UNSW revealed an exciting vision to shape our future campus into a thriving and collaborative university “city,” at the annual Town and Gown event on 17 October, which this year celebrated UNSW's 70th Anniversary.
The campus vision, developed by Estate Management, will be used to guide the growth and evolution of the UNSW campus environment for the next 20 years and beyond.
The Kensington campus will be transformed with iconic buildings and accessible, sustainable and interactive spaces for people to connect and learn.
Deputy Vice-President of Finance and Operations Jeff Peers said: “The UNSW campus will transform into a distinctive, lively destination set within a learning landscape that connects to its surrounding communities and partners.
“Our goal is to create a vibrant setting with hubs underpinned by core research and academic functions. This will be further embedded by delivering places that instil a sense of civic pride and are integrated with diverse uses including health, enterprise, housing, wellness and recreation, supporting a digitally enriched learning environment.”
Key to the future of the University campus is creating innovative teaching and learning environments that encourage collaboration with community, industry and government.
UNSW will integrate the upper Kensington campus with the Randwick Health and Education Precinct, providing unique possibilities for learning and cross-collaboration.
Students, academics and researchers will have unprecedented access to new collaborative spaces and clinical settings, leading to better outcomes for patients and the community.
Major developments in the precinct include UNSW’s proposed integration within the new Acute Services Building (ASB) at Prince of Wales Hospital, and the University-led development of the Health Translation Hub (HTH).
Another important focus of the greater campus vision is to create better quality and usable open spaces for socialising and recreation.
The Village Green Redevelopment will create a new space that provides sport, social, recreation and wellness activities where students, staff and the community can come together to relax, exercise, socialise and play.
Featuring a competition-standard, multi-purpose pitch, the project will cater for a range of sports and include a 500m running track, outdoor gym and events facilities. Students will have the opportunity to be involved by providing input to key elements of the redevelopment.
The plans also include an upgrade and expansion of UNSW’s campus stormwater and infiltration system, an important environmental initiative aligned with our Environmental Sustainability Plan 2019-21.
Other focus areas of the vision include a commitment to environmental sustainability for building developments and energy use, and a responsibility to highlight and celebrate the strong and enduring Indigenous association with the land and University as an institution.
This piece was first published on Inside UNSW.