Introducing the New Tempier Building

The College’s highly anticipated new building will commence construction in Term 2 2026.

We can reveal that the name for this new building is the Tempier Building, in honour of Fr Henri Tempier (1788 – 1870). Fr Tempier was the first companion of St Eugene De Mazenod. He helped St Eugene build a congregation grounded in unity, trust and service, a group which would later become the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

Iona College has partnered with Carol Dowd Architects and Gaskin Construction Services for the planning and execution of this project. To finalise the building design, a significant amount of planning time has been invested which has involved consultation with key stakeholders, engineers and other consultants.

At the time of writing this article, the contract for this building project was out for tender. It is expected that the build will take 13-14 months to complete.

Some key features of The Tempier Building include:

• 924 square metres of teaching and learning space
• 8 x classrooms
• 2 x multi-purpose learning spaces
• 8 x break-out spaces
• Modern canteen
• Café style servery window
• 4-storey lift for building accessibility
• Hydration station
• Increased locker space
• Additional storage

The Tempier Building will sit alongside the Zinelli Building (opened in 2024) at the northern end of the College campus. It will help meet community demand for greater enrolment opportunities in the Primary Years and provide an ultra-modern spacious learning environment for our students.

The new canteen will feature a warm and inviting entry that extends into an open layout providing students with self-serve options and a variety of food and beverage choices.

The Superior General of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Fr Luis Ignacio Rois Alonso OMI (Fr Chicho), blessed the Tempier Building site during his visit to the College on 25 March 2026. It seems appropriate to conclude with the words from this blessing:

“God of mission and hope,
we bless this land set apart for the Tempier Building.
May it become a place where
young hearts are inspired,
minds are formed,
and lives are transformed.
Bless this ground
and all who will labour here.
May this building always stand
as a sign of faith in action
and love lived out in service.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.
Amen.”