Wamburun Hall (ANU SA5)

Dowse Projects provided Project Management services on behalf of the ANU for the delivery of Wamburun Hall, positioned alongside an early Australian mass planting of eucalyptus trees. The built form comprises a series of five connected pods arranged in a pyriform floor plan, its sinuous form enclosing an open-ended, north-facing courtyard that links pedestrian flow from the adjoining campus student accommodation.

The site was previously home to the Fenner School Field Services Building and the 1952 Lindsay Pryor eucalyptus plantings. The 120 remaining eucalyptus trees, once part of a planting that stretched over two miles, are the most significant amenity asset on the site and have been retained as part of the development.

The project delivers 500 beds in a college format, with individual student bedrooms and shared amenities including bathrooms, cooking, dining, lounging, study and recreational facilities, alongside university-wide shared facilities including a library and study space, a gathering hall, reception and associated landscaped areas. The project has a gross floor area of approximately 15,000m² across seven storeys, with pods connected by hinges forming a loose U-shape around a north-facing college green fronting Burton & Garran Hall.