UQ builds for a sustainable future
The Andrew N. Liveris Building has been unveiled as the new home of UQ chemical engineering, alongside the Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Leadership and Innovation.
There is consensus across the country that Australia needs to transition to a sustainable, zero-emissions economy. But how can we achieve this?
The University of Queensland is brimming with experts in research and education who have been working on solutions to this multi-faceted real-world challenge, and the opening of the new Andrew N. Liveris building this week is set to be a game changer.
The new home for UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering is not just a modern building with smart architecture. It is fitted out with labs, equipment and technology that will spearhead research capabilities most universities have not seen before.
The building, which features 500 square metres of teaching space and 2000 square metres of laboratory space, will support researchers and students to address the key challenges underpinning a sustainable future – everything from microscopic stem-cell research to industrial-sized reactors and a distillation plant with a control room.
UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AO said the building further reinforced the University as a leader in chemical engineering.
"As shown in the recent QS World University Rankings by Subject, UQ is in the top three chemical engineering schools within Australia and this building will greatly enhance our capabilities to find solutions to global challenges," Professor Terry said.
“This building also further cements the vital work happening across the University to help lead Australia towards a more sustainable future, and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.”
Professor Justin Cooper-White
Professor Justin Cooper-White
Head of School of Chemical Engineering, Professor Justin Cooper-White said large-scale energy, resource and manufacturing industries are responsible for a significant portion of carbon emissions around the world, but the work of chemical engineers could change this.
“We can use our expertise and these world-class facilities to try and reduce the impact of these industries,” Professor Cooper-White said.
“We can help set a course for the zero-emissions economy we all desperately need.”
Across the new Andrew N. Liveris Building, teams are leading discoveries that will advance the circular economy, supercharge sustainable practices across water, minerals and critical metals, and drive the development of alternate energy sources and storage.
“Our research teams are currently working on dozens of projects that will help transform our economy into one that is sustainable and will serve the community for generations to come,” Professor Cooper-White said.
“We are not just discovering new ways to manage and preserve our resources, but also developing the technologies required to enhance them and make them work long term.”
Environmental engineers work on waste water research
Environmental engineers work on waste water research
The glass-walled research laboratories aim to encourage curiosity and collaboration for students, researchers and visitors. Anyone can visit the building and watch fascinating research underway in the labs.
“These new laboratories will allow teams to develop and innovate quickly, safely, and more accurately,” Professor Cooper-White said.
“The nanomaterials lab enables researchers to design better energy storage, including novel artificial leaf technologies that can produce fuels and chemicals from water and carbon dioxide.
“Amongst the new labs we have low humidity rooms to assist in solar cell research and fit-for-purpose equipment to allow us to safely test reactors, x-ray machines and lasers.”
The 11-storey building stands tall over UQ’s St Lucia campus, acting as a bridge between the science and engineering communities that flank it.
Named after distinguished chemical engineering alumnus (1975) and global business leader Dr Andrew Liveris AO, the building is a fitting acknowledgment of one of UQ’s most accomplished graduates.
Mr Liveris said he was delighted that the Liveris Building would provide a place for research and learning that will help address the major challenges facing society today.
“I spent four years at The University of Queensland studying chemical engineering and I feel very strongly about the impact that had on me,” Mr Liveris said.
“I consider UQ as the place where I learned how to learn.”
The new building was funded predominantly by the University as a new major infrastructure project, but also through generous support from Adjunct Professor Peter and Mrs Elizabeth Jones, Professor Chris Greig, Adjunct Professor Noel and Mrs Carol Williams, Emeritus Professor Max Lu AO and Dr Lian Liu, Professor Simon and Mrs Sarah Biggs, along with further donations from alumni, staff and friends of UQ.
Catherine Urquhart, Leeanne Bond, Dr Kym Baker and Kathy Hirschfeld AM outside the Alumnae Room
Catherine Urquhart, Leeanne Bond, Dr Kym Baker and Kathy Hirschfeld AM outside the Alumnae Room
Five notable chemical engineering alumnae Kathy Hirschfeld AM, Kathryn Fagg AO, Catherine Urquhart, Leeanne Bond and Dr Kym Baker came together to support the Alumnae Room, a dedicated space for students recognising the importance of women in chemical engineering.
The Kin Man Ho Design Studio is named in recognition of a generous gift from Professor Kin Man Ho and Ms Evita Wan through Kingsford Environmental Group.
UQ is one of the top three chemical engineering
schools in Australia
(QS University Rankings by Subject, 2022)
Thousands of students from across the university will use the building, including the 600 undergraduate and masters students and 200 research higher degree students in the School of Chemical Engineering.
Discussions for the new building began some time ago, when it became evident there was a shift happening in what the future of chemical engineering would look like.
With “old economy” materials once the focus, it started becoming clear that the chemical engineering field was rapidly changing towards technology and energy that would create a more sustainable future.
UQ is no stranger to sustainability-focused research. In one example, the world-leading project Net Zero Australia analyses a range of scenarios that would help the nation reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Researchers from UQ have also developed a next-generation composite glass material that can capture and convert energy, and quantum dots that make solar energy solutions an option even for countries that don’t experience the same high levels of annual sunshine as Australia.
While UQ’s team of chemical engineers expands what we know about science and technology, they’re also flexing their imaginations to discover new ways of working.
“We’re excited about the breadth of the work we are able to do and the real impact we’re able to make,” Professor Cooper-White said.
UQ’s vision towards sustainability has been made possible thanks to a generous gift from Mr Liveris and his wife Paula, who enthusiastically supported this future-thinking approach.
The couple donated $13.5 million to establish the Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership, which is also housed in the new building.
The Liveris Academy gives life to the family’s passion for supporting future generations of leaders, establishing a hub for the best and brightest students from the Asia-Pacific region across disciplines. It now funds 80 outstanding Liveris Academy Scholars from across Australia, including seven PhD candidates.
“The Liveris Academy teaches and develops future generations of leaders, equipping them to discover and implement technology-driven innovations that address grand challenges related to sustainability,” Mr Liveris said.
Connecting current global leaders from Mr Liveris’s own personal and professional networks with these bright future leaders, the Liveris Academy ensures the students will be prepared to take on the endemic and emerging challenges facing communities across the world.
Students have completed internships with companies like IBM and KBR, and met leaders including Shell CEO Ben van Beurden, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Leymah Gbowee, and philanthropist Will.i.am.
“Every one of the world leaders that talks to them is just gobsmacked by the quality of our young people,” Mr Liveris said.
“I've spent a whole career being very proud as an Australian overseas, and when I come home I look at what we can do here - the quality of our people in every field, school, academia and government, NGOs and business, I say we are way more than a farm, a hotel and a quarry.
“We are literally a country that has talent that can contribute to the world.”
In the 2022 Brisbane Regional Architecture Awards, the Andrew N. Liveris Building was named John Dalton Building of the Year by the Australian Institute of Architects.
In the 2022 Queensland Architecture Awards, the building was honoured in a range of categories, including:
The Queensland Medallion, The Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture, The Karl Langer Award for Urban Design, Interior Architecture Award.
To find out more about research at the
UQ School of Chemical Engineering
visit chemeng.uq.edu.au
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