Patina at Alumni Court
University of Queensland
UQ envisioned a fine dining facility at the Radon Building on their St. Lucia campus, requiring price and program certainty and heritage expertise. Our team provided design and buildability input, delivered the project on time and within budget, bringing the award-winning Patina at Alumni Court to life.
- Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)
- Design and construction (D&C)
- Heritage extension
- New build
- Live environment
- Award-winning
- Commercial
- Education
- Hospitality
- Commercial Kitchen
- Heritage
- Restaurants
- Universities
The Brief
The University of Queensland (UQ) envisioned a fine dining experience at their St. Lucia campus, which would make the most of the Radon Building’s unique heritage features. Drawing inspiration from their sister venue, Patina at Customs House, the university sought an on-site facility that could provide a fine dining experience and in-house catering services.
Working with Radon Building’s heritage listing required a builder with proven experience in navigating the technicalities of the project. UQ recognised that buildability input during the design phase was a key project driver to ensure price and program certainty. Additionally, the campus would remain operational during the project timeline, so safety was a key priority.
Our contribution
We were engaged early in the project journey under an ECI fee to provide design management, cost management and buildability expertise, working with the design team and specialist consultants to develop the concept design within the approved project funding.
Our team worked with UQ’s professional restauranteur and partnered with specialist kitchen designers to ensure the space would be purpose-built for their needs.
While successfully navigating the approval process and moving to the D&C stage, our team pitched an early works package that included procuring long lead time items and commencing construction works. This allowed the construction to proceed at full pace while the design was completed and all approvals were obtained.
Throughout the project, our team navigated both a live campus environment and the additional pressures of COVID-19, ensuring minimal disruption to student learning and campus activities.
The remarkable project outcome
Our team successfully delivered UQ’s brief, protecting the Radon Building’s rich heritage while creating a spectacular dining facility on time and within budget. Navigating the added pressures of the pandemic, our team’s approach provided UQ with a stress-free journey. Patina at Alumni Court is an award-winning, contemporary dining experience that blends high-end finishes with a nod to heritage and tradition – a remarkable outcome for UQ that represents the strength of our long-term partnership.
DM2 Architecture
The entire team at FARA delivered Patina Restaurant to a high standard during a challenging time in the industry. Under the guidance of Warrin and Kosta, the project was navigated through the COVID period while meeting budget and program requirements. This project is a testament to their ability to run complex projects in live environments and to collaborate with the stakeholders. The D&C process was undertaken across two stages, and from their involvement, it was clear their drive to collaborate was of the utmost priority. At DM2 we hold this project in high regard, and this can be largely attributed to the FARA’s craftmanship and abilities on site.