Named after Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, this $68 million secondary school is a state-of-the-art learning institution with a 150-seat lecture theatre, modern library and huge multi-purpose indoor sports hall.

BG&E provided civil and structural engineering for Stage 1 of the development, in co-operation with the Bateman and T&Z Architects Joint Venture and other consultants. The scope of Stage 1 comprises four three-storey buildings that are interconnected with a covered link. The buildings are surrounded by a large landscaped podium that is suspended over an underground carpark and classrooms.

The design was created with the option to change some of spaces in the future. The concrete frame has widely spaced concrete columns and a supporting post-tensioned flat plate slab and spans up to 11 metres long and cantilevers up to 4 metres long. Concrete lift cores and strategically placed concrete shear walls provide lateral stability.

The design also includes a 115-metre x 50-metre post-tensioned and landscaped flat plate podium slab that interconnects two buildings. Jointing of this element with temporary movement joints was critical to control shrinkage.

BG&E played a crucial role in assisting the design team in negotiations with Water Corp, which enabled them to deliver a compliant piled structural solution that allows for the school to be built over an easement.

By 2025, this institution of academic excellence will accommodate up to 2,500 students.