The Campus & Community

Edmiston Jones’ relocation to the centre of Wollongong’s Crown Street Mall was a deliberate move to actively engage with the city and provide an interactive space for conversations and collaboration. Our most recent series of discussions have been loosely structured around the theme of ‘sustainability‘. The second workshop in this series, focused on the (University) campus and community provoking a discussion as to how these cohorts can achieve greater interaction for mutual benefit. Three speakers enlightened us with different perspectives. Paul Mourtos, University of Wollongong, gave a global overview of university campuses following the world tour by UOW representatives. Omar Khalifa, iAccelerate, spoke with first-hand experience of start-up businesses closer to home at the UOW’s Innovation Campus. A little further afield, we were given a glimpse of what is possible as Colonysix’s Steven Turner shared his work with the Australian National University’s new Kambri development connecting and merging with the adjacent Canberra city centre. Although there were disparate examples, common themes emerged. Not surprisingly, it is about putting people first. ‘The more students can have their say (early) in the design process, the better result’. Equally, the community in its many guises needs to be genuinely engaged at the outset of any master planning process to benefit from their wisdom and sensitivities. The alternative is a reaction late in the process with the inevitable consequence of protracted delays. Please click here to access our 'issuu' which shares highlights of the afternoon.