Finally, the time is near. After more than 50 years at St Leonards, The College of Law is moving into the heart of Sydney’s CBD in early 2022.
As our CEO Neville Carter shares, this move is an emphatic reaffirmation of our position as a leading professional training provider. The expansion also instils optimism in the College’s future – and the enduring importance of physical spaces in education.
Here’s more from Neville on his vision for the move, why the timing was right, and all that awaits us on our new campus.
A long-awaited move for our international brand
The College of Law’s move to 570 George St, Sydney is long overdue.
After more than 50 years in St Leonards, it’s time for a premium address that represents the reach and scale of the College today – and what it will become tomorrow.
As Neville explains, "The premises at St Leonards had long ago outlived its purpose. Now, we need a contemporary, first-class facility to match our education and training needs.
"It’s also important to bring the two NSW teams together.
"Having a national and international headquarters is vital at this point in the College’s evolution, and for this HQ to be in the heart of Sydney makes perfect sense.
"This new campus will afford us an even tighter connection with the legal profession – which is important, both practically and symbolically."
The significance of our relocation in a time of uncertainty
With so many organisations reducing their space needs or vacating the CBD altogether, the College’s move into Sydney’s CBD might seem like questionable timing.
But as Neville explains, "We’re not moving despite the uncertainty… we’re moving because of it.
"Over the years, the College has always acted with clarity and purpose in times of uncertainty. In fact, I think it’s extremely important to show leadership in tumultuous times – both for our own staff and as an academy.
"We are making a definitive statement; to reaffirm the College as a vital meeting place – where busy professionals engage, learn and collaborate.
"We’re not shrinking our purpose here. We’re making a firm assertion on the importance of a physical presence… as part of our mission on behalf of the profession.
"That’s not to say our new space won’t be different. COVID-19 has changed learning, after all. People are interacting in different ways – and learning in the new campus will reflect this."
An architectural brief for dynamic learning needs
According to Neville, the first and most difficult part of the design brief was conceptualising the workplace of 2025.
"We’re in the middle of a fluid transition of thinking as to the future of work. Much has been written and reflected in recent years.
"We could have waited until 2025. But we’ve asked our skilled architects at WMK Architecture to take all these insights and predictions – and to imagine for us, what ‘workplace 2025’ will look like."
It was important that our architects imbued a strong sense of the modern workplace, both in the atmospherics of the building, as well as the physical traits.
"We don’t see the space in terms of lecture halls and people sitting at desks all day. Instead, the facilities will be full of interactive spaces. We see the idea of ‘hotelling’ around spaces, and of people coming and going in a more fluid way.
"After seeing the plans, I’m just delighted. We think the architects will produce a fantastic facility that is flexible and responsive to people’s learning needs."
Offering key moments of connection – among students, graduates and partners
Coming off the back of the past two years, we’re all hungry for human interaction.
"The more we, as a society, get used to intellectual and psychological distance from one other, the more important it is to embrace human engagement… and these insights are vital to the new facilities," says Neville.
Positioned in the centre of Sydney’s CBD, the College will cultivate infinite opportunity for connection – both within our College community and the broader legal profession.
"I’m really looking forward to watching the College grow into the heart of the profession in its new location.
"And I am confident that the College will settle deeply into the consciousness of the profession. It will become a place where legal professionals come and go – not just to learn, but to be."
With the new premises holding fantastic social spaces, such as the Level 4 terrace overlooking Town Hall, it’s easy to see why.
The ethos of the new campus will also be one of openness.
"We see people accessing our facilities whenever they wish to. It will be a place where people come to. We’ll be close to the firms, close the courts, close to the institutions. And they’ll be close to us."
Building a future on hope, confidence and clarity
As Neville says, "There comes a time in any organisation when you have to change.
"I’m looking forward to bringing people out of the fading former glory of St Leonards and into a new dynamic place where people can feel good about themselves and see a more optimistic future."
The College has come a long way from our first ambitions to expand out of NSW. Now, we’re looking forward to positioning ourselves as a key player in professional education – internationally.
"We intend to become an increasingly well-resourced and intellectually able provider of a full suite of educational training services to the professions. With professional education being the fastest growing field of education worldwide, the College has a really special opportunity here.
"We do our work on behalf of our two nations, those who consume legal services, and the rule of law. There are so many wonderful opportunities for the College to expand its offerings… in the interests of the community, and for the good of the community – which is what we’re here for.
"And to do that from such an iconic location in such an iconic part of Sydney, it’s only natural to have bright-eyed optimism for all that lies ahead.”
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