Education Masterplans
fjcurban prepares masterplans for schools and universities that set a clear vision for growth, often on compact and constrained sites. Each begins with the school community: students, staff, parents and alumni shape the brief through workshops, focus groups and surveys.
Our education masterplans range from independent schools across Sydney to the University of Adelaide’s three campuses and the Partnerships in Victorian Schools project.
Loreto Kirribilli Masterplan, Kirribilli
Loreto Kirribilli is an independent Catholic school for girls from Kindergarten to Year 12, with just over 1,000 students. fjc prepared a detailed masterplan for the campus that considers up to 50 years of future development. Shaped through interactive workshops with students, staff and parents, it brings together potential development sites and the school’s approach to learning, with careful staging on a compact, multi-level site. The Spiritus Innovation Centre, completed in 2023, is the first stage. The masterplan considers every aspect of life at Loreto, with community connectivity at its core. A benchmarking process helped identify opportunities for the site and supported meaningful engagement with the school community. Clear design principles, drawn from the school’s vision, guide every response, with accessibility, flexibility and innovative learning as priorities. Flexible primary school settings, from reflective spaces to collaboration hubs, support team teaching and a stronger connection to outdoor learning.
University of Adelaide 2030, Three Campus Masterplans
Masterplans for the University of Adelaide’s North Terrace, Waite and Roseworthy campuses provide an integrated strategy for its built environment. At North Terrace, the focus is on address and identity, the pedestrian experience and high quality open space that connects the campus to the city. At Waite, new vistas and avenues connect the heritage quarter with the partnership sites.
St Augustine’s College Masterplan, Brookvale
The masterplan brief was developed with the school leadership team, staff, students, parents and alumni through visioning workshops, focus groups and surveys. It analysed the existing buildings and the school’s functional needs, and set design objectives centred on a well-connected campus that embodies the school’s core value of community. The masterplan gives the college a focused vision for strategic growth across a site of about 25,000 square metres, and its guiding principles support an adaptable, high-quality learning environment. The briefing process highlighted the qualities of the existing campus and its areas of opportunity, and set out design objectives and principles to guide the plan. The first stage provides about 4,000 square metres of floor area. The masterplan acts as a framework for the school’s long-term development, so that each future project contributes to a coherent, connected campus.
Brigidine College Masterplan, St Ives
Brigidine College is a girls high school for Years 7 to 12 with around 950 students, on a constrained suburban site that includes a protected forest. fjc prepared the masterplan in 2017, using extensive option modelling to make the best use of the site while maximising open landscape. Replacing lower-quality single-storey buildings made room for a new gym and denser teaching space, returning land to landscape. The staged plan includes a new library, gym and teaching facilities, site-wide accessibility and an improved street address. Established in the 1950s, the campus is characterised by low-rise buildings in warm red brick. The school’s needs had changed, with a larger gym for inter-school tournaments and an upgraded library becoming priorities, and with no ability to expand its land holdings a strategic approach to growth was essential. The masterplan builds on the existing courtyard language of the school, so new buildings strengthen its character.
Our Expertise
Engaging the School Community
Every masterplan begins with the people who use the campus. Visioning workshops, focus groups and surveys with leaders, staff, students, parents and alumni shape a brief that reflects the school’s values, as at St Augustine’s College and Loreto Kirribilli. Benchmarking against other schools helps communities see what is possible.
Constrained and Complex Sites
Many schools sit on compact, steep or bounded sites with no room to expand. We use extensive option modelling to find capacity, as at Brigidine College, where replacing low-quality buildings made room for a new gym and more open landscape around a protected forest. Every option is tested against the school’s priorities.
Learning and Pedagogy
Masterplans respond to how students learn now and will learn in future. Flexible settings, from reflective spaces to collaboration hubs, support team teaching and outdoor learning. Our work on the Partnerships in Victorian Schools project set output specifications for eleven new government schools, applying these principles across a whole program.
Staged Growth
A masterplan must work while the school stays open. We plan clear stages so each project adds to a coherent campus, from the Spiritus Innovation Centre, the first stage at Loreto Kirribilli, to new STEAM facilities at Moriah College and long-term frameworks at the University of Adelaide.
Other Education Masterplans
| Project | Location |
|---|---|
| Partnerships in Victorian Schools | Victoria |
| Kensington Campus Masterplan, UNSW | Kensington, New South Wales |
| Broadway Physical Concept Plan, UTS | Ultimo, New South Wales |
| Campus 2010 and Beyond 2020 Review | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Fort Street School | Millers Point, New South Wales |
| Moriah College Masterplan | Queens Park, New South Wales |
| Yipiringa School Masterplan | Alice Springs, Northern Territory |
For further information about our education masterplanning capability, please enquire by email. You can also explore our work in schools and tertiary education.