Garran Primary School

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Joss Construction delivered the Garran P-6 School Modernisation under a Design and Construct contract, completing the ACT's first comprehensive public school modernisation and setting a new benchmark for future-focused educational environments in the Territory.

When early design review identified significant issues with the client's existing documentation, including solar access, flood management and budget constraints, Joss led the design team through an exhaustive programme of daylight, solar, traffic and flood modelling. A new masterplan was developed collaboratively with the client over 16 weeks of targeted weekly design and stakeholder meetings, with all original contractual milestone dates met.

The completed school features flexible learning neighbourhoods organised around a revitalised central courtyard that functions as both environmental moderator and social heart of the campus. A purpose-built library with bespoke curved brick walls and custom round windows anchors the school’s heart, complemented by a biodiverse rooftop garden, STEAM Lab, yarning circles and a range of collaborative, independent and small group learning spaces. A standout technical achievement was the building’s airtightness performance, with a final blower door test result of 0.77 m³/h/m² dramatically outperforming the ACT Education specification target of 5 m³/h/m², an unprecedented outcome for a commercial project constructed using standard building methods and materials.

Throughout the design and construction process, First Nations culture and connection to Ngunnawal Country were meaningfully embedded across every element of the project, from landscape planting that reintroduces locally endemic species through to custom batten screens, materials and colour palettes inspired by Aboriginal astronomy and the local natural environment. The project also involved the careful relocation and preservation of existing heritage artworks on campus. Flood mitigation measures, including a concrete upstand and integrated sandstone blocks within the nature play area, were designed and installed by Joss and have since been proven effective, withstanding 110mm of rainfall in a 90-minute period.