Delivered as part of the Queensland Government’s Building Future Schools Program, Griffin State School expanded their campus to include three new buildings, each encompassing learning centres across two storeys.

Phillips Smith Conwell was commissioned to provide the D+C Contractor, Wiley, with site-support information to aid in the delivery of the construction. In addition to this, we provided rationalisation of components as proposed by the Contractor with cost-saving solutions to reduce build cost and construction program duration.

Working with the School management team, the Department of Education (DoE), and the Consultant Project Manager, our team was able to reconfigure the design and 3D documentation (BIM) model to reduce the build cost, and ultimately for the two project stages to be completed in advance of the contracted practical completion date.

The design of Griffin State School focused on achieving useable and flexible learning spaces through passive means of design. With the incorporation of an open corridor between learning spaces, a social environment of collaboration was achieved where interaction between students could be encouraged.

A pivotal part of the School’s interest was to ensure the new Prep and Junior GLA blocks were distinguishable from the existing appearance of the built environment. The use of coloured perforated metal screens helped achieve this, while also providing privacy, shading and security into the naturally ventilated areas. As interactive learning is an important aspect of the school’s pedagogy, our material selection helped create a connection between the sustainable external environment and the interior learning spaces.