We led the master planning and architecture for the expansion of Saltwater P-9 College as principal design consultant. Saltwater sits in one of Melbourne’s fastest-growing suburbs on a constrained site with limited available land. Since opening in 2018, the school has grown from 325 students to nearly 2,200.
The master plan organises circulation and student movement, demarcating distinct zones for primary and secondary students. New buildings address the surrounding residential streets, opening the school to community use outside school hours. A decanting strategy delivered temporary classrooms and kept disruptions to a minimum during construction.
A new secondary school building provides dedicated specialist spaces for the school – Food Technology, Drama, Music, Art, Textiles, Media and science laboratory. These are arranged around a central multi-purpose hall used for performance, physical education and community gatherings.
The three-storey primary building includes a library, classrooms and staff facilities. It is organised into distinct learning neighbourhoods — each a cluster of four classrooms sharing outdoor terraces, breakout collaboration zones, reading nooks and a consultation room. This arrangement supports team teaching and flexible grouping while giving students a defined home base within a large school. Covered terraces provide access to the outdoors, views and fresh air at every level.
The design is rational and systemised, maximising the number of spaces without compromising quality or flexibility. Interior design connects the learning spaces to place, with a warm, durable and honest material palette. Healthy spaces extend beyond the provision of fresh air and natural light, with the use of sustainable, non-toxic material like cork flooring, natural marmoleum flooring and carbon neutral products such as local bricks, acoustic panels and carpet tiles.
We engaged with the Bunurong Land Council and First Nations students and teachers to identify culturally safe approaches to the design. Operable louvres in integrated classroom window seats came directly from student feedback — a request for connection not just to views, but to natural weather systems and the passage of the day. First Nations-designed products and businesses were specified throughout, and we collaborated with local Bunurong artist Kobi Sainty, whose student-led workshops shaped the ceiling panel designs at every building entry. Kobi also painted a large-scale mural in the double-height foyer of the multi-purpose hall.
Saltwater P-9 College,
Point Cook
Two new school buildings for a prep-to-year –nine school in Point Cook, in collaboration with Brand Architects, delivered for the Victorian School Building Authority.
Saltwater sits in one of Melbourne’s fastest-growing suburbs on a constrained site with limited available land. Since opening in 2018, the school has grown from 325 students to over 2,200.
“From the very beginning, their team demonstrated a genuine commitment to understanding our school’s vision. They took the time to listen carefully not only to school leadership but also to our broader community to ensure that the design reflected our educational priorities, values and future aspirations.”
— Jackie Daniali, Principal, Saltwater P-9 College
![FWO001_Plan_Templates copy [Recovered]-82](https://fieldwork.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FWO001_Plan_Templates-copy-Recovered-82.svg)
![FWO001_Plan_Templates copy [Recovered]-83](https://fieldwork.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FWO001_Plan_Templates-copy-Recovered-83.svg)
![FWO001_Plan_Templates copy [Recovered]-84](https://fieldwork.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FWO001_Plan_Templates-copy-Recovered-84.svg)
![FWO001_Plan_Templates copy [Recovered]-85](https://fieldwork.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FWO001_Plan_Templates-copy-Recovered-85.svg)
