Designs for two new buildings to be constructed on the Bendigo TAFE campus have been unveiled.
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One new building will be built on Hargreaves Street and feature a new, prominent entry for the campus. The other will be on Chapel Street between the new building and the heritage building on the corner.
Bendigo TAFE chief executive Phillip Murphy said the designs point to a new direction for the education provider.
"Most of the buildings tended to be (facing) into the site rather than externally," he said. "If look at these designs they're exciting in that they join us up with the city.
"It's a whole new design in terms of where we are going and what we are doing."
The heritage buildings on Hargreaves Street will be refurbished as part of the development.
"That is important. It is a link to the past," Mr Murphy said. "Bendigo is a great city with fine buildings right throughout it, the old School of Mines (is one) of those and we need to maintain them.
"But we need to refurbish them in the background and make it modern."
The additions will revitalise the campus as part of a $59.9 million project and include practical spaces for more hands-on learning, collaborative environments for work between industry and students and social environments that encourage more support networks.
"It's been a long-term plan assisted by the Victorian government," Mr Murphy said. "Since the merger of Bendigo TAFE and the Kangan Institute, both entities needed to look at their facilities.
"Some rooms (at Bendigo TAFE) were becoming unusable, so to develop them where we can has been a positive."
Bendigo TAFE will also showcase their students' skills with those training in hairdressing and hospitality able to apply their skills in a commercial environment through new businesses on the campus.
A builder is set to be appointed in September with construction beginning shortly after. It is expected the project will be completed by 2021. Architectus and Six Degrees are behind the designs.
Since 2015, the state government has committed more than $1.3 billion to rebuild the TAFE and training system.
"The Bendigo City Campus Revitalisation Project is another great example of the work we're doing to develop cutting-edge training solutions to meet the needs of students and industry as they adapt in a changing economy," Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney said.
Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards said the new designs were a significant step forward for the project.
"We're investing in first class training infrastructure for Bendigo TAFE, while taking the financial pressure off students to enrol," she said.
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