Groundbreaking News

After years of planning, the construction of Woodleigh's new Futures Studio building is officially underway at the Senior Campus. Many of you may recall that the Futures Studio has been designed in partnership with anti-waste Future Foods visionary and 2023 Disrupter of the Year Joost Bakker. Woodleigh is proud to partner with local and sustainable construction company South East Building Services (SEBS) in 2024 and I’m pleased to share that they have completed the necessary groundworks.

You may notice that there is fencing up around a portion of the Senior Campus grounds adjacent to the Brian Henderson Reserve. We invite student to respect this fence line – throughout this year there will be very large deliveries and a variety of machinery moving around the fenced-off paddocks.

More than a classroom, the Futures Studio is a space where students come together, collaborate, learn and share while forging essential relationships with friends and mentors. It will also house the Year 10 Regenerative Futures Program (RFP). More than just another curriculum addition, this is a transformative educational experience designed to empower our students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers and change-makers.

Our commitment to learning and sustainability at Woodleigh goes beyond concept; it is to make them a reality at ground level. The building is an example of closed-loop architecture: a living building that doesn't sit on the land but is symbiotic with an ecosystem that lived before it, where both thrive. To quote Joost, 'Why build a school when you can build an ecosystem?'

The RFP, housed in the Futures Studio, is a highly structured project-based learning program fuelled by student interest and future aspirations. Woodleigh is a school that asks questions and challenges the status quo.

The RFP and Futures Studio building is innovative and timely. Teaching our young people to be curious, self-directed and caring individuals is at the heart of what we do. This will be a space where students connect with nature and each other. Fostering a sense of belonging and stewardship for the world around them while preparing them with skills vital for success in the upcoming VCE and navigating an unpredictable future.

As the build progresses this year, I look forward to sharing more intricate details, and the significant practices and materials that underpin our closed-loop philosophy.

We need a Regenerative Future, Sustainable isn't enough.