He designed the new World Trade Centre. Now this superstar is building a Caulfield school

A Melbourne private school has snared one of the world’s top architects to help design its new “mega campus” on the site of Caulfield Racecourse in the city’s inner south-east.

Daniel Libeskind – who drew up the masterplan for rebuilding New York’s World Trade Centre after it was destroyed in the 2001 terrorist attacks – will be announced on Friday as part of the design team for Mount Scopus College’s new Caulfield campus.

Daniel Libeskind, one of the world’s most heralded contemporary architects, is part of the design team for Mount Scopus College’s new Caulfield campus.Credit: Getty Images

The private Jewish school kick-started its ambitious plans for an early learning to year 12 campus, a sports precinct and a centre for Jewish life last year with a $195 million deal to buy a large tract of the racecourse from the Melbourne Racing Club.

There are currently 1210 students enrolled at Mount Scopus’ three campuses, in Burwood, Caulfield South and St Kilda East. Annual fees are more than $42,000 for students in its senior levels.

The school has dubbed the build “Project Generation”, and says it is not only one of the largest educational developments under way in Australia, but also among the biggest projects ever undertaken for the nation’s Jewish community.

The project team will announce the design coup on Friday – with Libeskind, who shot to international renown with his design for Berlin’s famous Jewish Museum – considered by some as the No.1 global contemporary architect.

He has designed landmark buildings around the world, including Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre, the Royal Ontario Museum as well as the Berlin museum project, which electrified world architecture when it was built in 1999.

University of Melbourne associate professor of architecture Rory Hyde was excited by the appointment, describing the “hugely influential” Libeskind as the “real deal” among the giants of modern architecture and a perfect fit to design a new centre for Australian Jewish life.

“There’s no other architect who has been able to distil their Jewish heritage into architecture,” Hyde said.

Libeskind’s firm, Studio Libeskind, will join local outfits MGS Architects, Warren and Mahoney, Freadman White and another international firm, Aspect Studios, in the design consortium for the huge project.

The Freedom Tower at One World Trade Centre is one of Libeskind’s best known designs.Credit: Getty Images

Libeskind appeared to share the school community’s excitement, saying on Thursday he was honoured to work on the project.

“To help create The Centre for Jewish Life and a unified campus for Mount Scopus Memorial College – a vibrant home for the future of community, culture and education in the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community – would be a profound honour and a defining moment in my career,” he said.

Scopus Foundation president David Gold said Libeskind’s recruitment to the design team was a milestone in the project, which he hoped would be completed in 2030.

“This is a key milestone in realising our long-held vision for the Centre for Jewish Life, including the new consolidated school campus,” Gold said.

The superstar architect also designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin.Credit: Getty Images

“I am deeply excited about the appointment of such an acclaimed collaboration of professionals to support us on this journey.”

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