Chemistry Building Redevelopment

The School of Chemistry has undergone a major building refurbishment of over $40M. The overall plan has consolidated teaching and office areas into the Chemistry West building while most research activities are located in Chemistry East and Bio21.

The teaching laboratories were officially opened in 2011 by Nobel Laureate, Prof Martin Chalfie (Chemistry 2008), and the research laboratories in 2014 by Prof Ada Yonath (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009).

Stage 1

began in November 2007 and transformed our heritage first year teaching laboratories on the ground floor of Chemistry West into modern new laboratories with excellent facilities for our laboratory staff and undergraduate students. View pictures here.

Stage 1B

saw the transformation of the western side of the ground floor (Level 1) into a new student resource area. Our library was relocated from the East Wing basement with the Chemistry Learning Centre and study area located adjacent to new tutors' offices. The CAL lab was replaced by the Labyrinth, which includes student meeting areas. View images.

Stage 1C

involved relocation of the Electronics and Glass workshops, IT and X-ray facility from the East Wing basement to the Masson (Chemistry West) building and transformation into new Laser Spectroscopy & Materials Characterisation Laboratories, which were completed in July 2009. See graphics of the new Laser Laboratories.

Stage 2

Level 2 teaching lab renovations began in mid 2009 and were completed in February 2010, including a resonance laboratory with new NMR, EPR and MS for teaching & research. A new chemical waste store in the old glass workshop site and chemical storage space in the former plant room area replaced the external huts that were demolished in Stage 1B to install the electrical substation. Stage 2 pictures: Slide 1 and Slide 2.

Stage 3

which commenced in March 2010, replaced the North, JOL and Senior labs with the new third level teaching laboratories. Teaching in the new Level 3 Laboratory began in Semester 1 2011. Screens were installed on the north and south sides to shroud the plant platforms and fumehood exhausts between the East and West buildings. See montage.

Level 3 East

which saw modern research laboratories on Level 3 of the East Building, commenced in September 2010. View graphics and pictures of Level 3 East inorganic chemistry laboratories which were occupied in July 2011 and led onto the completion of polymer labs on Level 5 East.

Level 1 East

began in November 2011 and saw new research laboratories on the ground floor of the East Wing of the Chemistry Building. Pictures of Level 1 East physical chemistry laboratories, which were occupied in March 2012, can be viewed here. This was followed by completion of a membrane engineering lab on Level 4 East.

Level 2 East

the final stage of the laboratory redevelopment, began in August 2013 and was occupied in February 2014. The new research laboratories on Level 2 of the East Wing of the Chemistry Building include excellent analytical and instrumentation areas which can be viewed here.

The 10 year plan will also see consolidation and renovation of teaching and administration areas. In 2015, a new tutorial room and research fellow offices were completed on Level 2 West.