Having completed several other projects at the College, Latitude Architects principal Tony Cotter said he wanted to push the envelope with this design for this sports centre, which houses multiple specialised sport facilities and can accommodate the entire student and staff population.

"Sports halls can be fairly static buildings, but the use of structural steel allowed us to crank columns and create dramatic cantilevers over the entry to imbue the building with a sense of movement," Mr Cotter said. "The building appears to be leaning over to one side, and the coloured bands of COLORBOND® Metallic steel in the colours Axis®, Facade® and Skybridge® that run around the walls add to the impression that this is anything but a static building."

The Centre was erected quickly and easily, thanks to the use of prefabricated Ritek Building Solutions Ecotek™ insulated panels for the roof. The roof panels incorporate LYSAGHT TRIMDEK® profile made from COLORBOND® steel in the colour Surfmist® on the outer skin and LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® profile made from COLORBOND® steel in the colour Surfmist® on the underside.

The Centre's exterior wall panels are made from COLORBOND® Metallic steel in Stramit Longspan® profile, in a combination of three different colours: Axis®, Facade® and Skybridge®. The interior wall is also made from COLORBOND® steel in Stramit Longspan® profile, in this instance in the colour Surfmist®, making a seamless finish.

Mr Cotter said he chose COLORBOND® Metallic steel colours for a number of key reasons. "The COLORBOND® Metallic steel allowed us to create a language on the site using the school's colours," he explains.

"Also, BlueScope's COLORBOND® Metallic steel's colour appears to change throughout the day under different light conditions: it has a dynamic effect as the sun passes over it."

According to Ritek Building Solutions' Victorian Account Manager Michael Poort, architects and builders favour the Ecotek™ insulated panels for their flexibility and ease-of-use. "We've done several projects with Tony and he likes the use of colour and to play with angles: he's a very creative architect," Mr Poort said.

"Using COLORBOND® Metallic steel on a project such as this is somewhat unusual, and the decision to do so was driven by the architect who was keen to produce a unique building," Mr Poort adds. "I think Latitude Architects has created an eye-catching design, particularly for a school environment, where buildings can often be a bit bland."

Mr Poort added that another key selling point of Ritek Building Solutions Ecotek™ panels is their considerable spanning capacity that reduces the need for structural steel. "There are no purlins at all in this project: the panels stand between structural steel members," he said. "The Ritek Ecotek™ insulated panels were brought to site pre-fabricated to size and craned into place at an amazingly fast rate. We estimate about 400 square metres of product was installed per day.

"Most importantly, using Ritek Building Solutions Ecotek™ panels in this project allowed us to meet the Building Code of Australia's Section J (energy efficiency) requirements in an inexpensive way," he added. "In fact, they were so cost-effective that we were able to improve the building's performance with additional internal acoustic linings and still deliver the project under budget. That enhanced the performance of the hall as a gathering space so they can now conduct Mass in the Centre, which has great acoustics."

From the outside, the building's striking appearance speaks volumes about the high-level physical and intellectual achievements that take place inside. But that kudos is not just confined to those with sporting or chess prowess: the building's excellent acoustic and thermal qualities make it a special gathering place for all of the College's students and staff.