Sydney Grammar School, St Ives – Block N

Rohrig recently constructed an all-new building at Sydney Grammar School, in St Ives, to meet the growing needs of the established educational facility.

We were engaged to construct a new three-level facility, with additional landscaping and connecting pathways, achieving the highest degree of quality and detail for the prestigious establishment. The building was designed to match the look and feel of other buildings at the school, which first opened its doors in 1857.

John Cockings Architects (JCA) worked closely with the Sydney Grammar School to design the building around their educational needs, while also producing a beautiful design that honours the other buildings on the grounds. All walls were wainscoted, and glazed New Guinea Rosewood entry doors used, while bespoke English pub-style urinals further add to the heritage feel. Throughout this project, we worked with the client and architect to ensure the building fit the needs of the school.

The new facility is situated in the centre of the school grounds, surrounded by a playground and other buildings, so our site was carefully contained to ensure the utmost safety. We managed programming to ensure minimal noise and disruption occurred, opting to undertake the noisy elements of the construction on school holidays.

The three-level facility features a bathroom block, classrooms on each level with external balcony spaces, tiered seating area, and pathways connecting to the other buildings and nearby playground.  Complex brickwork was incorporated using ‘no-cut’ bricks, requiring expert assembly using the ‘stack bond’ technique. There are no overlapping bricks, so the brickwork across all three levels adhered to tight tolerances to support the structural steel roofing.

A value engineering approach throughout ensured materials, timeline and construction details were managed around restricted access and delicate timings. The end result is a building that maintains the elegant design theme present throughout the school, with a mix of modern and heritage design elements used.