University of Newcastle students build mini houses in unique hands on elective

Eleven students from the University of Newcastle have not only built two of the most structurally sound cubby houses around but also gained vital knowledge of the construction world.

The most structurally sound cubby houses, built to comply with every standard and stand the test of time, have come out of the University of Newcastle’s Ourimbah campus.

Eleven students studying either architecture or construction management have recently completed the university’s first industry based elective where they took on the role of a builder to design and build cubby houses.

However it wasn’t solely a building exercise with students gaining hands on experience on a variety of industry standards and procedures.

The completed cubby houses were donated to Outfit, a volunteer group from the architecture and design professions, on Tuesday which will gift the houses to Warlga Ngurra Women and Children’s Refuge and Family Support Newcastle in Waratah.

The cubby houses will be donated to two community centres.

The students and team behind the elective unveiled the cubby houses at the University of Newcastle's Ourimbah campus on Tuesday.

Dr Kim Maund, from the University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, developed the new elective, with the theme ‘the development cycle’, which ran over two weeks in January.

Dr Maund said the elective was a collaboration between the University of Newcastle and Tafe NSW and had a focus on building surveying including codes and fire safety.

It took the students from their theoretical world to the hands on world of a building project. This included fire inspections, sedimentation and erosion control site activities as well as leaning to use power tools and dumpy levels.

“The students have gained more of a holistic picture of the industry,” Dr Maund said.

“These are essentially mini houses. Tafe NSW has been fantastic, it’s definitely been a frantic and intense couple of weeks.”

The mini houses are structurally sound thanks to the industry based experience and activities.

The University of Newcastle teamed up with Tafe NSW to run the elective.

Architecture student Freya Jarrett and Construction Management student Sam Moore were thrilled with the hands on experience.

Second year architecture student Freya Jarrett said she enjoyed the practical nature of the elective.

“Our course is a lot more theory based, I have never had to use a bandsaw before,” she said.

“It’s been great, I have so much more practical experience now. The houses are cottage style and are structurally sound. It’s so nice to see them donated.”

Third year construction management student Sam Moore said he enjoyed talking to people in the construction industry.

“We gained an understanding of their frustrations and how there are often delays when you run into problems at job sites,” he said. “We have a huge appreciation for tradesmen.”

The elective was made possible with the help of NSW Fire and Rescue’s Mayfield West station, Michael Morrissey from Morrissey Law & Advisory, Janine Koppel from Lake Macquarie City Council and a host of construction site inspectors.