandahs and careful responses to the climate were built into the architecture more than a century ago. Today, these qualities have been retained and enhanced as part of a contemporary learning environment.

Come and have a look, explore the spaces where generations of Tasmanians learned to teach, and discover how a building from 1911 is continuing to support learning today.

Open: Sat 7 Nov, 10am-2pm. Tour: 1:30pm