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Render of the exterior of the new UQ residences surrounded by leafy trees

Student residence complex, St Lucia campus

UQ is building a second student residence complex at its St Lucia campus, which will provide an additional 1,018 student accommodation places on campus. 

The new complex, scheduled to open for Semester 2 2027, will be operated by UQ Res

Located on Walcott Street adjacent to Kev Carmody House, the purpose-built complex will provide UQ students from regional, remote and international destinations with competitively-priced accommodation.

Once completed, UQ students will have access to more than 4,500 purpose-built student accommodation places through UQ-owned accommodation and 10 affiliated residential colleges on our St Lucia campus. 

This page will be updated regularly with information about the project and upcoming works. 

See upcoming works and how we're managing construction impacts below

On-campus home for students

The complex is a home away from home for students designed to promote community building, support student wellbeing and provide a positive environment to enhance their university experience. 

Facilities

All rooms will have an ensuite and air conditioning, and students will have access to: 

  • cooking facilities and dining spaces 
  • laundry facilities 
  • shared study spaces 
  • pool, gym and yoga facilities 
  • game and music rooms 
  • landscaped outdoor areas 
  • 24/7 concierge.

Watch a flythrough of the facilities

The complex will have 3 buildings, with a diverse mix of spaces for use by students. The buildings will be 6 to 10 storeys and are sympathetically designed in line with other surrounding accommodation buildings and the natural topography of Walcott Street.  

Managing construction impacts and maintaining safety

UQ acknowledges this is a large construction project and is committed to minimising the disruption to surrounding neighbours.  

A construction management plan is in place to ensure compliance with environmental and safety obligations, and will minimise noise, dust and other disruptions where possible.    

A traffic management plan is in place to manage the safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians in the area, as well as parking along Walcott Street and Coldridge Street.  

During construction, Walcott Street will remain open with a 40 kilometre per hour speed limit. 

Traffic controllers will be used as required to manage the movement of trucks and heavy machinery in and out of the site and occasional contra-flows. Signage will be in place to direct local traffic and pedestrians.  

There will be some impacts to parking on Walcott and Coldridge Street. These will be clearly signposted. 

All works will be conducted in line with Brisbane City Council (BCC) guidelines. Where possible, this will Monday to Friday from 6.30am to 6.30pm. Saturday work will only be as required.

Upcoming works

Early works 

Early trenching works along Walcott Street were largely completed in November 2024. 

From Tuesday 14 January, essential work will be carried out on a section of footpath on Sir Fred Schonell Drive, near the corner of Walcott Street, to enable installation of services. This will take 2-3 days and will be dependent on weather.  

To carry out work safely, a section of the left lane on Sir Fred Schonell Drive travelling towards Coldridge Street will be temporarily closed. Motorists will still be able to turn left into Coldridge Street from Sir Fred Schonell Drive.  

Pedestrians will be directed to the footpath on the northern side of Sir Fred Schonell Drive, with traffic control in place to assist both motorists and pedestrians. 

Following these works, a temporary footpath will be in place until the concrete footpath is reinstated in late January. A small section of temporary footpath will remain until further works are completed in early 2025.

Parking has been reinstated along Walcott Street, except for 6 car spaces near the corner of Sir Fred Schonell Drive which will remain fenced off until completion.

Site establishment and early ground works – October 2025 to early 2025

Site establishment works are continuing. Fencing has been installed around the site perimeter and the initial site strip of vegetation and top soil is complete. 

Vegetation was removed under the advice and guidance of an external arboriculturist, fauna spotter and in accordance with Brisbane City Council’s (BCC) Natural Assets Local Law 2003 permit.

To offset the removal of trees from the site, the University will plant 28 native trees on campus and on project completion, the student residence will be landscaped to include native flora.

A small parking area off Coldridge Street will remain closed throughout construction. As the project progresses, some additional parking bays along Walcott Street and Coldridge Street will be closed. Signage will be in place to indicate where parking is not permitted.

Bulk earth works – November 2024 to early 2025 

Bulk earth works, including removal of contaminated soil by licensed contractors commenced in November 2024 and will continue in stages through to early 2025, pending weather conditions.  

An environmental consultant will be on site to ensure waste is dealt with in accordance with legislation and the Soil Disposal Permit. Asbestos removal will be carried out by licensed professionals in line with relevant legislation. Personal protective equipment will be worn by workers on-site along and air monitors will be in place. 

Foundation works – from January 2025

Installation of bored piers and retention piling for the buildings’ foundations will commence in January along Walcott Street.

To minimise construction impacts, bored piers have been chosen for construction as it produces less noise and vibrations than driven piles. There will be dust suppression measures in place. 

There will be increased truck movements and traffic control will be in place to ensure the safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians. 
All works will be carried out in-line with the construction management plan.  

Contact

For enquiries about these planned works, email SRP2@uq.edu.au.

Artist impressions of the new student residences

Artistic render of student residences bedroom with large windows, double bed and wooden desk
Artistic render of a games room featuring a table tennis table surrounded by bench seating and students in the new UQ residences
Artistic render of the student residences kitchen featuring wood panelling, indoor gardens and communal tables