As part of Victoria University’s broader vision to align health education with the development of the new Footscray Hospital, this project involves the refurbishment and fit-out of teaching spaces across multiple existing buildings at the Footscray Park Campus. The works are designed to consolidate the University’s health faculty into modern, purpose-built learning environments that support contemporary teaching methods while enhancing the student and staff experience.

ADP Consulting was engaged as the building services engineer based on our extensive experience within the education sector and our long-standing relationship with Victoria University. Working closely with the project team, we provided early strategic advice on the condition and performance of existing building services infrastructure, helping to inform fit-out options, staging requirements, operational functionality and long-term performance outcomes.

Operating within a portfolio of existing campus buildings required a highly considered and adaptable design approach. The project team worked with limited existing design documentation and as-built information, while navigating latent building conditions, ageing plant and services infrastructure, and the complexities associated with refurbishing occupied educational facilities. The staged delivery strategy was carefully developed to minimise disruption to teaching and campus operations throughout construction. Close coordination was also required to integrate building services with the project’s interior design vision, achieve appropriate acoustic privacy and speech intelligibility outcomes, and accommodate servicing and access requirements within the constraints of the existing buildings.

To address these challenges, the team developed tailored engineering solutions that balanced functionality, energy performance and architectural intent. Room-by-room air conditioning systems were adopted to provide greater thermal comfort and operational flexibility while reducing energy consumption during periods of lower occupancy. Adaptive outdoor air ventilation systems were incorporated to optimise heating and cooling loads through air quality monitoring and demand-based control. Services, infrastructure and plant were carefully coordinated to support exposed ceiling elements and other key interior design features, while upgrades to ageing air handling systems, switchboards and associated services were undertaken to improve reliability and future performance. ADP also provided specialist advice on acoustic privacy, speech intelligibility and noise absorption to ensure the teaching environments support effective learning outcomes.

The project is being delivered through a carefully staged construction program to minimise disruption to ongoing campus activities and teaching operations. Upon completion, the redevelopment will provide state-of-the-art teaching spaces that are flexible, adaptable and energy efficient, supporting the future needs of the health faculty while creating a welcoming and contemporary environment for learning, collaboration and innovation.