Richmond High School's Academic Building tops out
The second site of Richmond High School is on track to open in time for the commencement of the 2019 school year, with the Academic Building now topped out.
Earlier this week, Minister for Education James Merlino and Member for Richmond Richard Wynne toured the $43 million school which will cater for 650 Year 7-12 students.
The new Richmond High School is located across two sites comprising an academic precinct on Griffith Street and a sports precinct on Gleadell Street.
With the roof of the Griffiths Street campus now complete, the second campus will be ready for Term 1, 2019 and will cater for the second intake of Year 7 students in addition to students moving into Year 8.
The Griffiths Street Campus will have four levels featuring learning and staff facilities, as well as outdoor spaces for learning, gathering and play.
The Gleadell Street campus includes general purpose teaching spaces, four competition-standard netball courts including one indoor, as well as new showers and toilets, a canteen and administration area.
According to architects Hayball, the atrium is "the physical and symbolic heart of the academic building, a single unifying space that brings everyone in the school together." The idea of connectivity extends to the exterior of the building which has been designed to express a ground plane strongly connected to the landscape.
Internally, specialist space will be evident across the four levels with the school shifting from traditional classrooms and teaching models to learning spaces that are targeted, purposeful spaces promoting a range of activities and experiences catered to staff and student needs.
The school has been designed to provide a hub for the community. At the Griffiths and Gleadell Street campuses, spaces for students to learn, gather and play can be used by community members, including the outdoor amphitheatre, three external netball courts, performing arts facilities and café environment.
What they say:
The topping out of the building marks a significant milestone in the construction of Richmond High School, and importantly, provides students, teachers, and community members an opportunity to celebrate the campus so close to completion. As the second Richmond High School campus materialises, it’s clear how excited everyone is.
During the design phase, Hayball had the great benefit of working with the Richmond High School reference group. Now that the designs are coming to life, there’s a sense among the local community that this is truly a school for them.
- David Tweedie, Hayball Director
This is another great milestone for our community, who fought against this school’s closure and fought for it to be built again. This school is not only providing much needed education assets for our area, it’s bringing new resources for the wider community.
- Richard Wynne, Member for Richmond
We’re getting on with the job of opening the second campus of Richmond High School with the facilities on track to open Term 1, 2019. Richmond High School is one of 70 new schools we’re building in Victoria and is a school that should never have been shut in the first place.
- James Merlino, Minister for Education
