Fishermans Bend Vertical School takes shape

Construction has commenced on a vertical school in Fishermans Bend, Port Melbourne that will cater for up to 1100 students and stand at four storeys tall.

The Victorian Government has invested $3.8 million in planning works for the school aiming to cater for an increasing demand for vertical schools.

Local community consultations have helped shape the design of the school. The four storey school’s design references the Spirit of Tasmania, with layers of classrooms that resemble the levels of the ship. Its architecture and materials aim to honour the area’s maritime and industrial history, with an environmentally sustainable design and high-tech amenities including a fabrication lab and robotics workshop.

The school will also showcase a range of arts, food technology, sports and learning spaces which will also be open to the broader community.

There will be a strong focus on science, technology, engineering arts and maths which aims to expose students to career pathways that align with Fishermans Bend’s proposed design, engineering and manufacturing precinct.

“I’m excited that the community’s vision for a Fishermans Bend secondary school is now becoming a reality and students will get to attend a modern and innovative school with first-rate facilities,” said Victorian Education Minister James Merlino.

The Fishermans Bend precinct is one of Australia’s largest urban renewal projects, it is twice the size of the city’s CBD and expected to house up to 80,000 people and support 90,000 knowledge economy jobs by 2050.

The project benefits from the government’s $624.8 million investment into school construction and upgrades in the Victorian Budget 2019/20.

The school is targeted to open in 2022.