The Penleigh & Essendon Grammar School Sporting Facilities are located in Keilor Park and is in close proximity to the Calder Highway adjacent to the Maribyrnong River. The Sporting Facilities sit on 24ha of land dedicated to the Sporting Facilities and associated amenities.
DCE has been involved in the project since its inception in 2005. DCE conceptualised the initial masterplanning and completed the design of the sporting fields including Football Ovals, Soccer Fields, Synthetic Hockey Pitches, Tennis Courts, Softball Pitches and associated access roads and car parks. DCE's brief also included Project Management, Tendering and Construction Management.
The sporting facilities are located on an escarpment and 15,000 cubic metres of fill was imported onto the site to create a sub base for the ovals. Another 13,500 cubic metres of growing medium was imported in to create the base of the playing surface.
The school opted to place instant turf across the entire playing fields, resulting in 4.40 Ha of grass being laid.
With the high volume of water required, one of the many features of this project is the installation of a 1,000,000 litre (1ML) underground concrete tank. The school also owns water rights to pump water from the Maribyrnong River. All stormwater drainage from the site is harvested and diverted to the tank giving the school a fully sustainable facility. This water is then used to irrigate the football oval and 3 soccer fields via a fully controlled automatic irrigation system.
The Hockey and Hockey/Tennis Pitches have been designed and constructed to comply with FIH "Filled Surface" standards for Synthetic Hockey Pitches. A Hockey Pavilion has also been construction to service the Hockey Pitches. Lighting has been provided to the Hockey Pitch for night competition and training purposes.
The football oval has been designed and constructed in accordance with the Laws of Australian Football for professional competition. The oval also caters for 6 turf wickets for the summer cricket season. An allowance has been made for the installation of lighting.
With great foresight in 2005, the school now has a state of the art, fully sustainable sporting facility which will cater for its needs for many years to come.
Client
Willoughby Council
Location
Keilor East, Victoria