The School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at UNSW has ushered in a new era of innovation with the opening of the redeveloped Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering complex.
The School, which had been scattered across six locations on the campus for more than five decades, has now moved to the new Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering precinct at UNSW that was officially launched on Friday.
The $67 million redevelopment of the complex, which began six years ago, was made possible by the substantial donation by prominent Sydney businessman Dr Len Ainsworth, who has a passion for design and was awarded an Honoris Causa from UNSW for his philanthropic work.
At the heart of the precinct lies the new Ainsworth Building – named after Mr Ainsworth – which features state-of-the-art refrigeration, laser and mechatronics labs, as well as wind tunnels, a flight simulator, and machines for tensile and compression testing.
“Engineers are the salt of the earth, in my view – everything has a background in engineering,” said Dr Ainsworth, who joined Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the opening ceremony of the new precinct at UNSW.
“My gift has helped UNSW educate our next generation of engineers.”
According to the press release by the UNSW, the precinct also boasts innovative design studios and teaching spaces, a solar thermal energy system on its roof which doubles as a working lab, as well as a 350-seat lecture theatre which is equipped with impressive WiFi connection and power points that allow students to recharge laptops during class.
The Dean of UNSW Engineering, Professor Mark Hoffman, said the precinct will cater to 1600 mechanical engineering undergraduates, 200 postgraduate coursework students and 130 research students.
“The facilities enhance students’ experiences, increase industry interaction, help us attract the best researchers and academics and, of course, pave the way for significant research advancement,” Mr Hoffman said.
