St. Narsai College, Horsley Park
St Narsai is a new Assyrian Secondary College situated in Horsley Park. Northrop were engaged to provide structural engineering services for Stage 3 of their Masterplan which included a double storey Music, Art and Science Building with formal courtyard, landscaped areas and a COLA (covered outdoor learning area).
Highly reactive ground conditions posed the biggest challenge to our design and a screw pile foundation with suspended slabs was chosen to minimise effects on the building due to ground movement. Careful consideration was also paid to the surrounding landscaping elements. Our team worked closely with the architect, particularly on the jointing in pavements and the off-form concrete retaining walls on the site perimeter, to mitigate water ponding and ground activity.
We also had to consider architecturally complex features such as the distinctive geometric pop-out windows. Our team worked through the detailing of these with the fabricator and builder to ensure buildability on site.
The state-of-the-art building officially opened at the end of 2019.
Photography by John McRae