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New Green Student Accommodation For RMIT

01 June 2016

Students in Melbourne’s north will have access to more student accommodation with the opening of RMIT’s new state-of-the-art facility at its Bundoora campus.

Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert today officially opened the $52.5 million Walert House which will offer accommodation for 370 students and researchers.

It has achieved a 6-star Greenstar design rating and includes a mix of accommodation types and features solar boosted hot water, an underground stormwater retention tank and separate rainwater storage and reuse facility – as well as motion detector controlled lighting and air conditioning in common areas.

The building has already become a home away from home for a number of students from regional Victoria.

Walert House prides itself on its positive atmosphere with a strong community emphasis. It features a number of common areas and study spaces dotted throughout the facility.

The project is just one of a number of green initiatives being developed by RMIT, which is undertaking a separate $98 million Sustainable Urban Precincts Program.

This program, funded by loans from the Victorian Government, includes upgrades to RMIT’s Bundoora campus which will lead to a 53 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Work at RMIT’s Bundoora campus has included installation of 400 solar panels, high efficiency air conditioning and approximately 20,000 new LED lights and fittings.

Mr Herbert recently returned from a trip to South East Asia which included the opening of RMIT Vietnam’s new Centre of Digital Excellence.

He also oversaw the signing of an MoU between RMIT and UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur which will create new vocational education qualifications in health-care and ageing.

International education is Victoria’s number one service export, generating $5.6 billion dollars for the local economy while supporting more than 30,000 jobs across the state.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert

Quality accommodation, like Walert House, creates a unique home away from home for students who are living apart from their parents potentially for the first time.”

“This state of the art, environmentally friendly building, brings together living and learning under the one roof to create a community for the hundreds of students who also call the university home.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Bundoora Colin Brooks

“This new facility will make RMIT’s Bundoora campus an even more attractive place to study for students both from Victoria, Australia and around the world.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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