New school offers top class spaces for all

Designs for a state-of-the-art primary school and multi-purpose community space in Sydney’s Green Square have been unveiled by the City of Sydney and NSW Department of Education.

The new primary school will provide fit-for-purpose learning spaces and core facilities to meet enrolment demands in one of Australia's fastest growing neighbourhoods. The project will include additional facilities designed for both school and community use.

Architect BVN’s competition-winning design integrates school and community spaces for both day and night use and will be built on the former South Sydney Hospital site on Joynton Avenue.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the school will sit at the heart of the growing Green Square community and set a new benchmark for urban development.

“This revolutionary school design will provide much-needed community facilities that will be activated day and night for the whole community to use. It is an important addition to the area’s educational, social and cultural life,” the Lord Mayor said.

“By 2030, over 60,000 people will call Green Square home. The school will serve as a lynchpin that connects our award-winning library and civic plaza, 40 new parks and the Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre, which opened earlier this year.

“By planning for the community’s needs alongside residential development, we are transforming Sydney’s oldest industrial heartland into a lively, connected and well-serviced community.”

“The City has committed $25 million towards the integrated community facilities that will be shared by local residents and businesses outside of school hours. The new school will be a crucial part of the City’s $1.3 billion investment in public and community infrastructure.”

The new school will be built on the old South Sydney Hospital site, land set aside by the City of Sydney during the Green Square master-planning process. It will sit next to the Waranara Early Learning Centre, across the road from the Gunyama Park Aquatic Centre and close to the Green Square Library.

A design excellence competition run by the NSW Department of Education and the City of Sydney was judged by a panel of experts drawn from education, architecture and urban design fields.

Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the design marked an important milestone in the planning process and that she was excited to share the first artist impressions with the community.

“We are committed to providing students with the educational infrastructure needed to learn, grow and prepare for a successful life after school,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Schools are the hearts of our communities and the winning design from BVN captured this and created a fantastic place for children to learn.” Ali Bounds and Matthew Blair, architects and principals at BVN, said the new educational model sets a framework for flexible, varied and functional learning spaces based around community hubs.

“Green Square’s landmark heritage brick buildings have already been thoughtfully reimagined through adaptive reuse. As the final element to be delivered within the precinct, we felt that it was significant that the new school clearly be a part of the area,” Ms Bounds said.

“The model encourages student and teacher interaction and provides well-connected teaching and learning spaces.”

Mr Blair said the design layout fostered a connection with the broader community, surrounding parks and community facilities.

“This project provides a rare opportunity to create a modern, neighbourhood-scaled school that contributes to a shared public domain,” Mr Blair said.

“We believe buildings that are participative, that involve an engagement with users and that can be reactive to varying conditions will bring educational benefits.

”This has been a unique and exciting opportunity to create an exemplar public school that genuinely supports both a school and local community to thrive.”

The Green Square integrated school and community space will be jointly funded by the City of Sydney and the NSW Department of Education and will be delivered by School Infrastructure NSW.

For media inquiries or images, contact Belinda Wallis on 0467 810 160 or [email protected].

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jack Begbie on 0481 759 580 or [email protected].