St Edmund’s College, Wahroonga

We recently completed a major refurbishment of St Edmund’s College in Wahroonga, New South Wales, taking the 74-year-old special needs school into the future.

The major project was completed across three stages, with roughly 90 per cent of the existing college refurbished, offering upgraded facilities for students and educators.

Glendenning Szoboszlay Architects designed the improved school facilities, while project managers Midson Group oversaw works from start to finish, combining modern materials, timeless styling and high-end workmanship.

Stage one kicked off with the demolition of an existing building and in its place we built a new library with administration and general learning area (GLA) facilities, as well as a porte cochere for student drop-offs and pick-ups.

Next, stage two involved constructing a new car park, sports field, basketball court, student hall, and multipurpose GLAs. The learning areas, which will be used for, science music and art, were built above an existing swimming pool while maintaining the existing facility.

Between the first two stages we also undertook significant underground boring to connect the school to an existing stormwater system across the road, totaling 107 metres.

Lastly, stage three included renovating the heritage-listed Midhope building for use as an administration building, while also refurbishing two courtyards and existing learning areas to provide additional science laboratories.

A mix of unique new materials now feature at St Edmund’s, with acid etched concrete walls and sandstone pavement throughout the school, and the iconic Midhope building has been sprayed with volcanic ash to achieve period correct styling.

We staged handovers of learning areas as they were completed, allowing classes to continue with minimal disruption. We also ensured student pick-up and drop-off could take place by incorporating a shared space within the Rohrig site.