UNSW CBD Campus

University of New South Wales (UNSW) is one of Australia’s top ranked schools—ranked 19th globally for a second consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

To strengthen its position as one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, UNSW have set up a professional campus in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. The campus is an affirmation of their respected education programs, designed for their students’ convenience and service access.

DesignInc’s Interiors team led the design of the UNSW’s CBD Campus within the Poly Centre at 210 George Street, Sydney. The design retrofits a two-storey education facility into a commercial office building, requiring a conversion of use Development Application (DA) & Comply Development Certificate (CDC). The site capitalises on its CBD location and is in close proximity to key transport interchanges of Circular Quay, Wynyard and Town Hall.

The state-of-the-art environment is designed for the professional student. The space is purpose-built to attract the appropriate clientele, also serving as office space for university staff and teachers. Aligned to the UNSW brand, the brief called for an innovative, multi-functional space that allows students, industry and faculty to connect and thrive.

A series of flexible, reconfigurable spaces comprise the fit out. Modular rooms host anywhere from intimate seven-person roundtables to 34-person seminars, and up to 110-person lectures in a shared auditorium. Operable walls, furniture-on-wheels, and loose fittings facilitate dynamic yet collaborative modes of learning and interaction. All thoroughfares lead to a generous balcony that fronts George Street, a place of respite that complements classrooms and events spaces.

A well-appointed hospitality feel is headlined by a commercial kitchen, purpose-built for on-site events with catering, food and beverage amenities. Spaces are equipped with AV capabilities that align to the scale of event or lesson of the day.

A double height atrium space welcomes students from George Street, leading to the network of modular spaces. Intuitive wayfinding and signage ensure easy navigation, integrated with artwork curated for the fit-out.

UNSW CBD Campus champions a firm environmental agenda. Demountable, modular FSC-rated timber partition systems ensure a more sustainable approach to interiors. Maximised views, access to natural daylight and a sensitive landscape approach contribute to improved indoor air quality and the student experience generally; natural planting throughout the facility amounts to over 80 square metres. The fit-out is targeting a 5 Star Green Star Office v1.3 rating.

UNSW City Campus officially opens in Term 1 2025.

Quotes attributed to Nathan Humphries, Principal Interiors and Project Director at DesignInc:

‘The objective in working with UNSW was to create a facility that aligns to their world-class standings as one of the top universities globally. As a brand, there’s a sense of quality and they operate at a certain professional benchmark, and so it was important we embed those values into the design.

‘Design elevates the student experience. There are a suite of different spaces outside of the formal teaching—opportunities to network, connect, and attend events in an environment that’s purpose-built to for academic and professional excellence.

‘This is a project that typifies how we work as an interior practice. Through a collaborative, co-design process, we’re proud to have achieved a space that is curated, is a sustainability champion, and is authentic to the university and its context.’