St Rita’s College Trinity Centre | Kennedy Building

The new five-storey Trinity Centre brings together general learning areas, drama studios, music tutorial and practice rooms, a large foyer and the College’s 400-seat auditorium, complete with an operable wall that allows it to divide into two separate rooms. The auditorium needed a completely column-free space, so the design called for three structural steel trusses spanning the full width of the building, each around 25m long and 12m high. Site constraints meant the trusses were built on site in sections before being carefully lifted into position.

The project also called for an innovative micropiling solution to support the rear carpark, where a steep drop to neighbouring properties ruled out conventional piling rigs. With site access limited to a narrow rear laneway, deliveries of large items like the structural steel had to be carefully planned and broken into smaller loads.

Demolition of several existing buildings, including Trinity Hall and part of the Kennedy Building, took place while the rest of the campus stayed open, with strict controls in place to manage dust, noise and vibration around students and staff. The finished spaces feature a high level of craftsmanship, including acoustic panelling imported from Germany, bespoke carpet from Denmark and solid hardwood joinery up to 6m high.

Running alongside the new build, Tomkins also refurbished the Kennedy Centre, converting the ground floor of the heritage 1930s building into a new commercial kitchen and tuck-shop while the level above remained in daily use. Wherever possible, original materials were salvaged and reused, including timber repurposed into new doors and feature panels and heritage brick relaid as paving around the refurbished building.