Western Sydney University occupies the former Female Orphan School, the oldest surviving three-storey brick building in Australia (1813-18). This conservation and adaptation project provides exhibition spaces and meeting rooms for the University and the wider community. Services to suit the new use were challenging and the fragile fabric was repaired and the life of the building were interpreted in the interiors. This project won an award in the Interiors Division of the Parramatta City Council Design Excellence Awards 2003 and an honourable mention in UNESCO Asia-Pacific’s Heritage Conservation Awards in 2004. The four-stage project was completed in 2013.
