A $5.8 million expansion of the University of Southern Queensland engineering building in Springfield is now underway.
The building will include a second level and offer four times more space for teaching, learning and research.
It will feature multiple teaching and research laboratories, including a robotics and automation room, lab spaces for future materials development, power and energy testing and civil and structural engineering testing systems, technician offices, workshops, a student collaboration space and seminar room.
The project be the biggest undertaken at the Springfield campus since the $45 million second major building opened in 2015.
Head of Civil Engineering and Surveying at the University of Southern Queensland Kevin McDougall said the expansion was a significant investment for the future and would give students more opportunities to develop their technical and practical engineering and surveying skills using the latest technology.
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“We’re very excited to be able to further enhance the educational experience in engineering and research activity at Springfield,” McDougall said.
“Engineers and surveyors play a pivotal role in shaping our world and will be critical in Australia’s economic recovery efforts post-COVID-19.
“We want to make sure our students have the best facilities and opportunities to learn, and ensure our graduates have the sought-after skills that industry needs, both now and into the future.
“It will also expand our capacity to conduct leading-edge research and work with industry to contribute to the development of new knowledge and solutions that address real-world problems.”
Designed by dwp Architects and built by Quadric, the building will have multiple sensors embedded throughout to allow students to monitor its structural health performance in real-time for their studies.
McDougall said the health monitoring system will act as a ‘living lab’ to students and visitors, creating valuable opportunities for research and teaching collaboration across different engineering disciplines.
“One thing very special about this system is that it has been integrated sensor roving technology that has never been done before in Australia and possibly around the world,” McDougall said.
“Our engineering specialist Andy Nguyen has been at the forefront of this system development, which will allow us to measure critical static and dynamic characteristics, such as strain-stress, deflection, frequencies and mode shapes.”
Construction is scheduled for completion in late January 2021.