Architecture and Construction Management students from the University of Newcastle at Ourimbah spent their summers taking part in a pilot elective to bring together several components of building and construction that saw them create a pair of mini dwellings.
A major component of the elective, which was themed ‘the development cycle’, involved a collaboration between the University of Newcastle and TAFE NSW at Ourimbah, and a pairing with charity organisation Outfit which has gifted the mini dwellings to Warlga Ngurra Women and Children’s Refuge and Support in Newcastle.
The construction of the mini dwellings, or cubbies as they appear on first glance, gave the students an opportunity to engage in practical industry-based learning to enhance their Architecture and Construction Management course.
The tie-up with TAFE NSW Ourimbah gave the students the opportunity to work in the TAFE NSW carpentry workshop and construct mini dwellings (cubby houses) with a view to meeting building codes, which provided a practical context to their theory-based studies.
Dr Kim Maund, Deputy Head of School – Teaching and Learning, and Mr Cameron Beard, Construction Management Industry Educator from the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Newcastle University, developed the elective.
Alongside the workshop element with TAFE Ourimbah, the 11 students took part in building fire inspection with NSW Fire and Rescue – Mayfield West station; a mock trial around building defects with Michael Morrissey from Morrissey Law & Advisory; sedimentation and erosion control site activities with Janine Koppel from Lake Macquarie City Council and a host of construction site inspections looking at codes including fire safety and construction complexities.
Dr Maund said the elective was an amazing experience and that she was delighted that the 11 students were enthusiastic about spending some of their summer working on the cubbies.
“The elective provides a unique and valuable learning experience, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, and an opportunity for students to enhance their relationship with the local community.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for us to build relationships between educational institutions and key industry stakeholders,” she said.
“Being a joint education precinct, the Ourimbah campus is the natural launching point for a collaborative education venture between the University of Newcastle and TAFE NSW which will see our Building and Construction undergraduates gaining valuable practical insights into the Australian construction industry,” said Dean of Central Coast Campuses Professor Mike Bowyer.
The 11 students who took part were Freya Jarrett, Margaret Carr, Stella Ross, Samuel Moore, Taylor Gleeson, Blake Lane, Joshua Della Vedova, Emma Stainton, Harrison Doherty, Jeffery Coker and Matthew Youngberry.
Nicola Riches