How new tech builds schools faster

The NSW Government has formed a partnership with the construction sector to transform how new schools are built.

The ‘pavilion model’ has been developed under the partnership, enabling high-quality schools to be delivered in months instead of years.

Pavilions are designed and constructed offsite and assembled in a matter of weeks on the school site, saving time and construction costs, and minimising disruption.

Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the new model would transform how schools were built in NSW and had been a game changer for students and the building industry.

“By pioneering the pavilion approach, we are ensuring we can provide permanent, high-quality classrooms, reducing the need for demountables on our school sites,” Mitchell said.

“The pavilion approach has the potential to cut construction time by 30%, and construction costs by 20%, by building schools in a more sustainable and efficient way.

“The sheer volume of school building projects has allowed us to push industry to find innovative ways to deliver schools sooner and reduce the impact on local communities while retaining high quality.

“With a mix of traditional school construction and the new pavilion approach, we will create schools that grow naturally with their communities.”

An upgrade at Fern Bay Public School near Newcastle piloted the pavilion model, with a total construction time of 12 weeks including just six weeks of onsite assembly.

Lipman delivered the Fern Bay Public School upgrade and Manager – Design & Innovation Phillip Tondl said the project clearly demonstrated the benefits of this method.

“Works onsite were completed in six weeks due to high levels of prefabrication in the large, panelised building components. In spite of COVID and wet weather during construction, a building of high quality was delivered on time at Fern Bay,” he said.

Built is another builder delivering schools via modern methods of construction, including early contractor involvement contracts for the Murwillumbah Education Campus and Wee Waa High School.

Built CEO and Managing Director Brett Mason said Built’s product not only allowed schools to be constructed faster, more efficiently and safely but also offered design flexibility, high-quality components and strong sustainability outcomes.

“Our fully designed product can be built 50% faster than a conventional build and provides the flexibility to be designed into infinite configurations to meet the needs of different schools, locations and future growth. It really is the future of building schools,” Mason said.

Image caption: The pavilion model at Fern Bay Public School.