The University of Melbourne’s Dookie campus is an agricultural facility located between Shepperton and Benalla, approximately 2.5 hours from Melbourne CBD. Since 1886, the campus has played a key role in the development of agriculture and agricultural teaching and learning in Australia. The campus remains a focal point for the key research, teaching and technology development that is helping to shape the future of agriculture in Australia. Situated on 2,440 hectares, the campus includes a small community that houses students and teaching staff, merino sheep, an orchard, a robotic dairy, a winery and a natural bush reserve.
The University engaged AECOM to deliver new high-quality accommodation at the Dookie Campus. The project was a joint investment by the State Government and the University of Melbourne and delivered 85 new en-suite single occupancy units. The accommodation project site is approximately 3,375m2 and consists of new accommodation facilities, external landscaping, and a vehicle drop-off / DDA parking area.
Given the project’s scale and regional location, the development utilised modular and prefabrication techniques via specialist builder Modscape. Over 90 modules were constructed within Modscape’s Victorian factory and shipped to the Dookie campus.
Sustainability Services
The University of Melbourne has outlined its commitment to sustainability in its Sustainability Plan 2030 (The Plan). The Plan reflects the University’s ambition to be a leader for a global sustainable future and considers sustainability beyond the boundaries of its campuses and environments. Robust, project-specific sustainability targets were developed and incorporated into the Project Principal Requirements.
During the functional briefing stage of the project, a wholistic campus climate risk assessment was completed. A desktop analysis evaluated the future impact of climate change scenarios on the proposed design. The stakeholder engagement workshop, with diverse project stakeholders and end users, utilised the desktop analysis to identify climate change risk and asset criticality. The process identified practical adaptation measures that could be incorporated into the design and future operations, previously unidentified by the project team unfamiliar with the project site. The output of the risk assessment was summarised in a Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The plan provided clear guidance on how to respond to climate change impacts, and where to embed design responses that improve the building’s future resilience.
Services
AECOM provided all engineering services in the development of the Project Principal Requirements and design development to Schematic Design, followed by client-side advisory through design completion and construction.
Project partners
Builder – Modscape
Architect – Jackson Clements Burrows Architects