Campus Living to deliver student housing at the Urban Village

Campus Living will develop the managed student accommodation at the Kelvin Grove Urban Village, on land sold by the Department of Housing through an expression of interest process. The six-storey, 370-bed complex will be owned and operated by Campus Living, a company jointly owned by Tuscan Corporation and Transfield Holdings, which specialises in the development and operation of purpose-built student accommodation.

The Campus Living development will be located on the doorstep of QUT's Kelvin Grove campus. It will cater to a range of student needs and budgets, from one-bedroom units with their own facilities through to five lockable bedrooms surrounding a common kitchen, lounge and bathroom. All apartments will be fully furnished, and designed to meet the specific needs of students.

Construction is expected to commence in the second half of 2005 for a late 2006 completion.

Kelvin Grove Urban Village takes out national engineering award

The Kelvin Grove Urban Village has won its 11th award by taking out the 2004 Australian Engineering Excellence Award in the Environmental Engineering category.

The award was presented to the Department of Housing, Queensland University of Technology, Connell Wagner and the Department of Public Works (Project Services) at a ceremony in Parliament House in Canberra on 24 November. It recognises achievement in sound environmental practice and the sustainable use of natural resources. The criteria used to select the Kelvin Grove Urban Village included the project’s impact on the national economy, impact on the environment, and best practice in environmental engineering.

The national award follows the project’s success at the Queensland Engineering Awards in September this year, when it took out the Environmental Excellence Award and the newly-introduced Sustainability Award.

Living City 5 - Urban Futures

The Living City 5 panels were presented at an event at the Creative Industries Precinct in November.

Living City 5 is a project that invites 24 Year 11 students from Brisbane high schools to participate in an intensive three-day workshop in urban planning, public art and design.

This year, the participating students were given the task of responding to and designing for the Kelvin Grove Urban Village. During their October workshop, the students worked in creative teams with professionals, educators, artists and community interest groups and put the scope and goals of the development under the microscope. They considered the social and environmental impacts of the changing precinct and investigated the development in the wider context of the city fabric.

Their ideas and designs for the Urban Village were captured in a series of panels, and the results presented at an event at the Creative Industries Precinct in November. The panels are now on display for a limited time at the Kelvin Grove Urban Village Information Centre. More information about Living City 5 is available from the website at http://www.qata.qld.edu.au/livcitys.html

What's happening at the Village

Here is a brief update on recent developments at the Village:

• The sale of Lot 8 by expression of interest has had a good response from the marketplace for the development of residential units. There is still time for interested developers to place an offer before the closing date on 17 December. Visit the project website to view the documentation: http://www.kgurbanvillage.com.au/development/sites.shtm
• The sales office for The Village Centre, Indigo’s 213-unit retail and residential complex, is operational and open seven days per week. The sales office is located on Blamey Street (near Victoria Park Road ) at Kelvin Grove.
• La Boite Theatre Company has released its 2005 program. For information on the plays and ticket sales, visit La Boite’s website: www.laboite.com.au
• The Department of Housing is continuing negotiations with short-listed developers for managed seniors’ accommodation at the Village, with an announcement likely in the next few weeks.

Useful links

Kelvin Grove Urban Village website
www.kgurbanvillage.com.au

Department of Housing
www.housing.qld.gov.au

Queensland University of Technology
www.qut.edu.au

QUT Creative Industries Precinct
www.ciprecinct.com.au/

The Village Centre (Indigo Projects)
www.villagecentre.com.au