Leveraging spatial elements to create the best possible learning experiences.

Having delivered more than 400 education buildings across the public, private and tertiary sectors, we thrive on seeing the impact educational infrastructure has on both students and local communities. Given this, we’re pleased to announce that RCC has been awarded the contract for the upgrade of Irrawang High School.

Located in Raymond Terrace, the Irrawang High School project includes alterations and upgrades of existing buildings, as well as the design and construction of new learning spaces. The upgrade of the school will deliver:

• New learning hub with 8 general learning spaces and 6 support learning spaces
• Extension and refurbishment of the library
• New school entry
• New support student drop-off / pick-up area.

RCC’s educational facilitates are built to enable world-class learning. Our project team will work closely with architects, designers, consultants and engineers to create spaces that have both the flexibility and forethought to evolve with the needs of Irrawang High School’s teachers and students.

We look forward to bringing School Infrastructure’s vision to life.

Catering for up to 400 students in the growing Mulgoa Rise and Glenmore Park communities.

RCC is leading the push to future-proof education facilities – focusing on delivering outcomes that create sustainable learning outcomes for current and future generations – this commitment came to life at the recent Nangamay Public School project. With works commencing in March 2022, the new primary school caters for up to 400 students from Kindergarten to Year 6 in the growing Mulgoa Rise and Glenmore Park communities.

Our Schools team worked closely with School Infrastructure NSW and dedicated subcontractors to deliver the precinct, with works encompassing:

• 20 innovative and adaptable learning spaces
• A special program unit
• Core facilities
• Multipurpose hall and canteen
• Sports and play spaces.

We are committed to supporting the delivery of industry-leading learning facilities for students and communities across the state, and hope these new spaces inspire the bright minds of the next generation.

Watch Nangamay Public School’s completion fly through, produced by School Infrastructure NSW (SINSW), here:

Visit SINSW’s Nangamay Public School project page

Nangamay Public School (Mulgoa Rise Glenmore Park new primary school) (nsw.gov.au)

We’re privileged to work with our partners to deliver long-lasting, positive outcomes that benefit Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

RCC is as an Australian owned and operated company which began on the lands of the Eora Nation in 1976. Our role in the construction industry comes with both the responsibility and privilege of working with our partners to deliver long-lasting, positive outcomes for the benefit of Australia’s First Nation’s Peoples. 

Recognising our sites across the country are all on Aboriginal lands with distinct Aboriginal community groups, peoples, cultures, languages, histories, challenges and opportunities, we know that genuine, lasting impact can only be achieved by working together with our local community partners.  

Yesterday, we hosted a NAIDOC Week morning tea and online event with project teams calling in from around Australia to hear about the impact we, and the wider industry, can have. Special guests from some of our partner organisations GIRA and ARA Mechanical joined us to share their stories and what this year’s NAIDOC theme, ‘For Our Elders’ meant to them.  

GIRA is a First Nations solution-based company committed to delivering projects that create economic and social value while promoting sustainability. Liam Harte, CEO and Founder, and Rebecca Halliday, Principal and Founder, shared how GIRA’s consulting services combine history, culture and knowledge with technical expertise to build projects that are climatically and culturally responsive. Through our partnership with GIRA, RCC hopes to create mutually beneficial relationships that deliver education, skills training and career advancement opportunities for First Nations communities.  

“Our partnership with RCC will drive opportunity for Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander businesses. These opportunities translate into employment, which leads to education – all these things can be contributed to closing the gap and achieving better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” summarised the duo. 

Uncle Mark Wenberg, Indigenous Engagement Manager from ARA Group, ensures staff are working within culturally safe environments on infrastructure projects across Australia. Uncle Mark performed an acknowledgment of country and talked to us about ARA Mechanical’s journey to achieving 4% engagement of Indigenous employees in various roles including technicians, managers, apprentices and trade assistants, and 12% within ARA Indigenous Services in May this year. We were honoured to hear Mark talk about the role RCC’s partnership with ARA Mechanical has played in creating long-term, sustainable career opportunities for employees and the wider community.  

“Elders play a vital role in our communities and our families – this is a special week for Indigenous people across the nation, as we promote our culture to the wider community,” said Uncle Mark.  

Our team were spoilt with catering from Plate Events – a 100% Aboriginal owned and controlled business – who we thank for making our celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, cultures and histories meaningful and delicious. 

Thank you to our guests for sharing both your stories, and the importance of NAIDOC Week, with us.  

 

Demonstrating how 21st century University buildings should prepare the professions for their futures. 

Congratulations to the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), fjcstudio (formerly fjmtstudio) and DJRD with Lacoste + Stevenson (Original Broadway Podium Design) for winning the Educational Architecture Award in the 2023 NSW Architecture Awards with UTS Central.

RCC is proud to have been involved in the construction of the impressive 17-storey vertical campus in the heart of the Broadway Campus. The glass-encased building features state of the art learning commons and collaborative spaces, a new UTS Library, a super lab, UTS reading room, food court and Faculty of Law and Engineering accommodation and learning facilities. The team worked with numerous end users throughout the construction period to deliver unique fit out requirements that meet faculty needs whilst working with the curved façade and building voids.

The UTS Central project comprises a number of trademark features including a double helix staircase, geometric automated shade panels on the northern façade and a water recycling scheme sourced from the neighbouring Central Park. This initiative was a contributing factor to achieving the building’s 5 Star Green Star Design rating.

As cited by the Awards jury, “The diverse and varied teaching and study spaces provide options for both intimate and group work as well as centralised or satellite tutorial. The refined detailing, finishes, co-ordination of services, acoustics and lighting of UTS Central, demonstrates how 21st Century University buildings should prepare the professions for their future.”

Take a look inside UTS central:

 

Uncle Terry Denzil is paving the way for Aboriginal design and inclusivity at Alexandria Park Community School.

Across every generation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place in local communities and families.  

They guide younger generations and pave the way – not only through generations of advocacy and activism, but in everyday life.  

In 2022, RCC worked closely with Schools Infrastructure NSW and Tanner Kibble Denton (TKD) to deliver Alexandria Park Community School – a vibrant and unique Kindergarten to Year 12 school located in the heart of Sydney. It was an honour for our project team to work closely with local Elder and school mentor Uncle Terry Denzil throughout the school’s design and construction.  

In 2022, Uncle Terry’s commitment to Aboriginal education in NSW public schools was recognised at the 17th Nanga Mai Awards, where he received the Outstanding Contribution to Educational Achievement by an Aboriginal Community Member Award for his work at Alexandria Park Community School. Nanga Mai is an Eora (Sydney) word “to dream.” You can read more about these awards here. 

RCC worked closely with TDK to design Alexandria Park Community School in a way that paid respect to the traditional custodians of the land – after community-wide consultation, it was decided to name the gymnasium “The Denzil” in honour of Uncle Terry’s contributions.  

Working with the school’s leadership team, Uncle Terry sought knowledge and permission from Shayne Beckham, Cultural Mentor, to name school buildings and significant spaces in the Gomberee language, and introduced Gomberee language lessons into school programs. 

Through consultation with Uncle Terry and Aunty Deb, Aboriginal influences from local areas were incorporated into the core of the design, including: 

• An Aboriginal dot painting inspiration via perforation patterns on the dominant façade screening 

• Incorporating historic NAIDOC Week posters and a Welcome to Country Mural on the main wall of “The Denzil” 
• Inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander plants within landscape works, with a focus on native species from the local area 
• Inclusion of edible native plants in the garden outside the teaching kitchen spaces    

This NAIDOC Week, we would like to acknowledge and thank Uncle Terry, Aunty Deb, and all Elders who have made, and continue to make, significant contributions in their communities.  

 

Tower Crane 1 successfully installed at City Tattersalls Club Redevelopment.

First Sponsor, ICD Property, Deloitte PDS and RCC recently celebrated the completion of a major milestone at the City Tattersalls Club Redevelopment – the successful installation of Tower Crane 1 (Favelle Favco M630D).

This is an incredible achievement by the entire City Tattersalls Club Redevelopment team, who have been diligently planning and preparing for this moment for 3-months.

50+ traffic controllers and 12 highly skilled Marr Contracting riggers covered shifts over the weekend, with the delivery and installation requiring a full street closure of Pitt Street and a partial road closure of Market Street for 48-hours. All roads were cleared, cleaned at re-opened to the public just after 8:00pm on Sunday 2 July 2023.

Tower Crane 1 was delivered in segments and installed by a 400-tonne mobile crane positioned on the street. We are immensely grateful for the support from the NSW Police, who worked alongside our project team to ensure that over 50,000 pedestrians safely passed the installation.

At 32m high and with a 55m boom, Tower Crane 1 is an impressive feature – with a maximum lifting capacity of 25 tonnes, it will enable a safe, effective, and efficient demolition of the non-heritage components of the redevelopment.

Elliot Hicks, Construction Manager, reflected on the milestone, “The successful installation of Tower Crane 1 will pave the way for significant works over the coming 12-months, and is the first of three tower cranes that will be installed at the City Tattersalls Club Redevelopment. We are cognisant of the clubhouse’s 127-year history – the importance of this massive undertaking is not lost on us. We look forward to working with First Sponsor ICD Property and Deloitte PDS to ensure the success of this landmark project.”

A big thanks to all our trade partners – your collaboration, professionalism and attention-to-detail was second-to-none. Once complete, the redevelopment will breathe new life into the Club – creating a mixed-use destination encompassing retail, dining, event spaces and carefully curated guest rooms and residences in a 50-storey tower.

Changing the narrative one day at a time. 

NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – an important time to recognise the oldest, continuous living cultures on Earth.  This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is For Our Elders.  

At RCC, we want our legacy and positive impact to go beyond the built environment. We don’t baulk at this challenge. We see the role we can play in changing the narrative from one of ‘compliance’ to ‘personal reward,’ from ‘too hard’ to ‘it’s worth it.’  

In 2021, we unveiled our Indigenous Impact Plan (IIP) – our roadmap to achieving greater engagement, building our reputation with Government clients and improving our partnerships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

In line with Reconciliation Australia’s core dimensions of equality and equity, race relations, institutional integrity, unity and historical acceptance, our IIP has been designed to utilise the unique skills and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jobseekers. With a focus on creating legacies in local communities, this plan helps create a sustainable, positive impact on all RCC projects and the local communities of which we are part of.  

We look forward to sharing further NAIDOC updates with you in the coming week. 

Congratulations to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, design architect SANAA and executive architect Architectus, for receiving the esteemed Sulman Medal for Public Architecture in the 2023 NSW Architecture Awards. This is the highest accolade in the public architecture category for these awards.

“Rethinking the orthodoxies of the art experience in relation to both enclosure and circulation, Sydney Modern provides a new type of gallery experience that is freer in movement, more connected to the landscape surrounding it, and more diverse in the scale and type of art it can house,” the Awards jury said.

The Sydney Modern Project is one of the most significant buildings delivered by RCC – a complex project with a bespoke design, executed with innovative and industry-leading construction methods. Thank you to our dedicated project team – we are proud to have delivered such an important building, now recognised with a Sulman Medal for Public Architecture.

The Art Gallery’s expansion has a 6-Star Green Star design rating, with over 8,000sqm of green roof and landscaped areas populated with Australian native species, and 735 solar panels covering close to 1,500sqm of rooftop space. Repurposing a former WWII naval oil tank as a spectacular art space was a highlight for all involved.

Suspended over one of Sydney’s busiest freeways, the new exhibition space is an expression of the city’s deep love for the arts – well done to all involved.

Congratulations to our valued construction partner for being awarded the William E Kemp Award for Educational Architecture.

Congratulations to Cranbrook School, Architectus and RCC’s project team for bringing home the William E Kemp Award for Educational Architecture at the 2023 NSW Architecture Awards.

A combination of enduring architecture and connected spaces, the redevelopment will help Cranbrook School nurture students and foster learning into the next century.

“This redevelopment project incorporates two exceptional new buildings combined with beautiful outdoor settings. The Vicars Centenary Building houses purpose-designed teaching and learning spaces, a drama theatre, a chapel, and an assembly hall,” cited the Awards jury.

Key features of this project included the new Murray Rose Aquatic and Fitness Centre – situated beneath historic Hordern Oval – encompassing:

• 50m swimming pool with regulated race timing equipment and water polo layouts
• 20m Learn to Swim pool
• Grandstand to accommodate 350 spectators
• Multi-purpose sports hall catering for indoor soccer, basket and netball, cricket practice nets and a spin room
• Indoor sprint and hurdles training track
• State-of-the-art Gymnasium
• Ancillary functions across approximately 6,036sqm of new accommodation.
• New 124 space carpark

The new Hordern Oval includes:

• Full size rugby and soccer fields
• Cricket pitch and nine practice nets
• Maintenance accommodation for equipment and ground staff

Architectus led the design of the future-focused environment, with the new buildings demonstrating a strong connection to place through physical qualities inspired by “Sydney’s coastal topography of rock platforms, horizontal terraces, cantilevers and headlands.”

RCC is proud to be leading the push to future-proof education facilities across private, public and tertiary education infrastructure. We are focused on delivering outcomes that create sustainable learning outcomes for current and future generations, and are proud to have the Cranbrook School Hordern Oval Precinct redevelopment recognised in this prestigious category.