And so it was with much fanfare that a tree was planted on the completed top floor of the 14-storey Western Sydney University building in Parramatta Square at the end of May.
Premier Mike Baird joined WSU Vice Chancellor Professor Barney Glover, Parramatta Council Administrator Amanda Chadwick and Chief Executive Greg Dyer, and Charter Hall Group executives Andrew Borger and Adrian Taylor at the formal “topping out” ceremony.
Called One Parramatta Square (1PSQ), the $220.5 million building is owned by Charter Hall Group and is being built by John Holland.
The entire commercial building is being leased to WSU for 15 years with an option for the future beyond that.
Due for completion early next year, the building will be the flagship Parramatta City
Campus for WSU and will be the first completed building in the $2 billion Parramatta Square development.
Mr Borger, Charter Hall’s Head of Office Development, said his company was proud to partner with WSU to deliver a world class education and research facility.
The campus will offer first class educational facilities to up to 10,000 students, Prof Glover said.
“The 10,000 students who will study here will find themselves immersed in one of the country’s most technologically-advanced learning environments – one that is highly interactive, and which uses personalised technologies and approaches to significantly enhance the student experience,” he said.
The new A-grade building, on the corner of Smith and Macquarie Sts, will comprise about 26,500 square metres of commercial office space across 14 floors, with WSU the sole tenant.
Ms Chadwick said the campus would be “a showcase for Smart City technology and the benchmark for future development in Parramatta”.
The building’s design is the result of an international competition won by architectural firm Architectus
