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Nihon University - Newcastle Campus

Structural design and peer review of improvements to the site and existing heritage building

  • $49M

    Construction Value

  • Newcastle, NSW, Australia

    Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Marrying heritage and modern design into a functioning university campus

Japan’s Nihon university is creating an international campus to appeal to both local and international students and expand their offerings in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Located in the former Newcastle Courthouse, modifying this heritage structure presented a fascinating engineering, design, and aesthetic challenge.

Our role was to provide the civil and structural design, and documentation, of the proposed re-development of the heritage site located at Church Street. Designing the interface between the new and old areas and remediating the heritage structure to meet mine subsidence design requirements, was complex but rewarding. The overall build included demolition of modern additions to the courthouse. These have been replaced by new wings flanking the original structure, which are designed to reflect minimalist Zen design aesthetics and include elements reminiscent of traditional Japanese shoji screens.

Despite COVID-19, completion was achieved on time. The completed building will fulfil dual roles as a campus for international students, as well as providing community and education spaces for Newcastle University. We’re proud to play a role in this unique project, successfully combining heritage architecture with a modern Japanese aesthetic and creating a space that celebrates both tradition and innovation.

At a Glance

Offices
Architect
Azusa Sekkei
Meet Our Team

Trent Halvorsen, Structures Lead, Northern NSW

Engineering is like solving a puzzle, at times it can be solved with a robust process while other times you need to think outside the box.

Sara Belgrove, Business Leader, Community Infrastructure, Northern NSW

The best part of my job is working with others to build their skills and capabilities and create a strong team ethos.
Sara Belgrove Business Leader, Community Infrastructure, Northern NSW Read More

George Ashworth, Geotechnics Lead, Northern NSW

Each member of the team contributes specific skills and talents—adding their strengths makes the team stronger as a whole.

Ian Piper, Technical Services Manager, Geotechnical

My real love is the problem solving—based on many years of experience, it never gets old.

Trent Halvorsen

Structures Lead, Northern NSW

Sara Belgrove

Business Leader, Community Infrastructure, Northern NSW

George Ashworth

Geotechnics Lead, Northern NSW

Ian Piper

Technical Services Manager, Geotechnical

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