New College Village to open in 6 weeks!

PLEASE NOTE: This is an old post, the NCV opened on the 5th January 2009

The New College Village is nearing completion. An update on progress:

• The interior of the building is virtually finished with final touches being made to painting, furniture being installed, signage being added and systems being tested.
• The main central courtyard and rooftop terrace are taking shape with tiling and planting to start soon.
• The external finishes are within 2-3 weeks of completion with the wonderful eatern glass facade the last element to be completed (should be in 2 weeks).

The building is looking magnificent with daily comments being made by everyone who sees it. As I wander the corridors I can envisage our vibrant community using the many great spaces that we've created. I'm also reminded that every part of the building has its own character and outlook - there are lovely views from every side of the building.

Here are some photographic highlights.

Above: Aerial shot of the Southern Facade from the L5 building (city skyline in background, 5km away)

Above: Close up of the southern facade

Above: Northern facade viewed from NIDA

Above: Rooftop terrace nears completion

Above: Inner central courtyard taking shape

New College Village to open in 6 weeks!

Latest aerial shots of the building

Here are two wonderful shots that show the emerging facades of the building, the closeness of the city and that give a hint of some of the great views to be had from the building on all sides.

Above: View of the Southern facade from the UNSW L5 building

Above: View of the Southern facade from the UNSW L5 building showing the city skyline in the background

Latest aerial shots of the building

A building emerges from the scaffolding

I haven't posted photos for s few weeks because most of the obvious progress on the building has been inside. And this progress has been significant. For example:

• Carpetting up to level 4
• Furniture being installed
• Level 7 (last floor) walls completed and fit-out well advanced
• Kitchens and built-in items largely installed
• All major services (e.g Air conditioning) virtually completed

Outside the building progress is also good.

• Balcony rails and awnings are being installed
• All the facade finishes are well advanced
• The acoustic screen on Anzac Parade is now being installed

Up to this stage, the outside of the building has been shrouded by the scaffolding; but as it is being slowly removed the beauty and scale of the building are obvious. I have received numerous comments from varied sources about just how good the building looks (well done Lipman and AJC). In the next few weeks the scaffolding will be completely down and the building's quality will be clearer.

The good news is that we are on track for completion before Christmas this year. Our first resident will arrive on January 5th 2009.

Here are some recent images.

Above: Northern elevation viewed from NIDA

Above: Eastern elevation, the acoustic screen is now being installed

Above: The north-eastern elevation from Anzac Parade

Above: Partial view of a studio Kitchenette (sink, cooktop, fridge, microwave)

Above: Bathroom fittings (all 316 bedrooms have a bathroom like this)

A building emerges from the scaffolding

External finishing well underway

Progress continues to be good on the building. The following are some key indicators:

• Structure complete
• Internal walls largely completed levels 1-6 and well on the way to level 7 (top floor)
• Services roughed in to level 7
• Painting commenced on level 1
• Preparation for tiling well advanced levels 1-4
• External finishes well advanced
• Acoustic screen to Anzac Parade commenced
• Power sub station installed

The following photographs give a sense of the progress.

Above: Stockpiling tiles and other materials on the roof

Above: Granisite surfacing well under way (first 2 of 6 coats)

Above: Terrasite finishes commence on northern facade


Above: Main Common Room

External finishing well underway

The structure is complete!

Above: The slab slab is poured (Level 8b - the last half of the roof)

This has been a big week. On Wednesday the second half of the roof slab was poured (see above). This means that the entire structure is now complete. Of course, there is still much to do to complete all external finishes, internal walls and services and fit-out. But progress has been excellent. The photos show, rather than tell, the story of the progress.

Above: View of the eastern facade from Anzac Parade

Above: : Level 1 corridor (gyproc well advanced Levels 1-3)


Above: External wall finishes underway


Above: View of the inner courtyard looking east to the campus


Above: View of the northern facade from NIDA

The structure is complete!