Under construction

New upper primary building shells are both close to completion at Antonio Catholic School in Morphett Vale and St Joseph’s School in Port Lincoln, while at St Mark’s College in Port Pirie, a new fit-for-purpose boarding house is well into construction.

At Antonio Catholic School in Morphett Vale, the new two-storey, upper primary development is taking shape, replacing the outdated and underutilised, three-storey Hoskin building on Bains Road. With its slightly more prominent position next to the school’s main entry, the contemporary replacement is set to greatly improve the school’s street presence close to a busy intersection.

Four bright, new learning areas with central breakouts on each level will better cater to the school’s growing population. Additional facilities, like teacher preparation areas, allied learning zones and think tanks for dedicated study, will add depth to the senior primary offering. There will be stronger connections with the outdoors, too, addressing both existing fire egress issues and the need for improved student movement across the site.

Cook Building has the steel framing and roofing well underway, with external cladding and glazing installation to follow soon. We’ve worked closely with the engineers at gama consulting, too, to navigate the complexities of a sloping site, and to accommodate additional car spaces. Works are currently on track for completion by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, at R-12 St Joseph’s School in Port Lincoln, the single storey upper primary facility is progressing at pace alongside our 2023-completed two-storey Caritas building. St Joseph’s celebrated its 150^th anniversary in August, and it’s incredible to think Russell & Yelland has managed a strong working relationship with the school for almost half of that history.

Addressing growth strategies from recent masterplans, the upper primary’s new facility represents a generous expansion to cater to a growing school population. The building includes six general classrooms, a primary years-focussed music room, breakout spaces, intervention rooms, think tanks, toilets and a new canteen.

The two-toned brick construction will tie the precinct together while the colour palette demonstrates a continuation of the lower primary’s design language, too. Kym Clarke Constructions have managed a quality build to date. Acoustic panels have now been installed and the raked ceiling and clerestory windows are taking shape as a key feature, with natural light already flooding the building. Construction is due for completion towards the end of the year.

Finally, over at St Mark’s College in Port Pirie, excitement is building for the 2025 boarders, with local builders, Barry Ramsay Construction, making good progress on the school’s latest infrastructure project. Following a masterplanning exercise in 2022, we began the designs for four new boarding house buildings, one of which will be a shared facility for kitchen, dining, recreation and administration. The facility’s design will greatly expand the number of beds and eliminate the existing room-sharing arrangements.

Appealing, contemporary quarters will be newly available next year for up to 33 students and two live-in supervisors. Each resident will enjoy their own private room, complete with a study nook, wardrobe and ensuite, plus access to a shared kitchenette in each building. A new car park adjacent the shared amenities will complete the project early in the new year.

Each of the buildings is now more than halfway finished, with joinery being installed and painting underway. We’re looking forward to seeing the finishes in the coming months, complete with a calm, botanical colour scheme that references the native eucalypts on site.