At the half way mark!

Yesterday we reached the halfway mark with the structure. The second half of the fourth floor slab was laid and the walls for half of Level 4 have been erected. In fact, if you include the basement we are well past halfway and the structure is growing one storey each 13 days. We expect the final floor of the structure to be completed by mid-July.

The central courtyard will (I suspect) be one of the key sites for social interaction in the Village. It will be the site of Friday afternoon BBQs that Carmen and I intend to host. While it is currently used to store materials, it will eventually have a raised lawn and garden, a BBQ area and wireless access to the Internet.

At the more micro level, it has also been exciting to see the services beginning with plumbing well underway. We will also see the first windows installed this week and Level 1 will soon be completely stripped ready for full fit-out.

At the half way mark!

Work on the 4th floor commences

Progress on the NCV was slowed a little last week due to Sydney's rain and holidays. Rain occurred on 13 consecutive days which I think is a record for Sydney. In spite of this we were not badly affected until Tuesday last week. We also had a public holiday on Friday and this is always associated with a rostered day off across the construction industry in this country. We also lose Saturday on long weekends. The outcome was a week that had 2 work days rather than 6. Nevertheless, the project program has built in holidays and allowances for wet days so the impact on the completion date is not great.

This week has seen cold days and clear skies so progress has been good. The second stage of the 3rd floor slab was poured yesterday and work is well on the way for the first stage of the 4th floor slab to be poured next Tuesday. The walls for the 3rd floor are well advanced and should be completed by next week.

As you can see from the image above the building is beginning to take on significant bulk and height. This image shows the inner courtyard viewed from the North East corner of the 3rd floor. Yes, the crane tower will eventually go!


ABOVE - Admin section on the ground floor (I know it has some way to go before we can use the phones)


ABOVE - Main common room on the ground floor (this will seat 120 people)


ABOVE - West wing of the ground floor

Work on the 4th floor commences

Up to the 3rd Floor

The first half of the 3rd floor slab was laid this week and the erection of the walls for this floor also commenced. The bulk of the building grows each week with its presence on Anzac Parade being observed by all who enter the University via the main University mall. In spite of regular daily showers this last two weeks there has been good progress.


Our marketing program is also well underway and already applications are being received for accommodation in the New College Village. Bookings have also been taken for conferences in 2009.

Up to the 3rd Floor

New College Village from the air

Some shots from the top of L5 show that the structure is on the move. They also show what a great location this is!

New College Village from the air

Level 2 takes shape

March was a great month for construction with no days lost due to rain. As a result there has been good progress on site. The last ground floor slab was pouted this week and work on Levels 1 and 2 are well advanced. All of the AFS walls have been erected for Level 1 and 60% of Level 2. With the completion of the missing link slab at ground level we will see the structure rising (eventually) at a uniform rate. The East and Southern sections of the building will continue to be in advance of the west and north for some weeks.

A prototype room is nearing completion, and as well as allowing Lipman to test construction methods and materials, will allow us to show prospective residents what the accommodation will be like.

View of the southern wing across the inner courtyard

View of the southern and western wings and the courtyard

View to the west showing existing western campus buildings

Level 2 takes shape

The structure begins to rise

Progress on the building has been good during February and March and hence the structure is beginning to be more obvious on Anzac Parade. The floor slab for Level 2 is beginning to take shape and we should see the first of two major pours tomorrow. Once all of the Level 2 floor has been poured the structure will become more repetitive and faster so we should see even more progress. The following shots give some sense of the progress. The picture above is from the top of the L5 building.

Above - part of the inner courtyard and the walls of Level 1 emerging.


Above - view from the NIDA end of the site looking south.


Above - The Level 2 slab being prepared for the pour.

The structure begins to rise

Shipping container housing

A company in Amsterdam is responsible for an amazing student housing development. Tempo Housing has developed a way of using shipping containers to creat modular housing. The containers have become 1,000 home units that each have a bathroom and private balcony. The complex also has a cafe, supermarket, office space, and even a sports area. Units are arranged in “blocks,” each block containing a service unit with centralized electricity, internet, and networking systems.


The developers claim that Keetwonen provides all the amenities a student could ever want, and claims 'green' credentials because they are using surplus shipping containers. Keetwonen has integrated a rooftop to accommodate efficient rainwater drainage while providing heat dispersal and insulation for the containers beneath. Designed by TempoHousing it was completed last year. You can view a video of the development if you want to know more.


Will we consider using containers in Australia? I don't think so. I can't begin to imagine how such a development could satisfy Development Application requirements and Building Council of Australia standards. Nevertheless, it's an interesting project.

Shipping container housing