Several materials from Big River Group were supplied for the refurbishment of the student accommodation building at Robert Menzies College in Sydney.

Established in 1972, Robert Menzies College is located adjacent to Macquarie University in North Ryde. The 2012 upgrade of the 4-storey, 103-bed student residency on the premises aimed to modernise the facility with the design harmonising with the existing architecture on the site.

The $10-million refurbishment project was designed by Allen Jack + Cottier with construction management by Grindley Construction and covered a total area of 5,527 square metres.

The upgrade project encompassed private bathrooms, private and communal kitchenettes, internet connections, lounge rooms and seminar rooms. Passive solar principles were applied with custom sun-shading elements; cross ventilation was enabled for all common areas and corridors; and insulated facades were also installed.

Big River supplied a range of materials for the upgrade including Matrix fibre cement cladding, Linea weatherboard cladding and Spotted Gum timber decking.