Awarded the contract by Catholic Education of Western Australia, this project involved the construction of a new arts and music facility for John Paul College in Kalgoorlie. Commencing in 2022, during COVID-19 restrictions, and facing uncertain measures and unforeseeable issues, the project was able to continue through the pandemic with little delay and zero injuries and incidents.

The site was located in an existing car park within school grounds and comprised of a new two-story building housing an auditorium, green and dressing rooms, classrooms, offices, a foyer, and amenities. Particular focus was given to the acoustic performance of the building, given its purpose. Throughout the building, specific methods of construction were used to keep acoustic leakage to a minimum.

A large construction within an active school environment meant a challenging build with minimal space to move materials and machinery. Site coordination between the school and riggers was paramount to moving steel safely. This sometimes meant working outside of normal hours to complete higher-risk activities and was vital in completing several tasks unimpeded.

The auditorium, located in the middle section of the building, consists of suspended concrete seating, a sprung floor stage, a bio-box of projectors, and lighting controls. The entire auditorium was painted black to minimise light reflection during productions.

Classrooms and offices have acoustic ceilings and Autex sound-deadening panels. Walls were extended to the underside of the roof and acoustic insulation was installed to achieve the required acoustic rating.

The external landscaping consists of over 670 square meters of exposed aggregate paving with limestone seating encompassing the garden beds. Due to previous floodings of the school site, there was significant consultation and design in creating an ‘overland’ flow through the school site surrounding the new building. All levels of paving had to be precise to allow water to flow away from buildings but through the school to the other side, taking into consideration requirements for disabled slopes.