Following a fire in 2014, the redevelopment of St Clair High School provided an opportunity to rebuild not just facilities, but a renewed sense of pride and community. The Innovation Centre and campus upgrades have transformed the school into a vibrant, university style environment where students can learn, collaborate and thrive.

Construction was delivered in a live environment and required meticulous planning to maintain safety and continuity for students and staff. With the site landlocked by operational buildings and fire damaged structures, Grindley established secure, segregated access and suspended walkways to maintain safe access to other operational buildings. Early identification of latent structural issues, with fast-tracked demolition and construction, allowed the team to meet the tight program milestones driven by Client requirements. Through open communication and collaboration, the project was delivered safely and on time and with minimal disruption to learning.

Key design features aimed to combine functionality with contemporary design. The façade features distinctive zest blades and angled aluminium fins, these elements provide both solar shading and a striking visual identity.

The external building also includes Equitone colour-through CFC cladding, a new product to the local market, installed through close coordination with designers to ensure a seamless, defect free finish that all parties could be confident in.

Internally, the facility supports flexible teaching arrangements with light filled learning areas and a tiered innovation hub. Value management initiatives, such as optimising ceiling and waterproofing systems, extended the building’s design life while achieving significant cost efficiencies for the Client.