Access to the entire school
Wheelchair students could not reach part of the school before. The new lift now gives disabled access to the entire school.
Case Study
Balaclava State School Lift and Accessibility Upgrade
Project Type: Commercial, Accessibility Upgrade
Project Status: Completed August 2026
Client: Department of Education
Location: Balaclava State School, Westcourt
Transformation
From stairs only to a lift that reaches every level
Before this project, the first floor at Balaclava State School could only be reached by stairs, so wheelchair students were unable to access part of the school. MyBuild Commercial built a new lift shaft and installed a through car passenger lift alongside the existing walkways, with new hardwood landings and cladding to match the school.
Watch the Balaclava school lift project
Under a minute on how the new lift and covered walkway opened up the whole school to wheelchair users, built while classes carried on.
Project Brief
Safe, compliant access across the whole school
The Department of Education engaged MyBuild Commercial to deliver accessibility and infrastructure upgrades at Balaclava State School, including a new passenger lift and improvements to the school’s covered walkway network.
The works included the lift shaft and associated structural, electrical and drainage works, installation and commissioning of a vandal resistant passenger lift and two new landings. A separate covered walkway was built over the existing access path, connecting the stop, drop and go area to the school’s covered areas. The school stayed in session for the entire build, and the project was completed in two and a half months.
- New lift shaft with structural, electrical and drainage works
- Vandal resistant through car passenger lift
- Two new landings with hardwood decking
- Custom external cladding to match the school
- Emergency phone and 630kg lift capacity
- New covered walkway from the stop, drop and go area
- Crane lift for the lift install scheduled outside school hours
Key Features
What was included in the upgrade
Vandal resistant passenger lift
A through car lift with stainless steel powder coated finishes, a 630kg capacity and an emergency phone, built for daily school use.
Custom external cladding
The lift shaft is clad in a custom green profile so it sits naturally alongside the existing school buildings.
Hardwood landings
Two new landings finished in hardwood decking with galvanised balustrades, tying the lift into the existing walkways.
Covered walkway
A new covered walkway over the existing access path connects the stop, drop and go area to the school's covered areas.
Built around a working school
The school was in session for the whole build. The crane lift for the lift install was carefully planned and scheduled outside of hours.
Project Gallery
Balaclava State School Lift and Accessibility Upgrade
The Result
A durable, low maintenance solution for students, staff and visitors
Project Status Completed August 2026
Location Balaclava State School, Westcourt
Scope Lift and covered walkway in 2.5 months
Sector Commercial, Education
Planning a school or accessibility upgrade?
MyBuild Commercial delivers lifts, walkways, amenity upgrades and refurbishments for schools and community facilities across Cairns and the Far North.
Lions Park Amenity Building, Earlville
A knockdown rebuild of the Lions Park amenity building for Cairns Regional Council: a modern, accessible public amenity with baby change facilities, delivered in…
View Project →