New design images released of Charles Darwin University’s CBD campus are markedly different from the original concept designs submitted months earlier.
The new images submitted with CDU’s development application on Monday show an eight-storey tall building with large glass panels and an expansive outdoor green courtyard with the historic boab tree as a centrepiece.
The images appear contrastingly different to original concept designs which saw a wider, flatter building taking up more of the site with less green space.
CDU Darwin city campus artist’s impression. CDU Darwin city campus artist’s impression. 
CDU Darwin city campus artist’s impression. 
CDU Darwin city campus artist’s impression.
CDU vice-chancellor Professor Simon Maddocks said the difference in designs came down to catering for important features such as additional green space and preserving the boab and milkwood trees on the site.
“There’s been a number of iterations previously in terms of artists’ impressions trying to extrapolate early artists impressions,” he told Mix 104.9.
OPINION: Should the CDU city campus be built?
“We had to get pragmatic about things like the solar envelope required to protect the boab tree…that tree is heritage registered … it’s had a big influence on how we could use the site.
“All of those things came together to influence the way the building has been structured and positioned.
“The architects have come up with a design fitting in with the requirements of reducing heat, making it accessible to the public, there’s a lot of greenery on the floor court and it’s lovely to see that boab tree focused on in the floor court.”
The development application for the Cavenagh St campus comes a month after the university purchased the site from Darwin City Council for $14.6 million.
The eight-storey campus will include the new NT Government Library as well as two basement underground carparks providing 230 vehicle spaces.
In order to protect both the boab and milkwood trees throughout construction CDU will set up a “tree protection zone” with a diameter of 15m for the boab and 10m for the milkwood.
Construction on the new campus is expected to begin as early as next month.
- Labor announces old Berrimah prison, Alice Springs facility to become women’s prisons
- Police seek CCTV of hit-and-run that injured three people
- Darwin’s Throb Nightclub enters liquidation
- Missy Higgins to highlight amphitheatre return to the Darwin Festival
- Kids arrested over two alleged attempted carjackings and taxi driver bashing
Making it the ugliest building in Darwin!!
Congratulations to CDU and the NTG !