What is the Centre for Humanities?
The Centre for Humanities is a brand-new dynamic facility, built for the teaching and learning of Humanities at Melbourne Grammar School.
Designed by renowned architect John Wardle (Wardle Studios), the $55 million building will create flexible, inspiring spaces in which students and teachers will gather, exchange ideas, and expand their intellectual and cultural horizons.
Which subjects will primarily be taught in the Centre for Humanities?
Classical Studies, English, Geography, History, Literature as well as Media, Philosophy, and Politics.
Why is Melbourne Grammar School undergoing this project?
We believe that a home for the Humanities will help ensure our students leave Melbourne Grammar School with the ability to critically evaluate information for themselves. Students' ability to grasp subjects like Philosophy and English underpins much of how they make sense of the world around them.
The existing buildings that the Centre will replace – the Rhoden and Neill buildings – are long past their ability to serve students’ needs and best interests. The new learning environments included as part of the Centre for Humanities will help secure the School’s ability to provide a meaningful and transformative education.
What is the construction timeline?
The demolition of the Rhoden and Neill buildings and construction of the Centre for Humanities commenced in October 2024 and should be completed by July 2026.
Occupation of the Centre for Humanities is planned from the start of Term III 2026.
What will the Centre for Humanities include?
The building includes:
- An amphitheatre, seating 220 people and visible across five levels
- An atrium with views of the Main Oval and breakout spaces for discussion
- A reflection garden
- A Media Studies suite incorporating a media studio and broadcasting studio
- Independent study spaces
- Embedded technological aids and tools to enhance innovative teaching of the humanities
- Twenty classrooms
- Three House rooms (Creese, Deakin and Witherby)
What is being done to minimise disruption?
The School has been careful to identify the impact that the development will have on students and has put plans in place to minimise disruption during construction.
- Site establishment by the builder has commenced. The first stage has been to erect fencing and hoardings to safely segregate the site from school activities.
- Transition to our temporary facilities took place during the 2024 September holidays, and as of Term IV has provided high quality learning spaces, at an improved standard compared to the buildings being replaced.
- All trial and end of year examinations for Year 12 students were held in The Old Melburnians War Memorial Hall and selected rooms, well away from any disruption caused by construction.
To ensure everyone’s safety, the School may have to alter or restrict access to some current campus access points so to safely segregate the construction site and builders’ access from daily school activity. On occasion, there will also be some dust and noise. This will create some inconvenience for some members of our community, but these plans will minimise the impact by maintaining good pedestrian flow around the campus and making few changes to the current traffic and parking arrangements.