INTREC were privileged to have the opportunity of working collaboratively with The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) on the construction of a new single level observatory building at the University’s Mt Kent Facility.

This exciting project involved the upgrading of the existing Mount Kent site located outside of Toowoomba. USQ already had two live telescopes working on the site, however following partnerships with other universities in the US and Germany, they needed to expand this facility providing infrastructure for a further twelve telescopes.

The new state-of the-art observatory to be completed within the proposed 5-month timeframe for the astronomy research and education, comprised construction of two clean rooms, a control room, a kitchenette, a bathroom, a server room, an 8-bay carpark and a plant room area.

The project consisted of the construction of a single level observatory building, which was fitted with lab equipment and 12 external telescope pads for use by USQ staff and students. The building site was landscaped to ensure a level, well drained lot for the construction of the 8-bay carpark at the entry of the existing facility.

The new building consisted of a slab on the ground and a structural steel skeleton, which was externally lined with insulated panel cladding, roofing and Bondor Metecno panels.

During construction Intrec had to be very much aware of the existing operational faciltiy as light or heat pollution can have a significant effect on the performance of this high tech equipment. Our project team ensured that the build was carried out without any downtime for USQ.

The 1770m2 project was successfully completed over the duration of 20 weeks to the satisfaction of USQ and all their stakeholders.