UQ Ipswich wins National Trust heritage awards

The $42 million UQ Ipswich campus - stages one and two - has won three of the National Trust Queensland's prestigious John Herbert Awards - Australia's longest-running heritage awards.

The high-tech and heritage campus was awarded two of the nine gold, and one of nine silver awards announced at Brisbane Customs House on April 14.

Designed to recognise and reward excellence in conservation works or action relating to Queensland heritage, the awards are part of the annual Heritage Festival and are named in honour of Hon. John Herbert MLA and President of the National Trust 1971-74.

Ipswich Stage 2 architects, DEM Design, won the John Herbert Gold Award for Excellence in Heritage Conservation Works or Action for Infill; and the John Herbert Gold Award for Excellence in Heritage Conservation Works or Action for Adaption in association with Buchanan Architects, the project's heritage consultants.

The John Herbert Silver Award for Excellence in Heritage Conservation Works or Action for Adaption was awarded to Landscan, the project's landscape architects in association with Buchanan Architects.

Project manager Lucas Kallinosis of the University's Property and Facilities division said the Infill award related to the development of a new four-storey building (Building 12) sympathetic to its heritage setting.

"It complements its immediate neighbours particularly Building 13, arguably the most important Georgian-styled public building in the state and recognised as one of the best examples in Australia," he said.

Property and Facilities Director Alasdair McClintock said the adaptation awards recognised that the University had taken a heritage site of state importance but with a redundant use and converted it to a new use whilst having minimal impact on the culturally significance of the site. Through competent use of scale, character and form in its design the infill development was a part of this process.

Building 12 is split in two to reflect the radial planning philosophy of the original site and provide visual continuity between the existing heritage-listed buildings. Among other facilities, it houses the Self-Directed Learning Centre, the campus' icon space for flexible learning.

University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Development) Professor Trevor Grigg said the UQ Ipswich campus project was an asset for the State and an important part of the University'so ngoing development.

"We see the campus as providing a benchmark for the development of future university campuses across Australia," he said.

"Students and staff who have attended UQ Ipswich since its opening last year have been impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities in each of the buildings, helping to prepare students for the e-world in which we now live."

"They have also praised the preservation of the distinctive heritage atmosphere."

The campus is expected to accommodate over 2000 students by 2001.

Last year UQ Ipswich Stage One collected a host of awards. They included:
o The 1999 Royal Australian Institute of Architects Regional Conservation Award for Stage One (DEM Architects);
o Ipswich City Council Awards for Excellence for Stage One (both DEM Architects and Landscan Landscape Architects) - Design Awards for Special Projects, Design Awards for Heritage Conservation (Professional Category) and the Overall Awards for Excellence in Design;
o a commendation award in the 1999 John Herbert Awards for Excellence in Heritage Conservation Works or Action (DEM for measured drawings of Stage Two).
o Masters Painters Association (Queensland) Award in the Heritage Category for Stage Two (painting contractors AF Sarri Pty Ltd).

Enquiries can be directed to communications@mailbox.uq.edu.au