Engaged in early 2025, Gripfast, the Department of Education, and contractor Xenia worked tirelessly to bring home a seamless project for Logan City Special School, which supports students who require significant adaptations to access learning from prep to grade 12.

Rarely do you see a project run this smooth; however, with a mix of supportive stakeholders, strong problem-solving, and great communication from all parties, Logan City Special School became one of those dream projects. To know it was handed over to a thankful community in time for the new semester was the epitome of heart-warming.

The project saw a full back-to-bare-bones refurbishment of two school blocks, replacing aged classrooms with fresh and modern rooms that were ready, and fit, to ensure the next generation of students flourished. Gone were the old walls – in came fresh new spaces complete with kitchenettes, quiet spaces, classrooms with state-of-the-art technology, and spacious DDA-friendly bathrooms that would meet all level of needs for years to come.

While latent conditions appeared – we were going back to bare bones in an older school, after all – both the Xenia and Gripfast team handled each one with deft swiftness, ensuring timelines were wrangled back into place whenever a delay seemed imminent, and resequencing where possible to keep timelines on track. There wasn’t a single wavy floor on the school grounds that would keep the team from achieving PC on time.

Outside the classrooms, the playground itself was an architectural wonderland. Sensory stations were built to nourish curious minds. Wooden-beam wonderlands were places softly amidst the equipment. Jumpers that everyone knew would elicit yells of wonder were tucked into the corners. The entire playground was mindfully crafted to nourish the adventurous and explorative side of students at Logan City Special School and masterfully considered each student’s abilities.

Now, the only outstanding item is extra power to the School and a call from Energex. Although we think the real power here stands in the form of an outstanding project, a brilliant team, and a wonderful outcome.