Five noteworthy education projects flying under the radar

Five noteworthy education projects flying under the radar
Mark BaljakAugust 3, 2015

It's not just apartment developments which are presently enjoying heightened levels of construction. A large number of education-driven projects are also under construction throughout Melbourne, with Urban.com.au nominating five of the more significant builds below.

Impressively one builder has collected four of the highlighted five, with Kane Constructions currently enjoying a rich vein of projects in the sector; the combined value of Kane Construction's four projects on the go is in excess of $100 million.

In terms of location the five nominated projects are skewed toward Melbourne's inner suburbs and follow on from two recently completed projects of a similar nature, namely The Mandeville Centre and the architecturally intriguing McBride Charles Ryan-designed PEGS Middle Girls School.

Here are five education-based projects currently under construction.

Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science

Five noteworthy education projects flying under the radar
The Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science's Morrison Street aspect. Image courtesy Scotch College
  • Location: Hawthorn
  • Builder: Kane Constructions
  • Value: $30 million
  • Client: Scotch College
  • Architects: Cox Architecture
  • Development team members: Taylor Thomson Whitting & Norman Disney Young

Our conversational teaching approach is most powerful and effective in facilities designed to encourage student and teacher interactions. Each level of the new centre will be a unique learning landscape bringing together formal teaching labs, staff offices and facilities and a central learning hub.

The new Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science will be the showcase of environmental sustainability on the campus. We will be targeting a Green Star rating to validate the environmental credentials of the building, placing Scotch College at the leading edge of sustainable teaching environments.

engagingcuriousminds.net.au

The Artemis Project

Five noteworthy education projects flying under the radar
The Artemis Project. Image courtesy MGG
  • Location: South Yarra
  • Builder: Kane Constructions
  • Value: $23 million
  • Client: Melbourne Girls Grammar
  • Architects: BVN
  • Development team members: Taylor Thomson Whitting, Umow Lai, WT Partnership & Case Meallin & Associates

Kane Constructions has been appointed preferred contractor for the Artemis project at Melbourne Girls Grammar. The Artemis Project comprises the construction of a health and wellbeing centre located on the Senior School campus at Anderson Street South Yarra.

The new facility includes an indoor pool, indoor multipurpose courts, gymnasium, break out spaces and extensive landscaping. Works will be completed ahead of the 2017 school year.

Kane Constructions

Southern Gateway Building

Five noteworthy education projects flying under the radar
The Gateway Building. Image courtesy Kane Constructions
  • Location: Parkville
  • Builder: Cane Constructions
  • Value: $24 million
  • Client: Trinity College University of Melbourne
  • Architects: McIldowie Partners
  • Development team members: Trevor Main & Associates, VanDeMeer and Waterman AHW

This landmark building will exemplify the commitment that the University of Melbourne and Trinity College share in furthering the education of all our students.

Construction of the building represents the long-term realisation of this important academic centre that all of our students deserve. The College anticipates that this academic centre will be ready for use in the 2016 academic year.

Trinity College

PLC Performing Arts Centre

Five noteworthy education projects flying under the radar
PLC Performing Arts Centre. Image courtesy Root Projects Australia
  • Location: Burwood
  • Builder: Kane Constructions
  • Client: Presbyterian Ladies College
  • Architects: Cox Architecture
  • Development team members: Wood & Grieve, Wilde & Woolard and Root Projects Australia

The project brings together the key education functions at PLC in a performance environment. Within a gross floor area of 6,500 square metres it includes: a 550 seat auditorium tailored to the specific needs of the school’s noted music program; the music school including two major performance studios and 12 rehearsal studios; a ‘black box’ studio for both drama classes and performances.

Root Projects Australia

PLC's Performing Arts Centre is expected to be completed during mid 2017.

The Commons

Five noteworthy education projects flying under the radar
The Commons is well into construction. Image courtesy Architectus

Rising over three levels the Commons includes spaces for Knowledge, Science, Food Technology and School Café within an urban context of adjacent apartments, townhouses and individual residences amid a busy road. The street facade is composed as a working green wall that enables a new type of interaction with landscape for students in a site that yearns for green space as well as promoting a ‘learn from life’ approach to Science.

Architectus

Contract Control are well advanced in delivering The Commons which is scheduled to be completed at the turn of 2016. This follows on from Contract Control's recently completed project The Mandeville Centre which also featured Architectus as project design lead. Completed on behalf of Loreto Mandeville Hall, the education facility carried a development value of $12 million.

Mark Baljak

Mark Baljak was a co-founder of Urban.com.au. He passed away on Thursday 8th of November 2018 after a battle with cancer. He was 37. Mark was a keen traveller, having visited all six permanently-inhabited continents and had a love of craft beer. One of his biggest passions was observing the change that has occurred in Melbourne over the past two decades. In that time he built an enormous library of photos, all taken by him, which tracked the progress of construction on building sites from across metropolitan Melbourne.

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