By Claire Fenwicke
 |
Six years and $121 million later, the Australian National University finally has its heart back – just in time for its 80th birthday.
University House was one of the buildings damaged in the devastating 2020 hailstorm, which saw thousands of cars written off, homes destroyed and about 80 percent of the ANU campus damaged.
Master of University House, Professor Peter Kanowski, said the building’s age simply meant it couldn’t withstand the original storm, exposing the interior to the elements.
“We’ve got something like 64,000 bespoke roof tiles, and they were more or less 70 years old, and they didn’t stand up to the hailstorms,” he explained.
“All of those tiles got cracked by the hail, so when it rained a few weeks later, the water penetrated the ceiling down through the building, took out the fire system, the building had to be evacuated, and then came COVID.
“And so the building sat empty for two years with only possums living here until the university and its insurers agreed on how we’d repair it.”
It’s taken about 1500 workers to repair the building.
Asbestos, lead and mould damage needed to be remediated before works could even begin. This was followed by the restoration of each roof tile and the replacement of the copper panelling. All the gas pipes were removed, and the building completely electrified and brought up to standard with modern building codes.
Inside, leather and wood panelling needed to be revived and all the damaged furniture painstakingly brought back to life.
Books and artworks weren’t spared, but they’re also back to their original states.
“University House has been the ceremonial heart of the ANU since it was opened in 1954, and for the last six-and-a-half years we haven’t had that heart,” Prof Kanowski said.
“It’s been a hole in the life of the campus, and it’s so wonderful to be back and open again.”
University House includes a Great Hall decorated by the Leonard French mural ‘Regeneration’, multiple recreation and dining rooms (including a famous beer garden), 97 bookable hotel rooms and 60 rooms for postgraduate students.
They feature Fred Ward-designed and built furniture, and the original underfloor heating in the bathrooms.
The building was designed by Professor Brian Lewis and awarded the 1953 Sulman Medal for Architectural Merit.
His son David Lewis (who was seven when the building was originally opened) described University House’s closure as a “deprivation” for both ANU and the community.
“[Having it open again] is obviously great because it adds to the atmosphere … [provides a chance] to meet other people and that’s a real pleasure,” he said.
 | |
|
Design and oversight of the restoration was undertaken by heritage architects Lovell Chen and the building work by Hindmarsh Construction Australia.
Lovell Chen’s Audrey Ong said the building’s simplicity actually made restoration even more challenging.
“Trying to restore the original heritage fabric was a challenge, but there was a lot of research that went into understanding the materiality, understanding the methodology, and trying to faithfully restore and repair that,” she said.
“Some of the original heritage fabric on the building includes … terracotta tiles, parquetry flooring, leather panelling, wood leather panelling, to the walls, acoustic ceiling tiles, so they are very specialised trades.”
The asbestos, lead and mould remediation – along with the extent of the damage – meant many parts of the building essentially had to be stripped back to its shell.
Hindmarsh Construction’s project manager, Alex Morgan, said workers touched every area of the project.
“We needed to take the building apart before we could put it back together and start the restoration,” he said.
“It was very fulfilling to be able to bring it back to where it used to be.”
To prevent similar damage in the future, waterproofing membranes have been installed.
Most of the building’s repairs were covered by insurance, with the rest paid from funds ANU had already set aside for infrastructure.
Prof Kanowski said this opening was another healing moment for the university.
“The ANU community’s getting back a place where they can meet, formally and informally, to relax, interact with people that you don’t see in your day-to-day role, whatever that happens to be, and that’s already started to happen,” he said.
“The bar’s been open for four days and [already] people were moving furniture around down in the bar and just reoccupying the building.
“It’s given the university a special place to welcome the community back that we haven’t had for the last six-and-a-half years.”
University House will be officially reopened on Friday, 14 August, ahead of an ANU campus community day on Saturday, 15 August.
First published at Region, August 7, 2026
No comments:
Post a Comment