Page 10 - PR Mag Feb18

CONSTRUCTION OF PETRIE UNIVERSITY’S
First Building STARTS MID-2018

USC has appointed architecture firm Hassell Studio to design “It will be a flexible environment that can change from having
the master plan and the first building of the University’s 1,000 students in the first year to 3,000 students in the third year,”
Moreton Bay campus at Petrie. he said. “During the life of the building, its use is going to change
The three-storey foundation building, to be built on land significantly and its configurations will change accordingly over
adjacent Gympie Road near the Petrie railway station, will sit time.
at the western end of an extended open mall that will form the “This factor has dramatically affected the layout of spaces – so
spine of the campus and stretch out to a village green and a instead of desks in rows or traditional settings for lectures, we’ll
library. have collaborative lecture theatres to allow for the didactic
The building will have floor space exceeding 16,000 square mode of teaching as well as collaboration.”
metres and feature an impressive 600-seat internal amphitheatre Other key features of the campus will be solar panels to deliver
that will provide relaxed study areas for students as well as a more than half the campus’s electricity needs and easy access
venue for community events. to public transport through direct rail links to Brisbane, Redcliffe
Construction of the building is to begin in mid-2018 and be and the Sunshine Coast.
completed in time for the university campus to open in Semester Discussions are also underway for the development of a new
1, 2020. secondary school on the campus, to support Moreton Bay’s
Hassell Studio principal Mark Roehrs said it was exciting to rapidly expanding population.
design a structure that could cater for rapid growth in student USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said continued
numbers during its first few years as well as set the tone for the cooperation between all levels of government and the University
rest of the campus. would soon see the region hosting one of Australia’s most
“The foundation building will be constructed with a clear overall innovative and integrated learning environments.
understanding of what the campus will look like in the longer “We share a vision and ambition for education in Moreton
term,” Mr Roehrs said. Bay which will see this community finally able to access the
“We’re making it a building that will support a rich learning opportunities it deserves,” he said.
experience, with a commitment to interactive spaces for peer-to- “It’s genuinely exciting to see plans turning into reality, and I look
peer learning. There will be many teaching spaces but also loads forward to watching the campus take shape in the years ahead.”
of space for students studying outside the formal classroom Hassell Studio has already built several buildings on USC’s main
timetable.” campus on the Sunshine Coast and the foundation building for
Mr Roehrs said large, versatile lab spaces with advanced audio- USC Gympie.
visual technology would be included to accommodate multiple The university campus at Petrie will be the centrepiece of Moreton
classes being taught within any one area. Bay Regional Council’s Mill at Moreton Bay development.

Artist’s Impression