Mamre Anglican School Masterplan

In 2020, state planning law rezoned the area including the existing Mamre Anglican School site in Kemps Creek from educational to industrial use, making expansion illegal, resulting in significant strain on school enrolments. Intensification from the subsequent construction of warehouses and increased freight traffic on surrounding roads have added operational complications and safety risks, with relocation being the only viable option to secure the school’s long-term future.

The new 4‑hectare campus remains within the school’s established community catchment area and will benefit from future active and public transport connections in Sydney Science Park. It will deliver a purpose-built, culturally rich educational environment for 1,355 students from pre-kindergarten through Year 12. The masterplan anticipates growth and includes three interconnected teaching blocks, a multi-purpose sports hall, auditorium, and library which will be accessible to the community after hours. Facilities are arranged around generous green spaces, courtyards, a central café, and playground environments catering to differing age groups and abilities. Covered walkways and canopies create sheltered circulation and gathering space throughout the site. 

Connecting to Country workshops undertaken with the local community and facilitated by Yerrabingin provided rich inspiration for the school campus design. Three design principles developed through this engagement guide the masterplan.

Cultural Greening enables students to immerse themselves in the ways of Country through a design that demonstrates regeneration of nature and custodianship. Circulation pathways weave through and overlook courtyards planted with endemic species, enriching understanding of Country through smell, sound, texture and language as students move between classes. Deep verandah roofs and plentiful shade trees enable year-round access to outdoor areas, while a 315sqm kitchen garden nurtures appreciation for self-sufficiency and the abundance of nature.

Meaningful Leadership demonstrates caring for Country through renewable energy systems, eco-friendly architecture, and culturally sensitive design. The design reveals ecological passive systems through visible water movement during rain events and encourages biodiversity through native planting and natural landscape features. The building envelope responds to Western Sydney’s climate through deep balconies and eaves that provide shelter from winter winds, while enabling cross-ventilation during summer to reduce mechanical cooling needs.

Celebrating Cultures strengthens the connection between built form and the existing systems of Country. As community consultation revealed: ​“The project should look to integrate the textures, forms, colours and hues of Country into the built form and open space designs. This strengthens the connection between the proposed design and the existing systems of Country…Art, etchings and interpretation can be integrated into the design as a form of education, allowing knowledge sharing and enriching understanding of place.” This intention is expressed through replication of nearby Wianamatta Country ecology mapped within the brickwork façade of the reception building. A First Nations artist will be commissioned to realise this design as a permanent feature, linking the school’s identity with Country.

Jasmax acknowledges the Dharug peoples as Traditional Custodians of the Country upon which Mamre Anglican School is located.