Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 1 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

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Campus Facilities A major refurbishment of the Building 38 (Graduate Business School) Lecture Theatre was completed in February. The refurbishment included new and additional seating, audio visual equipment and upgraded air conditioning.

On 18 May the Chancellor of the University of Wollongong, Mr Michael Codd, AC, officially opened the University’s Moss Vale Education Centre building. The building, designed by award winning architects Glenn Murcutt and Wendy Lewin, replaces accommodation ‘borrowed’ from TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute; a partner in the joint venture at Moss Vale. The new building and Education Centre demonstrates the great co-operation between the three tiers of government – Federal, State and Local.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 2 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

Stage 2 of the Central Square Landscape upgrade was completed in May and the ‘Duck Pond Lawn’ component was officially opened by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton, in July.

The Central Square is undergoing a face lift as part of the six-stage Landscape Master Plan with improvements including:

• Increasing the amount of quality seating and improving paved and grassed areas.

• Removal and replacement of treated pine seating and retaining walls.

• Improved lighting.

• Provision of power outlets for outdoor functions.

Stage 3 of the upgrade was completed in December and the remaining stages are scheduled for completion through 2008.

In June the final stage of a two-stage major upgrade and refurbishment of the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences Anatomy Laboratory was completed. The upgrade was necessary to comply with new and stringent safety codes relating to such facilities.

In June construction commenced on a $5.5 million Ecological Research Facility (ERF) which will provide facilities for extensive research studies ranging from the impact of climate change on native flora and fauna to the development of vaccines to fight infectious diseases. The facility is being constructed in the western end of the Wollongong Campus in the foothills adjacent to the native rainforest of the Illawarra Escarpment. The area was chosen as it provides uninterrupted natural sunlight for glasshouses and experimental vegetation plots and is protected from dominant high winds during storms.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 3 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

The facilities will include a plant physiology laboratory with growth chambers and mossarium, outdoor aviaries, and an immunoecology laboratory and three additional on-site research labs to allow ongoing experimental work supported by the Australian Research Council and other external bodies in compliance with Federal and State requirements. Completion is expected by mid-2008.

Artist’s Impression

A new centralised student service facility known as ‘Commerce Central’ for the Faculty of Commerce was completed in July.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 4 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

Construction was completed on 21 December of a major extension and refurbishment of the Wollongong Campus Library. The $8 million project added over 1800m² in floor area and provides an extra 450 seats for students. The works included a new entrance, extensions to the north and east, new computer labs, numerous group study areas, and a complete reorganisation of the ground floor. The Library is now light and airy, designed to provide pleasant views of the campus for its users. The Library will be reopened by the Chancellor in February 2008.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 5 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

During December a major refurbishment of Building 8 (Mechanical Engineering) was completed. The staged upgrades comply with new building codes and provide improved teaching and staff accommodation facilities.

Also during December, construction commenced on a $3 million building for a School of Nursing at the Shoalhaven Campus. Completion is expected in mid-2008.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 6 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

In October a Development Application was lodged to construct a $6.6 million Multi-Purpose Sports Hall for the University Recreation and Aquatic Centre at the Wollongong Campus. Funding of $4.6 million towards the project was provided by the Federal Government under the Voluntary Student Unionism Transition Fund and the Support Businesses on Regional University Campuses Program. The new facility which will cater for a range of sporting activities benefiting both the University and the wider community is expected to be completed at the end of 2008.

Artist’s Impression

In June the University purchased seven NSW Department of Housing properties in an area adjacent to the Wollongong Campus to allow future development of the seven houses. Four, in poor condition, were demolished in December.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 7 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

During the year the University also purchased two properties adjacent to the Bega Education Centre to allow future expansion.

iC Developments

In January 2007 building construction commenced at the University’s Innovation Campus (iC) which is a joint venture between the University and leading integrated service and construction group Baulderstone Hornibrook. The Innovation Campus was established in 2002 with seed funding from the NSW Government and strong ongoing support from Local Government. The first major building, iC Central, is scheduled for completion in May 2008. iC Central is essentially three separate buildings linked by suspended walkways enclosed by a glass atrium. The building will serve as the campus hub, providing retail, recreation and health services for the entire campus. iC Central will also provide meeting and conference rooms, office space and a function room.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 8 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

The Australian Institute of Innovative Materials is due for completion in June 2008. The building which will house the University’s Institute for Future Materials will provide space for research into nanotechnology, intelligent polymers and superconductors.

The Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention is scheduled for completion in October 2008. This three level 3,500sqm building will provide research space for transnational crime prevention, international maritime security, forensic accounting, IT security and encryption.

Artist’s Impression

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 9 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

Buildings & Grounds has continued to work closely with Sydney Water and the University’s Faculties on water saving projects and overall delivery of the University’s Water Saving Action Plan (WSAP) which was approved by the NSW Minister for Water Utilities on 27 March 2007. The WSAP will be implemented between 2007 and 2011 and includes the installation of water saving devices such as pressure reduction valves, water-efficient shower heads, water meters, tap flow restrictors, non-potable water systems and rainwater harvesting. Other projects completed in 2007 included adjustments to air-conditioning cooling tower cycles to reduce water consumption.

An Energy Saving Action Plan (ESAP) has been developed to ensure the efficient operation of buildings across the University’s campuses. The ESAP has been approved by the NSW Government’s Department of Environment and Climate Change and will be implemented between 2007 and 2011. The plan includes extensive energy saving projects including comprehensive lighting upgrades and the installation of energy efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems across the campuses. It is estimated that these are accruing savings of approximately 9,300 GJ per annum. A series of other projects with the potential to save an additional 3,500 GJ per annum are at various stages of delivery.

The University is committed to supporting the principles of environmental sustainability and applying such principles and practices in the University’s functions. To facilitate this, an Environmental Management Policy was approved by the University Council in 2006 and implemented in 2007. The policy provides the framework to maintain a structured Environmental Management System to ensure continual improvement and regular review; compliance with environmental regulations; minimisation of energy and water consumption; waste management and recycling.

2007 Vice-Chancellor's Awards The 2007 University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor's Awards Function was held on Friday 20 April, formally recognising the outstanding contributions and service of staff members. Our own Nic Masi was presented with the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Service for General Staff.

Buildings & Grounds Division January 2008 Page 10 Phone: 42213905 Facsimile: 42213192

Congratulations to Peter O’Neill, a Buildings & Grounds staff member, who graduated with a Master of Management degree in the December 2007 ceremonies. Peter is a Buildings Project Supervisor who has been with the University for many years starting as a carpentry tradesman and gradually working his way to his present position. It was a great achievement for Peter in view of his work, family commitments and teaching part-time at TAFE. He is pictured with the Dean of the Graduate School of Business, Professor John Glynn.