Vertical schools are fast spreading across major cities throughout Australian in anticipation of higher urban density levels in future.

The state of Victoria plans to build its first vertical school in the Fishermans Bend urban renewal area, as rising population levels spur greater densification and mid-rise building in Australia’s major cities.

The proposed $40 million vertical school on Ferrars Street in the Montague precinct of the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area will rise to a height of five storeys and house as many as 525 students upon its scheduled opening in 2018.

Architecture firm Hayball provided the design for the mid-rise school after the City of Port Phillip issued a proposal for South Melbourne Primary School in July of last year, calling for a multi-storey facility adjacent to open public space.

Students attending the vertical school will enjoy easy access to the great outdoors, with the state government acquiring a $19 million plot of land adjacent to the mid-rise facility for the creation of a park.

While the state government has a set a 40-storey restriction on buildings in the Montague precinct, two mid-rise projects in the area have already been approved, including a mixed-use six-storey tower by Hayball and a 1,958 apartment complex designed by Rothelowman Architects.

Many observers believe that inexorable population growth in Australia’s major cities will compel developers to build to greater heights in future in order to accommodate increasing density.

Speaking at a recent conference in Melbourne, Rob Adams, the City of Melbourne’s Director of City Design, said the projected surge in the population of Australia’s major cities will necessitate major changes urban development, including the construction of a greater number of mid-rise buildings alongside key transit thoroughfares.

Architecture firm Grimshaw recently unveiled its design for NSW’s first high-rise public school in Parramatta, which will rise to a height of 14-storeys and provide education to as many as 3000 students in total.

The NSW government has committed to the construction of four vertical schools in total within Sydney, while Perth also recently opened its first high-rise education facility in the city’s CBD.