* Advertisement *
20260420 WC 900x130

Mass Timber Delivers Oran Park’s New School in Just Nine Months

Exposed laminated veneer lumber carries the structure and the finish at Oran Park Public School, a standardised School Infrastructure NSW build entered in the 25th Australian Timber Design Awards.

Jason Ross
Jason Ross
Sun 24 May 26
Open learning commons at Oran Park Public School with exposed laminated veneer lumber columns and beams, a plywood cassette ceiling and operable glazed walls connecting to classrooms
The central learning commons at Oran Park Public School in south-west Sydney, where exposed NelsonPine LVL columns, beams and ceiling cassettes carry both the structure and the finished surface. Operable glazed walls open the timber-lined hub to the adjoining classrooms. (Photo Credit: Mike Chorley, provided to Wood Central by the Australian Timber Design Awards)

SHARE

A public school in south-west Sydney has been delivered in less than nine months, its classrooms, commons and envelope built almost entirely from exposed laminated veneer lumber that doubles as both structure and finished surface. That is according to the project’s entry in the 25th Australian Timber Design Awards, lodged by head contractor Lipman in the Public Building category, which sets out how Oran Park Public School uses engineered timber and high pre-manufactured value to meet School Infrastructure NSW’s push for faster school delivery.

Oran Park Public School classroom with an exposed laminated veneer lumber ceiling cassette and operable glazed doors open to an adjoining teaching space
A lower-level classroom at Oran Park Public School: its exposed NelsonPine LVL ceiling cassette serves as a structural element, finished lining, and fire protection for the level above. (Photo Credit: Mike Chorley, provided to Wood Central by the Australian Timber Design Awards)

Exposed LVL runs through the primary columns and beams, the closed floor cassettes and the closed ceiling cassettes, accounting for around 70 per cent of the structure. The floor cassettes were built from a NelsonPine LVL panel that serves as finished ceiling lining, a structural element, and fire protection for the level above.

Meanwhile, Roof cassettes, comprised of NelsonPine LVL billets, serve as the structure and finished ceiling in a single component, with MeySPAN LVL and MeyJOIST engineered I-joists completing the modules. Timber Building Systems fabricated and installed the timber scope, working with NelsonPine to machine LVL columns to exact dimensions for a visually seamless match with the ceilings.

Two-storey exterior of Building O at Oran Park Public School at dusk, showing exposed LVL soffits to the upper walkway and a pre-cast concrete external stair
The exterior of Building O at Oran Park Public School at dusk, with exposed LVL soffits lining the upper walkway and pre-cast concrete stairs and circulation kept clear of the timber structure. (Photo Credit: Mike Chorley, provided to Wood Central by the Australian Timber Design Awards)

The building achieves a 5 Star Green Star as-built rating, with exposed timber soffits delivered in a Class 9B building of Type B construction under the National Construction Code. The awards entry states that the exposed LVL solution “featured prominently in the sustainability strategy” for the school, supported by heat-exchange energy recovery systems serving every teaching space.

Bennett and Trimble led the architecture, with Bligh Tanner as the structural and facade engineer, and Lipman as the early contractor involvement partner and head contractor. Lipman’s submission states engineered timber was specified for its alignment with “modern methods of construction, accelerated delivery and low-carbon buildings.”

Multi-purpose space at Oran Park Public School with sliding operable walls open to an LVL-framed learning commons and an exposed plywood ceiling
Oran Park Public School learning area with an exposed laminated veneer lumber ceiling, yellow accent wall and built-in joinery
Aerial view of Oran Park Public School showing two low-rise engineered timber buildings surrounded by housing in south-west Sydney
Inside Oran Park Public School — a multi-purpose space opening through operable walls to the LVL-framed learning commons, a general learning area beneath the exposed timber ceiling and an aerial of the school’s two engineered timber buildings in south-west Sydney. (Photo Credit: Mike Chorley, provided to Wood Central by the Australian Timber Design Awards)

Oran Park Public School was entered in the Public Building category of the 25th Australian Timber Design Awards, the 2024 edition of a program that recognised 15 projects. The awards have run for 27 consecutive years, a roll call that takes in World Buildings of the Year, Olympic venues, embassies near the White House and, in 2025, Archer Office’s reuse of a condemned 1892 boot factory in Bondi Junction.

Two-storey exterior of Building O at Oran Park Public School at dusk, showing exposed LVL soffits to the upper walkway and a pre-cast concrete external stair
oran park public school homebase acoustic detail 1600x1200
Classroom at Oran Park Public School with a full-height window wall, exposed LVL ceiling and rows of student tables and chairs
Building O at Oran Park Public School is lit at dusk, a homebase entry marked by a red acoustic panel and patterned glazing, and a classroom drawing daylight through a full-height window wall beneath its exposed LVL ceiling. (Photo Credit: Mike Chorley, provided to Wood Central by the Australian Timber Design Awards)

Entries for the 27th Australian Timber Design Awards are now open, with organiser Kylan Low revealing that the program is the industry’s way of championing its best work, with every winning project carrying a supply chain story that runs from the forest through sawmills and engineers to builders. “Behind every winning project is a supply chain story that begins in the forest,” Low said.

Please note: Early-bird entries for this year’s awards close at 7 pm, Friday, the 29th of May 2026. For more information, visit the Australian Timber Design Awards dedicated website.

Author

  • J Ross headshot

    Jason Ross, publisher, is a 15-year professional in building and construction, connecting with more than 400 specifiers. A Gottstein Fellowship recipient, he is passionate about growing the market for wood-based information. Jason is Wood Central's in-house emcee and is available for corporate host and MC services.

    View all posts
- Advertisement -spot_img
- Advertisement -spot_img

Related Articles