St Paul’s Greenfield Campus Modular Build
Launching a new school campus on a true greenfield site comes with a unique set of challenges. No sewer. No water. No power. No road access. Every service must be created from scratch — and every delay has a ripple effect across enrolments, staffing, curriculum planning and community confidence.
At St Paul’s Anglican Grammar, where enrolments are nearing 2,000 students, the team needed a fast, predictable and low-risk delivery method to support the growth of the new Drouin West campus.
“A greenfield site: there’s no sewer, water or power or road networks. Each one of them became a challenge in its own right in terms of the timing.”
— Leah Young, Business Manager
The challenge of greenfield school construction
Greenfield classroom and school buildings are more than just new facilities — they’re a coordination puzzle where every element compounds:
- Essential services must be brought in from scratch
- Weather impacts every stage of traditional construction
- Delays accumulate quickly
- Multiple trades onsite increase complexity and safety risk
- Access constraints slow down sequencing
In this environment, the risk isn’t just late delivery — it’s the cascading impact on school operations, enrolment confidence and community communication.
The parallel delivery advantage
Harwyn’s off-site manufacturing allowed St Paul’s to progress all onsite establishment works — sewer, water, power and road access — while the building was already being constructed in controlled factory conditions.
This parallel approach removed the biggest risks associated with greenfield delivery:
- No weather delays
- No sequencing conflicts
- Minimal onsite trade exposure
- Reduced time and resourcing blowouts
“We needed something that would be constructed quite quickly and obviously something that we could move into for the start of the year.”
— Rowan van Raay, Head of School
Designed to belong from day one
A common misconception about modular classrooms is that they’re generic. For St Paul’s, design integrity was essential.
Working collaboratively with Harwyn and our architect, the team created a building with a strong roofline, contemporary detailing and an architectural language that will guide future stages of the Drouin West campus.
“We worked with Harwyn to design a building that looked like it belonged.”
— Leah Young, Business Manager
Installation day: precision and speed
Once manufacturing was complete, installation unfolded with speed and accuracy only modular delivery can achieve.
- Modules arrived in sequence
- Craned into place with millimetre accuracy
- The full structure stood on site in just over a day
“Driving 23 vehicles to a greenfield site, meticulously placing the components together was something that I’d certainly never seen before.”
— Leah Young, Business Manager
Within weeks, the building was complete, commissioned and ready for students.
A flexible, future-focused learning environment
From the first week of operation, the new building became a dynamic, adaptable learning space used for:
- Multi-class learning
- Assemblies
- Chapel services
- Community gatherings
“The really pleasing thing is that we’ve been able to adapt it to what our needs are each and every week.”
— Rowan van Raay, Head of School
Students also responded strongly:
“The students really enjoy it. They’ve taken pride, I think, because it’s such a new building.”
— Rowan van Raay, Head of School
A campus that opened exactly when the community needed it
Throughout the project, the St Paul’s team visited Harwyn’s manufacturing facility for full visibility over progress and quality. The final result exceeded expectations in both delivery and design quality.
“The finished product speaks for itself and the comments from the wider community, our families, staff, has been nothing but positive.”
— Rowan van Raay, Head of School
For St Paul’s Anglican Grammar, modular construction wasn’t a shortcut. It was the strategic choice — and the reason the Drouin West campus opened on time, on budget and with confidence.
Thinking about a modular solution for your school?
Get in touch with the Harwyn team to explore how we can help you deliver high-quality learning spaces faster and with less disruption.