New building ready for students at Gold Coast

The second stage of Southern Cross University Gold Coast campus is now open to students for the first session of 2013.

The 10-storey building at the Gold Coast campus, next to the Gold Coast Airport, houses teaching and learning spaces and offices for health, tourism, business and education, as well as computer rooms, meeting rooms and a student lounge.

With a gross floor area of 15,417m2 the building features clinical laboratories for nursing and midwifery, laboratories for occupational therapy students and physiology, anatomy and biomechanics laboratories for pedorthics, podiatry and speech pathology.

The new building also includes SCU Health Clinic, located on the ground floor. This will be open to the public and will offer a range of health practitioner services, as well as supporting student learning and clinical research.

Southern Cross University Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Lee expects the multi-million dollar investment in the Gold Coast campus to be well received by staff, students and community members.

“We are delighted to have reached this milestone with our Gold Coast campus,” Professor Lee said.

“The building itself is impressive and cements Southern Cross University’s position as a leading education provider in the region. It will also add to the campus experience at the Gold Coast for students.

“With about 2000 students now at the new campus at Bilinga and a third building at the site in the planning stages, Southern Cross University’s commitment to the Gold Coast is there for everyone to see.

“It’s an exciting time in the University’s continued development.”

New allied health courses podiatry and speech pathology are being offered at the Gold Coast campus, along with occupational therapy, nursing and midwifery. A major in pedorthics, in the Bachelor of Clinical Sciences degree, is also being offered at the Gold Coast campus.

The new building compliments the Foundation Building, which opened in 2010. It includes teaching and learning and office space as well as a library, bookshop and coffee shop.

The specifications of this new building are impressive. Almost 18,000 tonnes of concrete have been used in its construction, while 1430 tonnes of reinforcing steel have also been laid. A further 152 tonnes of structural steel have been used.

The building also has an innovative rainwater collection system. It’s designed to capture water from the completed and planned buildings on the site and store it underneath. The water is then distributed back to other buildings for amenities water.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Vice Chancellor Peter Lee will be available for interviews on Friday, February 15, from 10am to 10.30am (QLD time) at the Gold Coast campus. Tours of the new building will also be available to journalists. Friday will also mark the last day of Orientation Week activities. Please confirm your interest to media officer ASAP. Photo: The new building at SCU’s Gold Coast campus.