Constructed in 2017, Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School provides a first-class education to the future leaders of Darwin. 

Despite having only been built five years ago, the principal noticed that the paintwork had begun to fade and wanted an expert opinion on whether a repaint was required.

The challenge

Our Darwin branch manager Brett Coombe attended the school and after inspecting its surfaces, identified that a full repaint followed by ongoing internal and external maintenance would assist the principal’s goal of maintaining a pristine appearance year-round. 

The main challenge in delivering major projects in Darwin is seasonal weather. Although dedicated 'dry' and 'wet' seasons exist proverbially on the calendar, unpredictable weather events can turn a well-planned project on its head.

In addition to this, the unique architectural elements emanating from the school’s external facades provide a challenge for any operations team. A well-considered operations plan and schedule of works was required to deliver the full internal and external repaint.

Solution

The school motto, “Do small things with great love,” can just as easily be applied to painting as to learning, as we found when we repainted the school recently. In fact, Higgins Darwin’s reputation for trying to do the little things well and paying as much attention to the level of service as the quality of the finish was part of the reason we were appointed to the project.

The school’s principal had previously worked with Higgins in Melbourne and knew the level of expertise that our teams could deliver. The decision was made to engage our Darwin painting experts and we provided a schedule of works that involved the prioritisation of the external repaint during the dry season, while the internal repaint could be delivered in the wet season.

The project’s access plan scoped the use of four scissor lifts and a knuckle boom concurrently, with exclusion zones erected to keep the after-school care staff and students safe. Logistical changes involving access were necessary throughout the project, however, our relationship with local access providers meant this was manageable.

Results

Our coordinated approach with up to seven painters at any time saw the external repainting project delivered over a
seven-week period. The final stage of internal repaints were completed during the following wet season. 

"Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School in Zuccoli have contracted Higgins Coatings for a four-year comprehensive painting and washing schedule. What has impressed us with Higgins is the high level of professionalism, flexibility and care in understanding our needs.

Higgins’ ability to analyse our requirements and devise conducive solution was very impressive. Since commencing work on the buildings, we have been impressed with the outcomes to the school. We have full confidence in their abilities to deliver their solutions and are look forward to continuing our association with Higgins."

Principal, Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School