OIU News: Thanks for your time, Alf. Can you give our readers a potted history of Belmadar. 

ALF: Sure. The company was founded by my father in 1963. The original name was actually Durian, an Aboriginal name. Dad was an immigrant from Italy. He arrived carrying a bag with very little money and built the business. One thing he always spoke about was education. He didn't get an education back in Italy. He actually enrolled and did his HSC whilst running a successful construction business. We changed the name to Belmadar in the late 60s, focusing on community projects, buildings and infrastructure. We've always been a builder of government schools and universities, avoiding private residential work. I studied civil engineering, and then after that, followed my father into the family business. We took on a couple of projects for Kell & Rigby after they fell over, relaunching the building construction arm with our estimator Matthew Stafford and construction manager Brett Drew together with my best friend of over 45 years Nick Gagliano. At the time, I said, we can do this job. We delivered those projects well and got them over the line and started getting our portfolio together under the new Belmadar business. 

OIU News: What was it like for Belmadar to win the Wingaru tender? 

ALF: We are very happy to be working with Saint Ignatius College. Belmadar is not a one size fits all builder. We do a lot of diverse projects across a broad range of sectors, but this was a big project for us to execute. We convinced the College that we were capable of delivering, and we were also competitive. We've done other schools, such as the Anglican College at Rouse Hill, another $30 million project, and we are now doing a lot more in this space. 

OIU news: Wingaru is an extraordinarily exciting project and the OIU wants to congratulate you. Do you agree architecture also has evolved from what it used to be, and this new building is a good example of an innovative use of space that students can now learn in? 

ALF: I think it's interesting you say that. If you look at the design and the way all the different elements are put together. How beautiful the central area is - you look at all the acoustic panels with the various colours, it breaks the space up and so it doesn't feel so sterile. It performs two functions. One, it takes the sterile environment away, you're not just in a class, or you're not in a space. It also actually performs an acoustic function. You're getting the benefits both ways, the aesthetics as well as achieving the acoustics. Wherever you stand in the building, you can be in the middle of the science lab doing a science experiment, and you can still look out at green space. The students are going to benefit from using that space because it's all about the light. 

OIU news: When you saw the designs of the actual build, did you imagine Belmadar could put their name to that? Continuing to build on the genesis of your dad's business of completing community buildings, it must be satisfying to construct a really innovative education space. 

ALF: Part of our mission statement is building a legacy for future generations, and that's what our team have liked most about this build. Since commencing the project we've also employed a cadet from Riverview. We've had work placement students. We've also had quite a number of students that are considering coming into the construction industry on the Wingaru site, as well as our other construction sites around the Sydney basin. They've got their white card, and they've come for a week's work experience, depending on what area they want to go, some of them might pursue the trade sort of route while others will prefer the management side. We got a real sense, through the project, that we were involving the whole Riverview community, staff and students. 

OIU news: Coordinating a new building project amid a full operational secondary school must have presented some significant challenges during the build? 

ALF: Indeed. The way the site was laid out, we had all our site accommodation to one side. We had built that makeshift car park, a hard stand area, near the front gate and then obviously needed to walk into the site. We took on board a lot of the college's concerns because we had to make sure we didn't muck it up in terms of interfacing with all the students and staff. They needed uninterrupted access, and we needed to ensure their safety was not compromised. It was a critical element. It's not just about the build, right? It's the journey and operations. We knew there was a point where the students and staff would be crossing over, but our workers also needed to cross. Our site manager James Blackburne came up with the idea of an overhead walkway. We call it the Blackburne bridge, that big walkway that goes over the area where the two original gates were supposed to operate. 

OIU news: Alf, from your personal perspective, you've been deeply involved in the build. How do you describe Wingaru? What sort of a building is it? 

ALF: Where else in Sydney do you get that sort of view, let alone at a school? So when you look at the way the glazing has been done, it's all with that thought in making sure that, while it might be a south facing façade, you're still getting the maximum amount of light possible and you're getting the benefit of being able to look at that unbelievable view, which you wouldn't get anywhere in the world. The way that I look at the building itself from the outside and see all the features we've created, the outdoor areas, the covered areas, the canteen and all those internal learning spaces. There's so much that that building provides. I think it's a good use of space, aside from the beautiful aesthetics. 

OIU News: Picking up on your families' intrinsic understanding of the value of education, the spirit of the place and the built environment. Can you describe this opportunity to be part of that ongoing development of our School. 

ALF: First and foremost, it's about a building and yet for me, it's also about creating a legacy. We did the Ian Thorpe Swimming Centre in Ultimo. I was involved in that job, and you know dad's no longer with us, sadly. When my kids were young, driving along Harris Street, I would say, "Your Nonno (Grandpa) built that." It's something there to remind me forever. "At the end of the day, I don't want to just build something that's just a box. If we build special buildings, people will continue to get a benefit for future generations. People will always knock down buildings and then build something again. When buildings are unique, they're going to stay there longer for future generations to enjoy. I just feel fortunate I have had this opportunity. What we do isn't easy, it's not for everyone but it's rewarding. At the end of the day if we can contribute to the future of the College, we've more than done our job. As my dad used to say, Education is the key to everything." 

OIU news: Thanks so much Alf. And again, on behalf of the Old Ignatians Union, congratulations on the new Wingaru building.