Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake:

The centre will embrace not only all the scientific and learning and informal spaces but really important community space which will be useful for the university population and everyone who walks through it.

Architect Hamilton Wilson:

This building is set up to dramatically re-engage both the community and the students in a much more dynamic way.

Architect Brian Donovan:

The fact that the campus will be so integral with the broader community will be a huge advantage to QUT and one of its powerful characteristics.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake:

Universities for as long as they could get away with it have designed very conventional spaces. They actually got t think about what the students need and these are the principles from which we’ve started here, isn’t?

Architect Hamilton Wilson:

Yes, it is, the shift in student behaviour is quite extraordinary. And what we are doing in this building is spaces that are very flexible that allow the academics to explore a full range of pedagogies and the students to explore a full range of technologies as well.
In terms of research there’s a high degree of transparency both physical, visual and symbolic so that the research is no longer a silo set up within a university it has connections back to undergraduate connections back to the community.

Architect Brian Donovan:

At a very minimum the building will be achieving a five star green star rating.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake:

This particular corner of the CBD next to the river, next to the Goodwill Bridge, next to the Botanic Gardens and in the middle of the campus and next to the Science and Engineering Centre is the first building of the colony of Queensland - Old Government House which has recently been restored incorporating the William Robinson Gallery – it’s a great place to be.

Architect Brian Donovan:

This as the heart of the river, with all its community facilities such as bookstores, cafes, bars, swimming pools, gymnasium, as well as the teaching and learning space – all of which combine in a composition to sit between Government House and the Botanic Gardens will be an amazing memorable space.

The project will provide QUT students with exciting opportunities for work-integrated learning as Leighton Contractor’s building operations manager Greg Muir explains:

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to work on this for two to three years – a great opportunity for students, to take advantage of site tours, guest lectures, web cams and in the future they’ll see how the project is performing.

We already employ QUT undergraduates, so this will be a great opportunity for them to work with us, going forward. It’s a win-win for both – the students can get involved and work on the project.