La Trobe's $100m mass timber construction project takes off

Construction has begun on a new student accommodation project for La Trobe University at its Melbourne campus in Bundoora.

The $100 million investment is the largest ever made by the University for a single project.

Designed by JCB Architects with construction by Multiplex, the project is part of the University’s ambitious $5 billion plan to transform the Bundoora campus into a University City of the Future.

Comprising two buildings, the project is designed to accommodate 624 students in sustainable spaces, which will include a range of apartments, accessible units as well as common amenities.

The structures will be built utilising the mass timber construction method, making this the largest project of its kind in Victoria. A large part of the buildings will be prefabricated offsite, minimising noise on the campus.

La Trobe’s vice-chancellor professor John Dewar says the project will greatly enhance the experience of students living on campus.

The new accommodation will enable more of the University’s students to live on campus. He added that the project would be a major boost to the local economy, with construction supporting more than 500 direct and indirect jobs.

JCB Architects director Graham Burrows says, “As the largest mass timber project in Victoria, the buildings will not only offer huge environmental benefits, but they will also provide calm and beautiful spaces in and around which both resident students and the wider La Trobe community can interact.”

Multiplex Regional Director Ross Snowball underlined their passion for emerging design technologies, which respond to environmental and sustainability needs, as well as working with universities.

The La Trobe University student accommodation project perfectly marries the two, Snowball says.