Construction milestone celebrated atop flagship building

Facilities

A new $100 million building at the University of Adelaide's North Terrace Campus has achieved a major construction milestone.

A "topping out" ceremony has been held on the upper level of the new Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences building. This follows a building and construction tradition, marking the completion of the highest point of a building's structure.

To commemorate this milestone, the ceremony dedicated a native Australian Eucalypt, to be planted at the University's Waite Arboretum.

"The realisation of this new nine-level, state-of-the-art building, which will house the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, signifies an important step forward for the University," said the University's Vice-Chancellor and President Professor James McWha.

"This is the flagship project in the University's extensive development program with more than $400 million being spent on state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities across the University's campuses.

"The completion of the building will mark a new era for the University, where we will start to see a balance on the North Terrace Campus between our beautiful and historic sandstone buildings and new, contemporary spaces. These new spaces are designed to cater for growth in student numbers and the changing needs of staff and students, such as more flexible teaching and learning spaces, up-to-date computer resources and greater access to support facilities," Professor McWha said.

Professor McWha acknowledged the role of the project consultants, DesignInc, and the main works contractor, John Hindmarsh, at last month's ceremony.

Through this redevelopment, the University will increase the number of physical links between new and existing buildings on multiple levels to simplify access while also strengthening and defining pedestrian routes through and around the University's North Terrace Campus.

It will offer improved student amenities, including a cafe, computer labs, exhibition area, teaching spaces and 24-hour, seven-days-a-week access to major resources and support facilities.

Scheduled for completion in April 2010, the building incorporates significant environmentally sustainable design initiatives and has been registered for a Green Star Design Rating with the Green Building Council of Australia.

Environmentally sustainable design features include:

• Thermal chimneys to provide efficient and effective airflow throughout the building;
  
• High thermal mass combined with under-floor air displacement ventilation, providing low energy consumption;
  
• A co-generation plant for heating and cooling, which utilises geothermal piping through the building's foundations to manage temperature;
  
• Rainwater collection and harvesting.

The building will be an intelligent and interactive space that can be used as an education tool for engineering students by displaying data from building control equipment. The equipment will monitor the building's energy use efficiency and the performance of structural elements via sensors in the building's structure and facades.

For more information about the new building, including a live webcam of construction, visit: www.adelaide.edu.au/space/emcs

Story by Olivia Jones