RP Infrastructure

In 2018, the Star of the Sea College embarked on the development of a new Master Plan to address many of the constraints the College faced including its location in a residential area and the number of buildings which were not meeting the needs of the current school. The Master Plan outlines the adaptive re-use of many established heritage buildings on site and identifies opportunities for future growth and demand to reflect the College’s vision.

The Heritage Project was selected by the Star of the Sea as the first project in the Master Plan for development.

Project Overview

A key initiative of the project is the creation of a new portico at ground level to the north of the existing entry that will facilitate a major east-west circulation route across the campus by removing a segment of the 1930s building at ground level which had previously joined two older buildings.

Along with the portico works, the project also addresses the variance in floor level throughout the Heritage Project, and the internal walls across all three levels will be reconfigured to increase the provision of teaching, collaborative learning and study opportunities.

A new vertical circulation hub and amenity block is proposed at the southern edge of the building.

Our Role

RP Infrastructure (RPI) has been engaged by the Star of the Sea College to ensure the overall project risk associated with the Stage 1 Heritage Project will be minimised. RP has been engaged for the Tender and Construction stages of the project to:

• Lead and manage the tendering process
• Superintend the construction and handover of the project
• Provide professional oversight of the project management process including client, architect, consultants, contractors and key stakeholders to the project
• Manage the time, quality and cost of the project
• Deliver the project in the best interests of Star of the Sea College.

Key Challenge

The Heritage Project is being undertaken within the heart of the College campus and is adjacent to the College’s main North-South circulation axis.  This introduces a range of site constraints that need to be overcome to facilitate an effective construction program.  These constraints include both physical and environmental restrictions on the works that will need to be addressed in the design and delivery of the project.

Another aspect of the project is the facilitation of the works within an 1800’s heritage building, this will require design solutions that are sympathetic to the heritage of the building along with construction processes and solutions that need to mitigate risk to damage of the existing building.

Image credit: McGlashan Everist Architects