Over the next three years, UniLodge will look after tenancy management, pastoral care and student engagement for the La Trobe North and South Apartments, opening to its first residents in January 2021.
“As a key external provider, UniLodge will bring a wealth of industry experience and commercial insights into the new accommodation and we look forward to working with them to deliver outstanding residential experiences for our students,” said La Trobe’s Vice President of Strategy and Development, Natalie MacDonald.
The new accommodation marks a major step forward in the development of La Trobe’s University City of the Future plan.
“Our new North and South Apartments will improve access to high quality accommodation for our students and will enable 2,150 students to live and study at the campus, with programs to support academic excellence, social engagement, community living, sport, health and wellbeing,” Ms MacDonald said.
Construction finished on the 5-star Green Star designed accommodation in September 2020 with the finishing touches, including furniture deliveries and planting, being completed before students call it home in the new year.
The two six-level buildings comprise of single, four, five and six bed apartments, plus 13 accessible units and have been constructed out of 4,100 cubic metres of Cross Laminated Timber, making it Victoria’s largest mass timber construction project.
UniLodge CEO, Thomas Johnsson, said the brand is looking forward to bringing its proven model of market leading student accommodation to La Trobe University in the new year.
“Our proven purpose-built accommodation model has provided thousands of domestic and foreign students with market-leading accommodation for more than 20 years, so our partnership with La Trobe marks our next chapter in continuing to provide best in-class residential experiences for all,” said Mr Johnsson.
“We also know that the student living experience is more than your physical living space. Student living is also about the sense of belonging in inclusive and inspiring communities, which our bespoke five pillar residential life program will help foster for many years to come,” added Mr Johnsson.
This sustainable and renewable construction technology naturally stores carbon, provides good insulation and produces less greenhouse gas emissions – for this project, a 76 per cent reduction compared to using concrete and the equivalent to taking 1,600 cars off the road annually.
The Living at La Trobe team will continue to operate existing accommodation offerings across the Melbourne Campus and at our regional campuses.
Media contact: Dragana Mrkaja, d.mrkaja@latrobe.edu.au, 0447 508 171
