ABSTRACT
The University was suffering from a 'commuter culture', whereby students stayed on campus only to attend lectures and tutorials, hindering their immersion in the wider educational experience. The University's semicentennial presented a timely moment to redress this, and in 2014 it initiated a campus-wide transformation, beginning with the development of the new Student Hub and Plaza. Following extensive student consultation, a scheme was designed which refurbished the Union and Library, and added a four-storey administration building and connecting three-storey, glazed Mall Building. The greatest impact of the hub and plaza scheme, though, is demonstrated by the animation on campus. The study spaces, catering facilities and amphitheatre steps were almost immediately bustling with life; enquiries poured in for the function spaces. Ultimately, more people are on site for longer, including after hours and weekends, and the campus culture has been reinvigorated as a result.
