Auburn High School
When senior students at Auburn High moved into their newly constructed campus, they asked for an outdoor space that reflected their culture and fostered community.
Brief
Auburn High recently built a new centre for senior students, on the edge of an old quarry next to its playing fields. The surrounding environment presented an opportunity to create a new outdoor hub. The brief – led by Auburn students was to create a welcoming area featuring an indigenous themed yarning circle, shaded seating, and spaces for sport and recreation. The challenge was to transform the steep, and previously underused site into a functional landscape that balanced culture, play, and learning.
Design
The design integrated multiple zones for active and social use:
- Sports: A full-sized basketball court with line markings to double as a netball court.
- Gathering & culture: A yarning circle and outdoor classroom space with sandstone blocks, acknowledging the site’s history as one of Melbourne’s earliest quarries.
- Recreation: Seating areas, high quality retractable umbrellas and outdoor table tennis encourage informal play and interaction.
- Landscape: Levelled terraces, concrete paths and plantings softened the site and provided shade, making the area comfortable year-round.
Construction
The Great Spaces team reshaped the steep ground into functional terraces and slopes. Then we installed the new court, table tennis zone, and sandstone seating for the outdoor classroom. Locally sourced sandstone connected the new design with the quarry’s past, while plantings and shade structures brought life, comfort, and resilience to the space.
To reduce disruption, the project was completed within the school holidays, allowing students to return to a transformed outdoor environment ready for use. The result is a vibrant, multi-purpose precinct that reflects student voices and cultural identity while enriching daily school life. The space is now a central hub for Auburn High’s senior students, supporting sport, learning, and community in equal measure.
