McGregor Coxall and Lyons Architecture were finalists in an international design competition to design NSW’s first public high-rise high school. The school is to be constructed in the CBD Parramatta as a part of the Department’s Parramatta City Schools Strategy.  Our concept design comprised a landscape embedded into the urban fabric of parramatta CBD, creating a world class precinct which would safely integrate opportunities for recreation and outdoor learning. Key entry points, thresholds and edge conditions were designed specifically to support school functionality and learning whilst also uniting the schools with the cityscape that surrounds it. This civic approach to the landscapes of the edge and entry points positions each school in a confident and outward looking manner. When considered as an “urban campus”–,the collective landscape that spans the two schools enables maximum flexibility in terms of management, operation, education, recreation and play programs.