Singapore Sims Drive campus

James Cook University (JCU) Singapore was relocating from its Upper Thomson and Ang Mo Kio premises to a newly refurbished facility at Sims Drive, and engaged Currie & Brown as its project manager to deliver a two-stage managing contractor model for the project.

The 18,755m^² Sims Drive campus includes teaching spaces comprising 40 classrooms, lecture theatres, a purpose-built financial trading room, computing labs and research labs fitted with the latest visualisation technology. This transforms the way tertiary education is delivered to its students in Singapore. The facility also includes a student hub which provides peer-to-peer learning spaces and encourages close interaction with academic staff.

This was a new way of thinking about how education services are delivered, with online and blended delivery modes linking to students internationally. The design of the campus and facilities delivers contemporary teaching, learning and social spaces, focused on the student experience and JCU’s tropical agenda.

Our role

The role of project manager and principal representative that Currie & Brown adopted was crucial to the success of the project, most particularly in the management of the design and build contractor in the development of the reverse brief during the front-end design stage.

Currie & Brown’s role was comprehensive from start to finish, as robust planning and communication was required to deliver the project within very tight timelines and to facilitate the relocations effectively. We also managed the two-phased construction where the campus was operating live while the second phase of renovation was ongoing.

Currie & Brown delivered the project under a fast-tracked design-and-build contract, which was fully completed in time for the new campus to be officially opened in June 2015 by the Australian Prime Minister.