ACU Blackfriars Student Accommodation

Fore Group were engaged by Sandricks and the Australian Catholic University (ACU) to undertake the reclassification of the existing office spaces, housed on the upper level of the heritage listed Blackfriars building, into a student accommodation space. Designed by Nettleton Tribe, this fit out is the first onsite student accommodation offering for the ACU and carried a critical time frame with student move in dates locked in for January 2023. The project consisted of two stages, with the first stage being the demolition package and removal of all redundant services for the new accommodations. Structural walls were removed during this stage to allow the space to open in the centre of the building, with the existing timber trussers supported with a series of beams and posts. In stage 2 the construction commenced to revive the heritage site back to its former glory. With the reuse of the existing Canberra red brick walls, 42 student accommodation rooms were created along with 5 separate amenities areas and a shared commercial grade kitchen and dining/recreation space for the students to enjoy.