Turrabul people
Queensland
Brisbane
The McCormack Building at Mary MacKillop College is a contemporary learning facility that marks a key milestone in the long-term transformation of the Nundah campus. Developed as the first major project arising from the College’s Master Plan by Deicke Richards, the building translates educational vision and Josephite values, establishing a confident and enduring presence within its neighbourhood context.
Addressing Buckland Street, the three-storey building strengthens connections between the school and its surrounding community while presenting learning as an outward-looking endeavour. Flexible learning environments, specialist teaching spaces and a centrally positioned library and learning hub support contemporary pedagogies focused on collaboration, adaptability and student agency.
Generous circulation spaces, an activated undercroft, and strong visual connections foster interaction and belonging, while robust materials respond sensitively to the campus context. The McCormack Building demonstrates how architecture can actively support evolving educational practice while contributing enduring value to its community.Â
The McCormack Building demonstrates a thoughtful, community-driven response to an underutilised site at Mary MacKillop College. By cleverly connecting multiple adjacent building and ground levels, the project has become a cornerstone for gathering and improving equitable access across campus. Tall volumes provide light-filled spaces that foster student independence and support learners. The contextual masonry language and warm palette establish a civic familiarity within Nundah, reinforcing the College's community connections. The spatial arrangement celebrates key sightlines and encourages students to engage with their broader surroundings.Â
Commendation for Educational Architecture
The beautifully scalloped brick facade of the McCormark Building at Mary MacKillop College reclaims a missing corner of the school campus. Drawing inspiration from the magnificent and foundational Corpus Christi Church, the new architecture turns the corner, leading from the sacred towards the secular – setting up an intentional engagement with the nearby Nundah commercial hub. The architects have delivered a beautiful open plan library and upper-level creative design spaces and a versatile undercroft area. The McCormack Building is a renewed statement of presence and participation in the Community which surrounds the College, to which it has dutifully served for many years.
Commendation for Educational Architecture
The McCormack Building demonstrates a thoughtful, community-driven response to an underutilised site at Mary MacKillop College. By cleverly connecting multiple adjacent building and ground levels, the project has become a cornerstone for gathering and improving equitable access across campus. Tall volumes provide light-filled spaces that foster student independence and support learners. The contextual masonry language and warm palette establish a civic familiarity within Nundah, reinforcing the College's community connections. The spatial arrangement celebrates key sightlines and encourages students to engage with their broader surroundings.Â
Commendation for Educational Architecture
The beautifully scalloped brick facade of the McCormark Building at Mary MacKillop College reclaims a missing corner of the school campus. Drawing inspiration from the magnificent and foundational Corpus Christi Church, the new architecture turns the corner, leading from the sacred towards the secular – setting up an intentional engagement with the nearby Nundah commercial hub. The architects have delivered a beautiful open plan library and upper-level creative design spaces and a versatile undercroft area. The McCormack Building is a renewed statement of presence and participation in the Community which surrounds the College, to which it has dutifully served for many years.
Deicke Richards have designed a remarkable building that has transformed our campus and empowered our girls to be confident learners for the future. Both functional and breathtakingly beautiful, the building reflects our identity through arched forms and red brick that connect us to the local community. Each day it comes alive as students read, study, collaborate, create and reflect- whether celebrating Book Week, working quietly, or gazing across the Nundah skyline. The McCormack Building and renewed Maryvale classrooms embody flexibility, innovation and purpose, standing as a symbol of hope, growth and our enduring commitment to girls’ education.
Eloise Atkinson, Design Architect
John Deicke, Design Architect
Shem Guthrie, Design Architect
Ian Hamilton, Project Architect
Ryan Wu, Project Architect
Belinda Woods, Project team
Magda Myszkowski, Interior Designer