Charter Hall, WSU Top Out $300m Innovation Hub

Listed fund manager Charter Hall has topped out its $300 million Engineering Innovation Hub in Parramatta in partnership with the Western Sydney University and the University of New South Wales.

The 18-level education building at 6 Hassall Street, built in partnership with Richard Crookes Constructions, features 29,000sq m of floor space.

The building, designed by Tzannes in partnership with Blight Rayner, is centred around a tech-infused digital spine with fully optimised flexible floorplates.

Both WSU and UNSW will be tenants in the building at 6 Hassall Street.

The high-rise commercial office project has a large pre-lease commitment to WSU and will house a joint undergraduate engineering program along with WSU’s architecture and business courses.

Courses in architecture, industrial design and entrepreneurship will also be offered.

For Western Sydney University, the Innovation Quarter is part of its "western growth" strategy, an ambitious program of works that will reshape the university’s campus network.

Charter Hall office chief executive Carmel Hourigan said the development will be a new home for engineering innovation and excellence.

“It’s exciting to see the building move one step closer to welcoming students, academics and professionals through the doors,”

“Dynamic partnerships like this are vital to creating future-ready and resilient precincts where commerce and learning can collide to create new innovation and the next generation of industry leaders,” Hourigan said.

It is the second time Charter Hall and WSU have joined forces in Parramatta.

The university already occupies the recently developed 26,500sq One Parramatta Square, which is owned by two funds run by Charter Hall.

The project joins another project at Westmead also developed in partnership with Charter Hall, which is currently under construction.

The Westmead precinct will comprise three mixed-use towers with more than 38,000sq m of research, health, education and commercial space.

Another 4000sq m of retail space will also be built including a supermarket, food and beverage retail, lifestyle fitness centre, childcare and car parking.