Condong Public School

Positioned beneath the silhouette of Wollumbin, or Mount Warning, Condong Public School is a small rural primary school located on the Traditional Lands of the Bundjalung Nation in the Tweed Valley of Northern New South Wales. Serving students from Kindergarten to Year 6, the school provides a welcoming and inclusive learning environment with strong connections between students, families and the wider community. Surrounded by swathes of farmland and the Tweed River, Condong has a long association with the region's sugar cane industry and retains a strong village character - a character which the design acknowledges and the new school adds to.

When the devastating 2022 floods swept through the Northern Rivers, they took more than homes and infrastructure—they disrupted childhoods, separated communities, and left many schools at the heart of their towns damaged or lost. In the years that followed, Pedavoli Architects became part of the region's recovery through the Northern Rivers Flood Recovery Program. As a response to the flood planning requirements, a new ground plane was established at the first floor level, uniting the school functions in a flood resilient and accessible manner.

Initially engaged by the Department of Education to undertake site due diligence studies and master planning across seven sites, Pedavoli Architects later worked alongside ADCO Constructions to deliver six new flood-resistant public schools using modern methods of construction, where building components manufactured off-site before being assembled on location. Throughout the process, the practice worked closely with local communities and First Nations Elders to ensure each school reflected its place, culture and people.

By 2026, the six replacement schools—Wardell, Empire Vale, Broadwater, Blakebrook, Tumbulgum and Condong Public Schools—had all been completed, marking an important milestone in the region's recovery.

Client
SINSW

Project Details
Condong, NSW

Completion
2026

Project Type
Education, Public Buildings, Flood Recovery

Value
$11,000,000

Photographer
TheGuthrieProject

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Wardell Public School