Development Stages
ACE Development Master Plan – Stages 1, 2 & 3
The Kangan Institute Automotive Centre of Excellence is being constructed in four stages from 2005 to 2010. The ACE will consolidate all of Kangan Institute's automotive training on one site which, together with new state-of-the-art technology and equipment, will ensure it is a unique centre of automotive learning, research and development.
Photographs and drawings may be found in the Photo Gallery.
The first stage of the new multi-million dollar Automotive Centre of Excellence was opened by the Hon. Lynne Kosky, MP, Minister for Education and Training on September 13, 2006. (See News & Events).
Stage One houses the Automotive Body Trades training group - panel beating, vehicle body making, spray painting, automotive detailing, Certificate II pre-apprenticeship program and components of the automotive diploma program. It also contains staff and student amenities, a café, customer service centre and a separate workshop for the Fox Group.
The building has achieved a 5 star energy rating and includes major innovative sustainable and environmental design principles and components, including some elements which will be used for the first time in Australia. (See Our Community)
$18.6 million of funding was received from the Office of Training and Tertiary Education consisting of $13.7 million for the building, with the remainder spent on equipment, including state-of-the-art spray painting booths.
The first body trades training students commenced classes on 28 August 2006.
ACE Stage 1 continues to provide quality training and partnership activities as planning and construction of Stage 2 takes place. Stage 1 accommodates the auto body trades of Kangan Institute's automotive group.
The ACE Stage 2 building has been uniquely designed to enable the remainder of group's programmes such as heavy and light vehicle, marine, outdoor power equipment and auto electrical to be delivered in 2011 from the state-of-the-art facility.
Importantly, for our many partners and industry associations, the project also reflects our values of innovation, collaboration and accessibility through flexible spaces and dedicated areas for activities such as car and product launches, industry training, trade exhibitions and seminars.
The building comprises of four levels which include:
- Ground floor: truck and coach chassis active dynamometer, an all-wheel drive active chassis dynamometer, a brake test stand, a motorcycle dynamometer and engine test cell. Provision has also been made for emission testing of all vehicle types which will complement the normal dynamometer tests.
Along with this specialist training equipment, the ground floor will provide workshop space for steering, suspension, wheels, brakes, hydraulics, pneumatics, auto parts, light engines and heavy vehicles training. An additional stand-alone workshop is also being provided for use by any interested industry partner. All of these areas will have access to classrooms located immediately adjacent.
The ground floor will also include a cafeteria with external spill out areas, student recreation space, a flexible learning/student commons/library area which will provide computer access, reading material and computer based teaching facilities. - First Floor: Includes seven general purpose classrooms, a quiet study area/library, student lounge, security office, trimming workshop, toilets, showers and lockers.
- Second Floor: Comprises of various mechanical workshops dedicated principally to auto electrical, air conditioning, engines, transmissions and fuels, with all of these areas having access to classroom located immediately adjacent. To service the needs of the automotive industry, approximately 800 square metres of workshop/open space will be established for either casual or permanent use by industry partners.
- Third Floor: Accommodation and amenities for some 130 staff and includes an external 'green roof' that will comprise of timber decking and drought tolerant plants. This external area will also be made available for industry partners for functions or to complement workshop activities being held on the second floor industry workshops.
Naturally, Stage 2 has been designed to include the same ecological sustainable design initiatives as built into Stage 1 which has been awarded a 5 Star Green Star Rating by the Green Building Council of Australia plus other sustainable building awards.
Construction Status
Since our last development update issued to industry in April 2010, the ACE construction site has been dramatically transformed to the extent that the building shape is now very evident. Since the Easter break this year, all four concrete floor levels within the building have been completed and the perception of the building designs are now a reality.
The construction team has had to resolve a number of very complex structural and mechanical design requirements which have been incorporated to comply with new building regulations. These include allowances for the structure to better withstand earthquakes, and ecological sustainable design initiatives such as the installation of hydronic pipes installed within concrete floors, ceiling slabs and a number of underground water tanks as part of the unique temperature control system for the building.
Now that the majority of the concrete structure has been completed, the next stage of construction will see the erection of all the structural steel portion of the building. The main areas will be the formation of the top floor staff office accommodation and the building facade framework. Building services including the sprinklers, heating and cooling ductwork, power and communication data cabling will also commence.
The ACE Stage 2 project has certainly proved to be an architecturally challenging project and the design team has taken into account the existence of the ACE Stage 1 portion which has been operational now since September 2006. In order to present the ACE development as one centre for use by the automotive industry, Stage 1 will be reclad with identical facade material that is specified for the Stage 2 building. Most of Stage 1 has now been reclad with the new aluminium sheeting and the ACE signage refurbished.
Whilst construction progresses, Kangan Institute Automotive staff continue to undergo retraining and restructuring in readiness for their relocation and transition from the Coburg and Richmond Campuses to ACE at Docklands late in 2011. The expectation is that mechanical technologies training will commence at ACE prior to the end of 2011.
Details of what the ACE Stage 2 building will add to the existing ACE Stage 1 Auto Body facility is provided within this development update publication.
The ACE master plan and vision is to include a stand alone commercial building to accommodate preferred automotive industry partners and associations. These include automotive manufacturing and retail industry representatives, research and design organisations (universities and government bodies), automotive manufacturing associations and various industry groups from within the automotive sector.
Kangan Institute has completed a number of business discussions with a preferred developer to allow the development to proceed ideally upon the completion of the ACE Stage 2 project (currently late 2011). A series of internal discussions and presentations will be made to the Kangan Institute board and the established Government steering committee later in 2010 in an effort to arrive at a development solution that will satisfy all stakeholders and future industry automotive partners.
ACE Stage Four involves development of the narrow wedge of land north of the extension of Collins Street and extending to Bourke Street.
In Stage Four, an agreement has been reached with VicUrban to develop the Community and Education Centre that will include conference facilities plus provision for some community and TAFE programs that reflect the business and residential activities of the Docklands precinct. Construction is planned for completion following completion of Stages Two and Three.
Further details of the ACE development can be obtained from:
John Nicholas, project director ACE development at Kangan Institute on 03 9093 6007 or email jnicholas@kangan.edu.au Or Phill Murphy, general manager- industry liaison at Kangan Institute on 03 9353 1811 or email pmurphy@kangan.edu.au.
