Testimonials

PEGS Gymnasium

- Nina Bilewicz - Vice Principal Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School

PEGS Gymnasium

Having a state-of-the-art facility, such as the new gymnasium, means that the potential and possibility for our students, staff and community, in terms of their sporting endeavours, are unrestricted.

The quality and composition of the building engenders greatness by enabling those who utilise the space to see beyond ordinary. It is a place for both personal achievement and the building of teams. It is a place for us to engage with our community; to gather, to celebrate, to connect.

PEGS Music House

- Graeme Sharman - Head of Junior School (boys), Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School

PEGS Music House

The Penleigh Essendon Grammar School Junior Boys’ Music Centre allows for flexible engagement with students; with the breadth encompassing large groups working and performing together, as well as individual tuition. The building is a constant hive of activity, alive with lessons, rehearsals, after-school string quartets, junior orchestra and one-on-one lessons; additionally, providing multiple students a supportive space to perform of a lunchtime.

Beyond the percussion room being a big hit, the creative elements of the design are an inspiration to the boys, who have watched it grow with a sense of appreciation and excitement.

Ivanhoe Grammar School

- Patrick Houlihan, DuluxGroup Chairman and CEO

Ivanhoe Grammar School

At DuluxGroup our core purpose is expressed as Imagine a Better Place, which captures why we do what we do. More fully, we say that “DuluxGroup is a leading marketer and manufacturer of premium branded products that enhance, protect and maintain the places and spaces in which people live and work.” The remarkable Ivanhoe Grammar School’s Science and Senior Years Centre by McBride Charles Ryan (MCR) is a world away from the uninspiring square block buildings of my science student days. Using Dulux coatings, it so beautifully exemplifies what it means to Imagine a Better Place. We regularly showcase this MCR project as a perfect way to evoke our Core Purpose coming to life.

The National Gallery of Victoria – Community Hall

- Ewan McEoin, Consulting Curator of Design, 2013

The National Gallery of Victoria – Community Hall

McBride Charles Ryan (MCR) is one of Melbourne’s most celebrated architecture practices whose studio-based approach to architecture defies categorisation. MCR projects seek to expand the vocabulary of architectural expression and to engage in the articulation of complex issues, such as the representation of a city’s culture and identity. The firm’s Community Hall project for Melbourne Now is a flexible multi-use space that creates a bold statement of inclusivity and egalitarianism at the front door of NGV International. Drawing inspiration from the social and cultural spaces of Victorian communities, Community Hall takes tradition to new heights through cutting-edge architecture and dynamic programming. The space offers a hub of activity positioned at the heart of Melbourne Now.

MCR’s design for the space is at once iconic and pragmatic. The architecture integrates a broad range of social and cultural references into one seamless arc of inclusion. Set alight with bold colours which can be seen through the famous NGV Waterfall, this stunning new structure is a space with both social and architectural meaning that people will never forget.

Penleigh and Essendon Grammar (PEGS) – Senior School

- Nina Bilewicz (Mrs), Vice Principal 2013

Penleigh and Essendon Grammar (PEGS) – Senior School

McBride Charles Ryan has worked closely with the school in an effort to understand the school’s needs and translate them effectively and creatively. As a result their buildings reflect the educational and social principles upon which the school is based. Their articulation of these principles is energizing and engaging. MCR achieved outstanding results while working with the budget set by the school.

Templestowe Community Primary School

- Jenny Turpin (MRS), Principal, 2005

Templestowe Community Primary School

Templestowe Park Primary School employed the services of McBride Charles Ryan Architects and Interior Design to design a new Multi-Purpose Hall and refurbish four classrooms. The architects were selected due to their ability to produce innovative designs on a limited budget.

Rob McBride worked closely with the school to ensure he met the schools’ requirements and facilitated changes to the original
master plan to deliver a building that exceeded the school’s expectations. Rob has been able to design a building that is functional, symbolic of basic materials and transformed an extremely dull entry into the school into one of impact, intrigue, and style.

Throughout the entire process, Rob had the interest of the school community in mind. He set high standards for the builder to achieve, liaised extensively with Bovis Lendlease and the Department of Education to embark on a project with a unique concept and never lost sight that this was a community focussed project. To have designed a building that has received the prestigious Victorian Architecture medal is a credit to his ingenuity.

Templestowe Park Primary School is extremely proud of their new building and would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending McBride Charles Ryan Architects and Interior Design.