The University of Newcastle will be a "stage within a city" with the first building of its new Honeysuckle City Campus Development unveiled this week.
The four-storey design will feature a 'smart-glass' glazing system which can regulate temperature and also have the potential to display images on the building's exterior.
University Infrastructure and Facilities Services Director, Brian Jones, said the 5-star green design will show the city what the University has to offer.
"The design is set to be really a very open design with lots of glass, lots of ability to see what's going on inside and really be a stage for the Univerisity in the city to promote all the interesting work that goes on through the Innovation Hub and theCreative Industries school," he said.
The cost will be around $25 million, and construction is set to begin this year with completion expected by the end of 2020.
The building will house the Innovation Hub and the School of Creative Industries. The Innovation Hub is a collaboration between the University and other partners to allow small start-ups to develop.
"In the Innovation Hub, it provides office space for small start-ups, and scale-ups as they call them as the businesses grow," Brian Jones said.
"There's opportunities to start small businesses there, to engage with the community, to engage with the academics, and to drive innovation."
Architecture Director, Anthony Furniss, said there will be a range of flexible spaces for staff, students, and visitors to use.
"The design creates a clean, crisp space for creators and innovators to interrupt the city as they choose,
"Much like a gallery - the building will use transparent glass and landscaping to draw people in to discover the vibrant activity inside," he said.
The building design includes a number of features to contribute to its 5 Green Star rating, including being the first building in Newcastle to use a cross-laminated timber frame. The design also features a solar system, rainwater capture, and vegetation planting.
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| The high thermal performance double glazed 'smart glass' system will maximise daylight while keeping air conditioner use to a minimum. |
