Caleruega Hall – Cabra Dominican College

Generous run-off zones and ceiling heights ensure the new courts comply as host for state netball competitions, while custom AV, lighting and retractable bleachers also support music and theatre performances. Ample foyer space and a small kitchen serve 1500-person events well: an attractive income proposition as a community space for hire.

Carefully engineered truss-like walls flank the uninterrupted 44-metre court span. With this intervention, unsightly columns were avoided – the simplified construction bringing project costs below budget. Maximising the hall’s footprint without losing a vital pedestrian thoroughfare was also key to optimising movement across the school. Multiple student entries puncture the eastern boundary along this path, intuiting wayfinding and maintaining flows between the car park and the northern buildings.

The angular, hooded public entrance is now a proud landmark for the school’s Little Street kiss-and-drop zone – a feature echoed in the main student entry. Colorbond cladding offers a nod to the award-winning Therese Sweeney Music Centre, and laminated timber fins expressed around the hoods are strip-lit with LEDs – a sociable beacon at evening events. Indoors, there are two additional classrooms, consulting and teacher prep rooms, and expanded toilet and change facilities for students, teachers and umpires. With community front-of-mind, there is also a public EFM gym on site.