New Charles Darwin University campus hits new heights

Charles Darwin University’s spectacular new CBD campus is on track to open next year. Read what’s planned for the uni’s Casuarina campus.

The role of hundreds of workers associated with Charles Darwin University’s CBD campus construction was acknowledged in a special ceremony on Thursday.

Assistant Education Minister Senator Anthony Chisolm attended the so-called topping out ceremony – celebrated by the symbolic exchange of a tree – to mark the structure reaching its highest point.

More than 600 workers have been employed on the Halikos Group-led project, with up to 150 workers on the Cavenagh Street site at any one time.

University Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman said the workers involved in the project should be honoured because of the type and nature of the work.

Halikos Group's managing director Shane Dignan, Professor Scott Bowman and Assistant Education Minister Senator Anthony Chisholm with the ceremonial tree. CDU CBD campus

He said “heroes” of the project included the workers who defied the heat and humidity to do the initial undergrounding works when the site hole had been dug.

With up to 6000 students expected to study at the campus and potentially 300 staff when it opens in time for semester two 2024, Professor Bowman said the project promised to deliver an immediate economic hit for the CBD.

“What we’re hearing is there’s a lot of people waiting for us to open our doors next year,” Professor Bowman said.

“That’s small and medium businesses that can service those students, and the students will want to be out there spending money.

“Also at graduations lots of families come here to visit their students and normally stay for about a month, so it will have a big impact on the economy of the city, not just on the economy of the university.”

Drew Miller, general manager development Halikos Group. CDU CBD campus

Halikos general manager development Drew Miller signed up to lead the campus project but has since relocated his entire family to Darwin because of the pipeline of opportunities in coming years.

He said the project was one of the most architecturally creative developments attempted in the Territory and in the process has increased the skill-set of Darwin building and construction workers.

“If you think about building a concrete structure 21m in the air that cantilevers out 10 metres, that takes a lot of engineering and temporary engineering works to consider the loads for the live pour of the concrete.

Downstairs atrium at the new CDU campus. CDU CBD campus

“That’s something that needs to be engineered, certified, recertified, checked. There’s a whole process of safety that we need to go through to make sure that its built with everyone’s safety in mind.”

When opened, the university will have public spaces including the NT Library, which is being relocated from Parliament House, a ground-floor concert space will be open to public access as well as meeting stairs with charging portals.

The new campus will focus on business-related and legal courses including commerce, accounting, the law program, IT, cybersecurity and AI classes.

Professor Bowman said the university’s Casuarina campus remains important because of its focus on Tafe subjects.

“A lot of the work we do out there is big construction work, carpentry, boiler-making, heavy automotive work, which doesn’t fit well in the city but does fit outside at Casuarina,” he said.

“A lot of our research laboratories are out at Casuarina, a lot of our monitoring gear, so to move that is very expensive so Casuarina is here to stay.”

He said the university is reconsidering what to do with its Waterfront campus.