Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2015

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NEW BUILDING OPENS NEW CHAPTER

TWO DAYS BEFORE THE SCHOOL’S FOUNDATION DAY, THE RESEARCH LEARNING CENTRE WAS OPENED BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE HONOURABLE PAUL DE JERSEY AC, QUEENSLAND GOVERNOR. Federal member for Brisbane the Hon Teresa Gambaro MP, State Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace MP, Councillor Amanda Cooper and former Principal Dr Judith Hancock AM were all in attendance to officially witness the culmination of almost five years of planning and development. The introduction of Year 7 in 2015 provided the School with the impetus for the new building which would create a contemporary learning space to support thought, reflection and inquiry. It was recognised early in the process that the location of the Research Learning Centre at the front of the School, adjacent to the School’s founding buildings, provided the opportunity to create a visible history of women’s education, juxtaposed with the latest approaches to education, technology and scholarship. Rather than proving a hindrance, the existing mature fig tree became an inspiration for the building and the beauty of this tree was incorporated into the design. Study tours to the Delft University of Technology Library in the Netherlands and the Hellerup School in Copenhagen highlighted the potential for creating intimate spaces within bigger, open-plan environments, and the possibilities inherent in such contemporary learning spaces. Over fifteen months, work on this emerging building was thoughtfully managed with minimal disruption to

‘IMAGINE A DAY … WHEN A BOOK SWINGS OPEN ON SILENT HINGES, AND A PLACE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE WELCOME YOU HOME. IMAGINE…TODAY’.

His Excellency Paul de Jersey AC with Chair Elizabeth Jameson and Principal Jacinda Euler at the official opening of the Research Learning Centre.

students and staff. Almost 100 000 hours were worked on site and 58 000 bricks, 2183m 3 of concrete and 176 tonnes of reinforcement indicate the scale of the project. The severe storm that hit Brisbane on 27 November 2014 did not deter spirits nor determination, and the building was completed ready for the start of Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s 140th year. Preceding its official opening on 13 March, the RLC opened its doors to the School community on 27 January, invoking excited whispers, expressions of awe and squeals of delight, confirming the success of the building’s design and construction. As Principal Jacinda Euler remarked at the opening, ‘Michael Banney and m3architecture have designed a building whose contemporary, bespoke exterior is perfectly at home in its historic location, with windows revealing glimpses of an interior rich with suggestions of scholarship’. The combination of the School’s heritage and contemporary values, evidenced through the tactility of old books in partnership with modern technologies, and antique furniture located throughout the flexible learning spaces, reflects — in our 140th year — our proud traditions of providing an exceptional education for Grammar girls.

GRAMMAR GAZETTE