Tall & Urban News

Plans for a new AU$280 million (US$353 million) Engineering Innovation Hub are under way with the proposal now on exhibition for Parramatta’s new precinct.

The project is a joint venture development with the Western Sydney University (WSU) and UNSW Sydney in partnership with Charter Hall, which will also see the delivery of space for new shops, offices and public open space.

The proposed hub will include a 19-story education building for engineering and architecture students from Western Sydney University and the University of New South Wales.

Earlier this year, design team Tzannes + Blight Rayner Architecture won the design competition to create the Engineering Innovation Hub which will be located in the heart of Parramatta’s CBD.

Tzannes + Blight Rayner were selected as the joint architects on the project in February 2019.

The facility will cater to WSU and UNSW’s education and teaching requirements through the 28,500-square-meter vertical campus along with office space for commercial tenancy, expected for completion in 2021.

The project site, located at the eastern end of the Parramatta CBD, is mapped as an area of high Aboriginal sensitivity under the Parramatta Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Study Review. The proponent is currently seeking authorized archaeological investigations to salvage artifacts and historical material that may be located within the area.

The proposal is now on exhibition, open for community feedback.

Skills and Tertiary Education Minister Geoff Lee says the new hub will bring leading research and support the state government’s goal of delivering 200,000 jobs in Sydney’s west.

“This is an exciting time for our community as it grows into a world-class hub for education and innovation and quickly transforms into Sydney’s second CBD,” Lee said.

For more on this story, go to The Urban Developer.