TAFE IATC Kingswood | Modern Training Facility Design

Client Lipman Construction
Sectors
- Education
Services
- Structural
Year 2025
Location North Sydney, NSW

Last Project
Next Project

Delivered through close collaboration, Stage 2B provides a flexible, multi-level learning facility within a dense inner-city campus.

Partnership

Stage 2B of the Marist Catholic College North Shore masterplan brought together a consultant team with long-standing working relationships and a shared understanding of delivery excellence.

Northrop was engaged as part of the builder’s team, working closely with Lipman, with whom we have collaborated across numerous projects. This established partnership enabled a highly integrated approach from the outset, particularly through the tender and value-engineering phases.

Our prior experience working alongside WMK Architecture further strengthened the team dynamic. With consultants already aligned in their ways of working, communication was efficient, decision-making was informed, and complex issues were resolved collaboratively.

Project

Stage 2B delivered a new multi-level learning facility, forming a core element of the College’s broader masterplan to create a connected, contemporary K-12 education precinct that supports innovative, flexible learning and accommodates future growth in enrolments. This stage included demolition of existing buildings and construction of a basement car park, four levels of advanced learning spaces and amenities, and a rooftop playground that extends valuable outdoor space within the vertical campus. The works also incorporated the refurbishment and repurposing of the existing library to align with the evolving educational environment and reinforce the campus’s focus on seamless transitions and enriched student experiences.

Delivery

Delivering a complex education facility on a tight inner-city site required careful coordination. Northrop worked closely with Lipman during the tender phase, providing value-engineering input to balance structural efficiency, buildability and architectural intent.

A significant technical challenge was the foundation design, with a substantial portion of the building required to be constructed over the Metro Second Reserve easement. Northrop undertook many iterations of the building finite-element modelling, testing various pile configurations, to ensure an efficient and compliant foundation design was achieved. This constraint demanded close collaboration between Northrop, the geotechnical engineer and the piling subcontractor to rationalise the foundation solution and ensure no piles encroached into the easement.
The project also featured a high level of architectural expression, with exposed structural elements forming a key part of the design language. Northrop led and participated in a series of targeted workshops with the architect, builder and specialist contractors to resolve detailing, tolerances and constructability, ensuring the architectural vision was realised without compromising structural performance or programme certainty.

Impact

Stage 2B significantly advances Marist Catholic College North Shore’s transformation into a contemporary vertical campus, delivering flexible, future-ready learning environments within a dense urban context. The new facility supports innovative teaching models, enhances student connectivity across year levels and introduces valuable outdoor space through the rooftop playground.