University House begins mammoth restoration following 2020 hailstorm

University House at the Australian National University usually hosts 100 hotel guests and 70 graduate students but has been closed since January 2020.

The mammoth task of repairing the 69-year-old building is underway after water damage from cracked roof tiles and windows was discovered to be much more extensive than initially thought.

Master of University House Professor Peter Kanowksi said the water travelled down vertical cavities that run from the the roof down to the tunnel underneath the building, which allowed water to penetrate deep into the structure.

"Since the hailstorm and since we've being closed a lot of my colleagues that I knew of said that there's a missing heart in the university for social interactions that used to be the core role of University House for staff and for graduate students," Prof Kanowski said.

"We don't have that at the moment in the university because was closed and so everybody's looking forward to it being open."

All of the furniture and contents were quickly placed in storage before COVID-19 reached Canberra.

The water ruined the electrical and fire systems meaning the building was unsafe for people to occupy.

Most of the 40 full-time staff and 60 casuals employed at the property were made redundant. About ten staff currently work at another location on campus.

About 18 months later the task of assessing the damage began.

The contract for repairs and upgrades has been awarded to Hindmarsh Construction, but the builders are still working to understand the full extent of the damage.

The team is working towards an ambitious target of mid-2024 to reopen the public areas of the building, including the cafe, bar, restaurant and function space.

Project director Ben Condren said the work was complicated because the building was heritage-listed and contained hazardous materials, such as lead and asbestos.

Dust from the roof repairs must be carefully contained within a Hoecker structure, which looks like a white film stretched over the roof areas being worked on.

"It's a complex project, and it's a Commonwealth heritage-listed building so we have to be very sensitive to that," Mr Condren said.

"We have heritage consultants who advise us every step of the way and make sure that we aren't making any critical changes to the heritage fabric."

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Amid the destruction, there is a silver lining.

The closure of the building has given the university a chance to bring it up to Australian standards and improve accessibility and energy efficiency.

The repairs to the building will be covered by insurance payments but the university will invest up to $10 million to improve the facility.

This includes upgrading the 1950s kitchen, adding lifts, providing accessible car parks, improving insulation and installing an energy efficient heat pump system.

Prof Kanowski said it would be the first net-zero emissions renovation on campus as part of the university's commitment to becoming a sink for greenhouse gases.

"What people will see will be a shining version of what was here before and behind that will be a lot more contemporary infrastructure that will get us through, I'd like to think, the next seventy years," he said.

Prof Kanowski said the 700 members of University House and the wider student, staff and alumni community were eager to be able to socialise at the beer garden and cafes once again.

About $100,000 has been donated so far to go towards restoring the place where many Canberrans got married and celebrated important events.

"There's a lot of people who've got that personal connection and so that community has been very supportive," Prof Kanowski said.

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