Cranbrook school undergoes $125m rejuvenation

Cranbrook’s senior school campus will undergo a $125m state-of-the-art redevelopment, digging up the school’s Hordern Oval to build an underground aquatic centre and 126-space carpark.

Artwork of the redeveloped Hordern Oval at Cranbrook school, with an underground aquatic centre, which has been approved by the state government.

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The $125m redevelopment of the prestigious Cranbrook school will see the main oval dug up and an aquatic centre built underneath.

The state government has given the massive renewal of the Bellevue Hill senior school campus the go-ahead, with works expected to begin this year.

Sports played on Hordern Oval will be diverted to other local fields while the construction takes place, which currently has no finish date.

The Wentworth Courier recently reported on Cranbrook parents’ anger at the closure of the two-decade-old swim school to make way for the masterplan.

An artist impression of the underground aquatic centre to be built as part of Cranbrook’s $125m school redevelopment project.

Two large buildings will be demolished as part of the project, the War Memorial Hall and Mansfield Buildings, and replaced with a new five-level teaching and learning building.

The state-of-the-art Centenary Building will include 11 new classrooms, teaching terraces, a drama theatre, a dining commons, a school chapel and an assembly hall over 6,258 sqm.

It is the first time a school chapel will be built on campus.

The schools main sporting facility, the Hordern Oval, will be excavated to build a new aquatic and fitness centre underneath it. The oval will then be rebuilt.

An artist impression of the new Hordern Oval as part of the $125m Cranbrook redevelopment.

The current image of the Hordern Oval at Cranbrook school.

The aquatic centre will feature a 50m swimming pool, 25m learn-to-swim pool, a sports hall and a gym. There will also be a 126 space car park built under the oval.

An on-campus student drop-off and pick-up zone will be constructed to “ease traffic congestion on Rose Bay Ave and Victoria Street in morning and afternoon peaks”.

Cranbrook started the planning process in October 2017.

The Department’s Executive Director Infrastructure — Planning and Assessment, David Gainsford, who approved the redevelopment, pointed to the creativity of the open spaces, with the 900sqms of rooftop lawn.

The project will replace buildings which are almost 70 years old.

Rendering of the new Centenary teaching and learning building.

Render of the Centenary Building as part of the masterplan.

“A lot has changed in seven decades in terms of education, construction and technology and this masterplan development project represents the most significant single renewal of Cranbrook’s historic senior school campus undertaken since construction 101 years ago,” Cranbrook principal Nicholas Sampson said.

“New, built-for-purpose facilities (will) replace classrooms and facilities which have served us well for over seven decades and have understandably reached the end of their working life.”

Mr Sampson has ensured the masterplan is not about expanding student numbers.

“This project is not carried out with an eye towards expansion, either in terms of our current site or our student numbers, but rather to … cater for the educational, sporting and co-curricular needs of Cranbrook students for decades to come.”

The huge project is funded by the Cranbrook community, benefactors and the school council.

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