Monash University has appointed ADCO as its Builder of Choice to deliver a new 252‑bed student accommodation project, confirming that work will now start on one of Victoria’s newest hybrid cross-laminated timber buildings.
Designed by Jackson Clements Burrows, the architect behind T3 Collingwood and several major Monash buildings, the 7,500‑square‑metre development will provide single en-suite rooms, supported by communal kitchens, winter gardens, study zones, lounges, and landscaped outdoor areas. Additional facilities will include music and gaming rooms, mobility-accessible units, a wellness hub, and a sports court available to all Monash Residential Services residents.
The appointment follows Monash’s ground‑breaking ceremony in August 2025, where Vice‑Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering joined Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs and Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill MP to turn the first sod on the project.
At the time, Professor Pickering said the new residence is critical to the student experience and campus life: “The transformational experience we offer students at Monash recognises that our students come to university for more than their degrees,” she said. “This new residence will help foster community, connection and belonging.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister Hill said high-quality accommodation is essential for maintaining Australia’s position as a leading global education destination. “We want Australia to remain a premium, sought-after destination for higher education across the globe, and good quality accommodation is an essential part of this.”
In recent years, Monash has emerged as one of Australia’s earliest adopters of mass timber, with the new building following the award-winning Gillies Hall and Peninsula Student Accommodation projects, both delivered in 2019. Gillies Hall, one of the largest Passive House-certified buildings in the southern hemisphere, was the subject of a 2021 research paper at the World Conference on Timber Engineering and remains a benchmark for low-carbon student housing.
Wood Central understands that the new campus building is expected to open mid next year, with the project one of several major capital works underway across the Clayton campus as Monash continues to implement its long-term masterplan.
