St Dominic’s Yarning Circle

The innovative design concept of the Yarning Circle helped to transform an unused outdoor space into a central meeting hub for the school community at St Dominic’s College in Sydney.

It cleverly incorporates landscape design and steel structures fabricated by Edcon Steel to provide protection from the sun. The million dollar project was completed in June 2020. And the space is now a popular meeting spot used every day by teachers and students.

Justin Hollis from Solid Ground Landscapes and Project Manager for this build, explains:

“Everything on this project came together. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. The design and construction were spot on and I’m just so impressed with the attention to detail that Edcon Steel provided throughout the entire process.

The school community was absolutely over the moon with the end result. They use that space every day; students and teachers just love using the space to meet.”

Collaboration is key

Justin Hollis knew that to get the job done he needed suppliers he could rely on to deliver.

“A project on this scale means you need to work with trusted suppliers. Especially when it comes to using structural steel… it needs to be fabricated to the exact specifications or the whole project is at risk. And making changes down the track becomes a costly exercise.

I felt very confident in Edcon Steel’s commitment to the project. We were in regular communication throughout the build and they were always very responsive.”

Attention to detail

Every detail matters when working on a large scale project. And when working with structural steel, every millimetre matters. Without strong attention to detail, problems can arise.

Justin Hollis was impressed from day one by the attention to detail that Edcon Steel provided.

“From the first conversation I had with Hugh Edmunds in the Edcon Steel office through to the day of handover, he was so thorough. Every time I needed detail, he gave it. Every time there was a correspondence, he would reply straight away.

And Hugh went above and beyond to help us refine the initial design when it came in above budget. He provided another type of material for us to use that would meet the brief and budget. I really appreciated his innovative approach to finding a solution that would work.”

Superior steel solutions

Justin approached Edcon Steel while sourcing supplies for the Yarning Circle project.

“Edcon Steel has a great reputation in the building and construction industry. And I needed someone who would provide a high quality steel product.

The quality was second to none. The final finish of the steel structure was beyond what I expected. It was outstanding. You can tell right away that it has a superior finish.

I am looking to work again with Edcon Steel on a future project. And I would have no hesitation recommending them.”