Rendine delivers first example of new Victorian kindergarten rollout in under six months.

 

The speed and versatility of Rendine Constructions’ Modularity system has helped to deliver the very first project to be completed under a new Victorian Government program to build kindergartens on, or next to, primary school sites.

 

In late June 2021 we handed over the keys to the Lucknow Primary School Kindergarten, less than six months after the contract was awarded. This was the first of approximately 30 new kindergartens across the state to have been commissioned under the Kindergartens On School Sites (KOSS) program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The $2.5 million Lucknow Kindergarten, installed on the site of Lucknow Primary School, comprised a pair of 33-berth classrooms together with staffroom, offices, kitchen, bathroom facilities and a foyer. 

 

Utilising one of Modularity’s key advantages, the buildings were fabricated in modules at Rendine’s modern Geelong factory. Concurrently, the site in Lucknow, in the Gippsland town of Bairnsdale, was undergoing demolition works and being prepared with footings and services installed. 

 

The near-complete modular sections were crane-lifted onto trucks and transported approximately 370 kilometres to the site, where they were installed in the space of just two days, ahead of finishing works that included service and data connections, plus extensive landscaping.

 

Under the specialist guidance of a full-time Rendine project manager, a rotating roster of staff from the Geelong headquarters worked alongside local Bairnsdale trades to complete the work, says Rendine Constructions Manager of Modularity, James Heffernan.

 

“We’ve now got some really strong connections in that part of Victoria, and demonstrated once again that we can combine our in-house expertise in modular construction with locally sourced skills anywhere in the state to create an outstanding finished product,” James says.

 

The KOSS program was conceived to grow Victoria’s pre-school capacity, rolling out kindergarten placements to three-year-olds. “The idea is for kindergartens to be sited within or near existing schools, creating a clear pathway for kindergarten students to transition to school,” James says.

 

Lucknow was the first of several KOSS projects to be undertaken by Rendine, and the first in the program to be completed. We have begun work on two similar on-site kindergarten projects, at the Apollo Bay P-12 College and Keysborough Primary School, in Melbourne’s south-east.

 

“We delivered the Lucknow project in under six months, which is at least six months quicker than would be possible using in-situ construction methods,” James says.

 

“Modularity is perfect for this style of project, where we are building into an existing school or site. We’re very experienced at managing that scenario and minimising the impact on existing day to day operations. It really was a seamless installation at Lucknow and we’re

proud of the result.”