Amid Australia’s bustling construction landscape, the consolidated TAFE NSW construction training centres emerge as frontrunners, renowned for their vocational skills. Now, they’re housed under one roof at the Nepean-Kingswood campus. The brand-new, state-of-the-art facility has opened in partnership with TAFE NSW, CPB Contractors and Western Sydney University. Designed by national architecture studio Gray Puksand, the facilities cover 7500 square metres.

The construction industry is undeniably one of the biggest in Australia, and reinforcement to support Australia’s growing population and infrastructure pipeline is paramount. Thus, the facility – known as the Institute of Applied Technology Construction and Multi Trades Hub – has been designed to fast-track workers directly into the construction sector.

The series of learning spaces have been organised under a transparent projecting roof in sections, allowing natural light into spaces deep inside the building. Researching future uses resulted in spaces of different widths and heights being incorporated to accommodate the ever-evolving needs of construction industry education.

Notably, the building itself is used as a learning tool, with all services and construction methods on show. Gray Puksand designed the building to educate and elevate construction methodologies, and the size and scale of each space can adapt to the changing needs of the education system.

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The design of the Kingswood campus was led by Barry Hackett and Stephen Turner, Partners at Gray Puksand, who were responsible for the award-winning design of the $154m Institute of Applied Technology Digital and Multi Trades Hub at TAFE NSW Meadowbank in 2023. Following the success of Meadowbank, a trade and digital skills-based learning campus, Gray Puksand was tasked with delivering the design for the Institute of Applied Technology – Construction.

TAFE NSW Relieving Chief Operating Officer Brad McAndrew says the Institute of Applied Technology Construction and Multi Trades Hub will support learners to be job-ready through contemporary and industry-standard teaching and learning spaces: “The facility has been specifically designed to cater to the skills needs of the construction industry now and into the future. It accommodates traditional trades training in large workshop spaces for carpentry, electrical, roof plumbing and civil construction, while classroom and maker spaces can deliver Micro-credentials and Microskills in areas such as project management, contract administration, building information modelling and digital skills in construction.”

Gray Puksand
graypuksand.com.au

Photography
Courtesy of Gray Puksand

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