THE shovels will soon be in the ground for a recently-announced Central Coast university campus following the tender of a nationally-renowned building company.
Hansen Yuncken - who previously built the University of Newcastle's (UON) Q Building and NUSpace, and repurposed the ICT building - have been awarded the $63.8 million contract.
UON's vice chancellor Alex Zelinsky said the project would patch a professional skill deficit "under-serviced" coastal hub.
[The Central Coast] hasn't really had a chance to develop a tertiary-educated workforce," he said. "There's a lot of people there that commute for work to Sydney. There's not a lot of opportunity for works beyond the trades."
Between 1800 and 1900 students currently commute from the Central Coast to Newcastle for study across the course of the year.
Designed to complement the university's 40-year-old Ourimbah campus and new Gosford health teaching centre, the building will host degrees like business and marine biology.
The three-story build was originally forecast to cost $58 million when it was approved as a state-significant development in August, but Professor Zelinsky said inflated building costs had hit the project. A joint sum of $18 million from federal and NSW state governments has been given to the build.
"This project has been built in very challenging inflationary times," Professor Zelinsky said, noting Hansen Yuncken offered an "affordable price" across with great credentials.
He said the company understood the university's "grand vision" for the site, which includes a retail area, cafe and accessible spaces centered on "innovation".
"We have a firm vision for our campuses, to meet the needs of our students, staff and community for the future, and providing a space that is vibrant, safe, and accessible to engage and collaborate," Professor Zelinsky said.
Federal Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid MP, said this is a major milestone for the new Central Coast Campus and it will play an important role in the region's growth.
"The Australian Government is committed to improving access to tertiary education for people living on the Central Coast", Dr Reid said.
The campus will be located at 305 Mann Street, Gosford on the old Mitre 10 site. It is expected to its welcome first students in 2025.
