Building the Future with Timber

The University of Newcastle had a vision to achieve a sustainable state-of-the-art building to house its creative disciplines of Media Arts Production, News and Digital Media, Animation, Creative Arts, Performing Arts, Song writing and Music Production. 

Q Building is the new home to two of the University’s industry and community engagement facilities. It houses the Future Arts and Science and Technology Lab (FASTLab)– a living lab and translational research centre, as well as the Integrated Innovation Network Hub (I2N) dedicated to the incubation, start-up, scale-up and launch of new commercial ventures.

First 6 green star rating in regional NSW

Contributing significantly towards the Newcastle community, WSP along with Hansen Yuncken and EJE Architecture, delivered the 6 Green Star rating, making it the first in regional NSW. 

The Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) certification represents sustainability across all elements of the project. Developed for the Australian environment, Green Star is an internationally recognised rating system setting the standard for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places.

Sean Holmes, WSP’s Associate Director – Sustainability says that the mass timber design significantly reduced the embodied carbon in the building.

“Using our Future Ready™ framework, we provided holistic sustainability advice to set the building on a trajectory to world leadership performance. This included advice on waste management, solar PV system design, an innovative electrochromic façade, as well as a rainwater capture, storage and reuse system.

“We also conducted a life cycle analysis to show deep whole of life carbon reduction of 92% compared to a business as usual approach.”

Transitioning to a healthier sustainable community 

Q Building features a concrete core, with its remaining internal structure built using sustainably sourced, glue-laminated timber. The facility is encased at the north, east and west in 344 Sage thermal glass panels – the largest installation of this highly technical and innovative material in the southern hemisphere.

Installing Sage thermal glass in these sections of the building exterior will greatly impact the buildings climate and temperature moderations, where the glass tints according to the intensity of the sun and retain the design principles of openness and transparency.

Sean says the building is particularly important within the Hunter region context.

“The building reflects the leadership of the University of Newcastle in transitioning to a more sustainable economy, providing inspiration for others in the region to act on climate change.”

“Q Building has positioned the University well in advance of the targets they have set in the Environmental Sustainability Plans. This is a significant step towards being carbon neutral by 2025 and WSP are proud to be a part of this journey.” 

Q Building has been achieved through a funding partnership between the NSW Government, the University, and the City of Newcastle’s Hunter Innovation Project. It was delivered under the NSW Government’s shovel-ready capital project fast-track initiative in 2020.

The building was opened in July 2021 to students.

Awards & Recognition

• 2022 Professional Excellence Award in the ‘Commercial Building, $2m-$25m’ category at the Australian Institute of Building NSW Professional Excellence Awards
• 2022 Sustainable Building Awards - Education and Research - Finalist
• 2022 World Green Building Council Asia Pacific Network - Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance Award - Institutional – Finalist 
• 2022 Newcastle Excellence in Building Awards - Best Public Building ($20m - $30m) - Winner
• 2022 Newcastle Excellence in Building Awards - Best Use of Glass (Commercial) - Winner
• 2022 AIRAH Excellence in Sustainability Award - Winner
• 6 Green Star rating