Playground Sculpture

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot, Australia, commissioned a dragon sculpture in the garden to represent the story of their patron saint, Margaret. The school sought the creative expertise of artist Suzanne Holman. Holman approached HeidelbergCements subsidiary Hanson Australia to assist in the project.

The project was unprecedented in Hanson’s experience. A red colour concrete mix had to be created that could be moulded and shaped by hand and that wouldn’t set too quickly or dry out. The red base colour of the dragon was created using Imagecretecolour from Hanson’s coloured concrete range. Starting with a 40 mpa structural slurry mix, the concrete was modified to include a 10 slump, allowing for the concrete to free stand and be shaped by hand. Sand was added to allow the mix to be easily moulded into shape and to create the broom-like finish which formed the dragon scales. Extra retarder was added to allow the artist more time to work with the concrete at a low slump.

This sculpture demonstrated that Imagecrete can be used to create almost anything. With limitless textures, colours, and forms, Imagecrete provided the artist with total design freedom and as a result, a unique dragon sculpture was created. The artist met her design goals and has positioned Hanson as the preferred supplier for future projects. The clients at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School were extremely happy with the result.

Further information

Project Data

  • Suzanne Holman

    Architect

  • 2012

    Completion

  • Landscape Design: Jeremy Ferrier Landscape Architect

    Additional facts

Playground Sculpture, Australia. St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot, Australia, commissioned a dragon sculpture in the garden to represent the story of their patron saint, Margaret.

Playground Sculpture, Australia. St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot, Australia, commissioned a dragon sculpture in the garden to represent the story of their patron saint, Margaret.