Construction begins soon on new UQ student apartments

Work is about to start on the site of The University of Queensland’s $250 million Student Residences Project at St Lucia.

UQ Property and Facilities director Steven Dickson said the building would accommodate 1300 students on an elevated site on the western side of the university campus.

“This project marks the start of a new era for UQ,” Mr Dickson said.

“UQ is a world-class university which attracts the very best international students from around the world, and it is imperative that we provide a world-class, full residential experience on campus.

“In the US, UK and other countries, it is the norm for all students to live on campus or in university colleges in their first year of study at least.”

He said the Student Residences Project would allow UQ to offer competitively priced, quality, on-campus student accommodation.

“UQ’s Student Strategy is bringing some really significant changes to the University’s way of doing business, to ensure students have the best experience possible while studying at UQ.”

UQ expects to award the Student Residences Project building contract by the end of 2017.

Specialist contractors will remove vegetation under the direction of UQ grounds supervisor Mr Shane Biddle.

Mr Biddle said 7000 tubestock trees would be planted elsewhere on campus to offset vegetation removal.

Tree removal on the site – bounded by Walcott, Hood, Rock and Coldridge streets – will start next week. Construction is due for completion in 2020.

Mr Biddle said fauna spotter/catchers had assessed the site and would relocate some animals.

“The work will be undertaken progressively over two months to give wildlife a chance to relocate,” he said.

Site clearing will be completed by 20 October 2017. Work hours will be 7am-3pm.

“South East Tree Care will start to cut access into the site on Thursday (24 August), and tree removal will start on Monday 28 August,” Mr Biddle said.

Dust reduction will involve watering and mulching, and mulch from the site will be used across the St Lucia campus.

The site will be re-landscaped when construction is complete.

“The vegetation contractors will work out from the inner part of the site, leaving a vegetation perimeter until we have access to the Margaret Cribb Child Care Centre site early in 2018.”

More information: Property and Facilities Special Projects Manager Peter Sampson, p.sampson@pf.uq.edu.au,  +61 7 3365 1113, 0411 152 349, ; or Shane Biddle, s.biddle@pf.uq.edu.au, 0411 020 471.

Media: Fiona Cameron, UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 7086.