Southern Cross University’ Gold Coast Campus from foundation through growth

Within the Gold Coast Airport Development Park, the Southern Cross University campus masterplan identified eight buildings on the 4-ha campus site. We have designed and delivered the first three buildings over a ten-year period.

Building A comprises the foundation student services hub, along with a range of general teaching spaces, library, IT labs, lecture theatre, academic offices and support facilities as a catalyst for future development on the site.  This four-storey, 4,800 m² foundation building sets the tone for student service and engagement for the new campus. Teaching spaces are versatile to accommodate a variety of teaching delivery modes, learning styles and information formats. To encourage interaction and student activities, the building is ‘permeable’ at ground level with the co-location of a café, student interaction areas, student services hub and multipurpose rooms.

Building B is the Gateway Building, supports the university’s growth, research program, curriculum delivery and student experience. Much of the 10-storey, 15,000m² building is devoted to allied health research facilities. These include specialist clinical laboratories for nursing and midwifery and an array of laboratories for occupational therapy, physiology, anatomy, biomechanics, pedorthics, podiatry and speech pathology.

The building is also home to workshop and simulation laboratories for the design and fabrication of prosthetics along with learning spaces for tourism, business, arts and social sciences, and education. Further elevating the student experience are dedicated computer rooms, meeting rooms and a student lounge. 

Building C, designed to create a sustainable, adaptable and connected building reflecting the local Indigenous word, Jingi Walla, meaning ‘greetings to all of you’.  It added a new library, college headquarters, School of Law and Justice, four general teaching floors, a two-level learning centre and a 560-person theatre. Additionally, a café and outdoor area now complete the ‘social heart’ of the campus, established in the first two stages of our design for the campus, Buildings A and B.

Flexibility and adaptability guided the design of all learning environments which range from collaborative booths and meeting rooms for group learning, to more formal research and individual desks - enabling diverse types of learning and fostering social connection.

The interior palette references the local beach house vernacular, through its combination of colour, fabric, natural timber and glass, and contributes to the university’s welcoming, friendly, and inclusive feel.

We used careful detailing and double glazing to afford internal spaces with natural light and views, and to create acoustic separation between areas. Other sustainable design initiatives included building orientation and external sunshades to control solar gain and reduce air conditioning demand, carpet made from recycled material and rainwater collection for toilet flushing and air conditioning cooling towers, as part of a ‘whole of campus’ approach.

Delivery of Southern Cross University Building C, the third consecutive stage of development, completed the university’s 2010 master plan vision.

Our designs for each of the campus’s three buildings realised unique educational requirements - providing student-centred, sustainable, flexible and inclusive buildings.