McIldowie Partners Architects

02/06/2026

Celebrating its 10th birthday this year, the Gateway Building was Trinity College’s largest and most ambitious project at the time, marking the culmination of eight years of planning, design, and construction.

Sitting prominently along Melbourne University’s historic Tin Alley, it creates a dramatic visual link between Trinity College and the University of Melbourne, and features a 400-seat auditorium, tutorial rooms, labs, archival displays, an art gallery, and spacious, light-filled common areas.

The glazed double-height atrium cuts through the building to enhance natural light and ventilation, providing direct views of the Chapel and College grounds, while the restrained colour palette and faceted timber panelling create a calm, inviting, light-filled space that reflects warmth and a sense of timelessness.

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Surveyor: Design Guide
Acoustic Engineers: Marshall Day
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Acoustic Panels:
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18/05/2026

After a busy start to the year at , the new Music School and refurbishment of the existing Frank Osborn Centre are nearing completion.

Here’s a glimpse of the refurbished Frank Osborn ‘Bullnose’ that sits proudly at the School entrance. The facade has been retained and refreshed to accentuate the existing arches, while the intermediate floor slab has been removed, transforming two underutilised levels into a single, multipurpose double-volume space. 

The result is a transparent, light-filled, welcoming space that sets the tone from the moment you arrive.

27/04/2026

The Foundation Learning Centre at Mordialloc Beach Primary School has been shortlisted in the Education Category of the 2026 Victorian Architecture Awards!

“The new design is more than an architectural upgrade, it’s a cultural shift. It changes how students and staff interact with their learning environment and with each other. The curved, organic lines and wide arches foster a sense of openness and inclusivity. Teachers report that the physical flow between indoor and outdoor areas naturally supports co-teaching models and differentiated learning, allowing for seamless transitions across subjects and year levels.” - Sue Leighton-Janse, Principal

Learn more about this project in our bio

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Building Surveyor: Design Guide
Services & ESD: NJM Design
Acoustics:
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Landscape:
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22/10/2025

It’s not all about the Stage & Screen. Seating is equally important. Audience sight lines, accessibility and acoustics from each seat make the design of performance spaces a precise art.

Ladies & Gentleman, please take your seats.

1. Gateway Building
2. PAC
3. Memorial Hall

17/09/2025

The recently completed Foundation Learning Centre, designed in partnership with and the VSBA features adaptable teaching spaces, with four classrooms that can be closed off for focused learning, or opened for teamwork and interaction, individual withdrawal spaces, informal circulation and breakout areas and staff work areas.

“The new building exemplifies how architectural design can be a direct response to a community’s shared educational vision. From the early stages of the project, the Principal, Staff, and Foundation team collaborated with architects to prioritise functionality, beauty, and longevity.

Perhaps most powerfully, the structure has become a talking point in the curriculum itself. Students explore its geometry in maths, its environmental footprint in science, and its historical and cultural design references in art and humanities. The school now sees its physical environment not only as a setting for learning but as a dynamic teaching tool in itself.” ~ Sue Leighton-Janse, School Principal

Learn more via link in bio

Design:
Construction:
Building Surveyor: Design Guide
Services + ESD: NJM Design
Acoustics:
Civil + Structural:
Landscape:
Photography:

21/07/2025

This weekend, we’re opening up the doors to Memorial Hall for .

Join us from 10am-4pm this Saturday and see for yourself how this stunning 1920s hall has been restored while thoughtfully preserving its rich history and gothic-rival features.

Walk-ins welcome. No Bookings necessary.

02/07/2025

🏆 We are proud to share that the Futures Studio at has been awarded the Sustainable Architecture Award and an Education Architecture Commendation in the 2025 Victorian Architecture Awards!

It was a truly collaborative effort, and an inspiring and rewarding project to be a part of. We extend our gratitude to the deeply engaged client, team of collaborators, and the broader local community.

👩‍⚖️ Jury Citation: “This project represents the very best of sustainable practice in educational design. Situated on regenerated farmland, the building embodies the pedagogical goals of the school, providing an opportunity for students to gain real-world learning through the design.

Judges were impressed by the depth of sustainable thinking and how this is woven into the incredible learning environment created. The project goes above and beyond conventional sustainable considerations, sequestering carbon through h**p joinery, straw Durra panels and the 800sqm green roof, which also enriches biodiversity, providing a home for endangered butterflies. Materials are adapted and reused, such as timber from St Kilda pier and waste textiles used in acoustic panels. Waste was significantly minimised in both design and construction; 95% was diverted from landfill. Careful consideration was also given to the impact materials have on the health and wellbeing of end users and contractors.

Aligned values across client, design team and contractor have led to a highly successful outcome, one which the team should be very proud of.”

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📖 Learn more about the project via the Link in bio.

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Structural: TGA Consulting
Services: BRT Consulting
Cost Consulting: 
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23/06/2025

🏌🏻‍♀️In honor of the unstoppable Minjee Lee () who secured her third major title, winning the Womens PGA Championship on the weekend, we’re taking a look back at the small but mighty Coaching Pavilion.

Designed to elevate the coaching and practice experience for members and guests alike, the state-of-the-art teaching facility is fitted with leading technology to analyse swing, impact and ball flight.

The pavilion sits proudly on the practice fairway, purposefully clad in charred timber, allowing it to blend effortlessly into the tree-lined surrounds. With a 4m roof height, horizontal design elements like the perimeter planter boxes and screened staging area give the building proportion and help to elongate the facade visually.

A tee-rific design, par-none.😉

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21/01/2025

Learning beyond the classroom walls. Thoughtfully designed outdoor environments in schools foster creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning. By offering students fresh air and a connection to nature, we can boost focus and engagement, and nurture social development in ways traditional classrooms often can’t.

08/01/2025