Case Study 1: Orange Grove Public School

Orange Grove Public School in Sydney, Australia has a really small canteen. Because of that, 188 students had to walk to the nearby Leichhardt Municipal Hall or use neighbouring schools' facilities. The school was asked to expand the canteen but they cannot make it because of the expensive cost and the limited budget, whereas the school actually has the space.

In New South Wales, 19 of the school brick tuckshops measuring 3m x 8m will cost between $550,000 and $600,000 each. That size is too small to fit a stove or even a pie-warmer. They only can put the oven and other stuffs on the bench, because there is no room. The secretary of the school's Parents & Citizens Association, Louise Appel, said that the canteen is like a cubby house, there is no space for anything.

In this case, the problem is on the cost, so the only solution is to make a 'cheap' canteen. Cheap means choose cheaper material, it is not necessary to be brick. Reducing the size of the tuckshop is not correct, what should be changed is the design, not the size. For example, it is not necessary to have brick wall to separate each tuckshop, we can change it with board or other cheaper materials. For the tuckshop itself, just use several tables to serve the food, do not need to build brick stall. For the eating area, standing table is a good choice to minimize the cost.

Standing table

Table with ready food

Source: Bita, Natasha. $550,000 Canteen Too Small for A Pie Warmer. Created 17 May. 2010. Accessed 20 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/canteen-too-small-for-a-pie-warmer/story-e6frg6n6-1225867479199>