Wilkins Public School

<p class="rteBlock">Every Trade is a specialist construction partner delivering education, healthcare, commercial and civil projects across New South Wales. As head contractor on the Wilkins Public School project, Every Trade engaged Steelcorp to design, manufacture and install the school&#x27;s new covered outdoor learning area.</p><br><p class="rteBlock">Wilkins Public School is a K-6 public school in Marrickville, NSW, serving students from their first year of school through to Year 6. The project called for a significant new covered outdoor learning area, designed to provide a permanent structure the school could rely on for decades.</p>

<p class="rteBlock">Wilkins had a tight footprint and limited options for outdoor play and learning space. The sports court was unusable in wet weather, and with no covered area on site, outdoor lessons were restricted to fine days. The school needed a permanent, all-weather solution.</p>

<p class="rteBlock">Steelcorp first became involved with the project in 2023, developing initial concepts and budgets. Following Every Trade’s appointment as head contractor, Steelcorp was engaged to deliver the design and construct structural package.</p><br><p class="rteBlock">We led the structural design in partnership with Eren Engineering, then carried the package through manufacture and installation.</p><br><p class="rteBlock">On site, delivery was coordinated by <a value="https://everytrade.com.au/" label="" type="url" href="https://everytrade.com.au/" target="_blank" data-runtime-url="https://everytrade.com.au/">Every Trade</a> as head contractor, keeping the build moving across trades from first slab through to final fit off. Their experience running projects inside live school environments meant Wilkins kept operating as normal for the length of the build, with minimal disruption to students and staff.</p><br><p class="rteBlock">The result is a 960m² covered outdoor learning area, built around a curved roof with a full underside lining. Robust SHS columns carry the load without crowding the court, and skylights bring natural light in across the full span.</p>

<p class="rteBlock">The covered court gives Wilkins its first all-weather space, usable for PE, assemblies, lunch and outdoor learning regardless of the forecast. Rain no longer takes the court out of action, and the roof provides shade over the space through the middle of the day. Every class from K to 6 now has access to a space that simply didn’t exist before, giving staff more flexibility in how they plan the week and students more time outdoors.</p>