Concord High School

Concord, NSW
- Sydney
Direct Client Richard Crookes Constructions
End Client: Schools Infrastructure NSW
Architect: JDH (concept); TKD (detailed design and delivery)
Services
- Civil
- Structural
- Sustainability
Sectors
- Education
Value $45 Million
Year Completed: 2026

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Partnership

Northrop and Richard Crookes Constructions share a collaborative partnership built on mutual respect, technical rigour and a commitment to delivering quality outcomes across complex education projects. Having worked together on several significant campus developments, including projects with demanding structural and architectural requirements, our teams have developed a strong working rhythm that promotes early engagement, clear communication and proactive problem solving. This trusted relationship helped to ensure the Concord High School upgrade was delivered with certainty, enabling the creation of contemporary learning environments that support better outcomes for students, staff and the broader community.

Project

The Concord High School upgrade is a major investment in the future of education in the area, delivering 40 permanent classrooms, specialist learning spaces, a new hall, administration facilities, and refurbished existing areas. The project supports the school’s vision of flexible, innovative, and future-ready learning environments that can accommodate growing enrolments and diverse student needs. Delivered on an active school site, the project overcame challenges including staged demolition, construction coordination, and integrating new and existing facilities.

Delivery

Northrop provided civil, structural and ESD engineering services for the project, delivering a steel-framed building using modern construction methods. Drawing on lessons from previous projects, including Santa Sophia Catholic College, we introduced innovative solutions to optimise material use and performance. This included the design of asymmetric steel beams combined with the SlimDek 210 flooring system, enabling longer spans with reduced concrete volumes, lighter foundations, and overall cost efficiencies.
The constrained inner-city site presented a number of challenges, with construction equipment temporarily extending into the footprint of the new school hall and all works undertaken within a live school environment. Careful coordination with the builder and subcontractors was essential to manage sequencing, maintain safety, and keep the programme on track.
As construction progressed, further constraints emerged, including level discrepancies compared to survey information and differences in the location of existing utilities and services. Existing tree roots also imposed design limitations. We worked closely with RCC to adapt the civil design in response to these conditions, ensuring compliance with Council requirements while accommodating on-site realities.

Impact

The Concord High School upgrade has created a modern, connected, and future-ready campus that will benefit generations of students. Flexible classrooms, specialist learning spaces, and a new hall provide the environments needed to unlock student potential, fostering innovation, collaboration, and wellbeing. The project carefully balanced construction challenges with continuity of learning, resulting in safe, inspiring, and adaptable spaces. Beyond immediate educational outcomes, the upgrade strengthens the broader community by ensuring the school remains a vibrant hub for learning, growth, and opportunity for decades to come.