Once the decision was made to relocate, a new school campus was planned and developed off Middle Creek Road. The positioning of the school well off the highway with low traffic volumes past the school, and with a dedicated ‘Kiss & Drop’ zone and bus parking spaces, provided a safe environment for staff and community. The campus included six new General Learning Area classrooms, a new prep classroom, a sports oval, play areas, an undercover tennis court and a resources centre.

The new plans not only provided space and amenity for the initial school construction, but also allowed for the master planned future expansion of the school. A stark contrast to the 100 year old buildings it replaced, the 21^st century learning environment of the new school needed to be integrated into the quiet, rural location of the Noosa Hinterland in which it was to serve. With the local community’s focus on environmentally responsible living, the school also needed to contain a range of green features including energy efficient lighting systems, solar hot water and substantial rainwater storage.

DMA Engineers was engaged to undertake the electrical and mechanical building services on the project. We worked closely with project architects, Thomson Adsett, to integrate the building services within the architectural form of the various buildings, ensuring they enhanced the sense of community and aesthetics of the school.

Our extensive knowledge of the many Queensland Government Standards and guidelines ensured that their requirements were appropriately encompassed within the engineering solutions. Beyond adhering to the many requirements of the Building Code of Australia and relevant Australian Standards, specific project requirements that also had to be met included:

• Education Queensland’s general design requirement.
• Department of Education and Training’s ICT standards.
• Security guidelines and specifications for School Electronic Systems.
• Design requirements for Education Schools Facilities – Ecological Sustainable Development Requirements.

A high level of spatial coordination was integral to the streamlined and largely hassle free construction, which kept the project program and budget on track.

The attention to detail and time and effort spent during the design and documentation phases of the project meant that both Thomson Adsett and Education Queensland had a high level of confidence that the engineering services were appropriate for the operational facility and would meet their needs for many years to come.