From Casino Floor to Lecture Hall: Brisbane’s Biggest Heritage Fit-Out

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest, the saying goes. Brisbane is to reap the rewards of an investment in education by Griffith University, a gumtree university staking its claim on the CBD after acquiring one of the grandest buildings in Queensland’s capital. Griffith bought the iconic Treasury Building in 2024 for $67.5 million from the Star Entertainment Group, which had held it since 1995. And it seems apt, given that past Premier of Queensland Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, for whom the university is named, commissioned the building of the Treasury. The university brought on newly-listed FDC Construction &amp; Fitout as well as Cox Architecture to design and deliver the adaptive reuse project planned for the building. FDC Queensland general manager for fitout and refurbishment Adam Pickering says projects such as this are about far more than cosmetic upgrades. “They require a careful balance of structural engineering, heritage preservation and modern construction techniques,” Pickering says. The original Treasury Building was not designed to accommodate contemporary education spaces or the sophisticated building services, so the project required a meeting of minds to make it work, according to Pickering. Team for new Treasury vision assembles Transforming a 140-year-old building with many past lives into a centre of learning is no mean feat. Griffith University senior project manager Chris Martenstyn-Powis says the team took an “as much as necessary, as little as possible” approach to the refurbishment design. Cox Architecture director Kellie Newman says they did not want to impose a conventional campus model onto the building. “We allowed the Treasury Building’s existing planning, civic scale and heritage spaces to shape both the program and design response,” Newman says. ▲ A rendering of the internal layout of the Treasury Building in the heart of the Brisbane CBD. Newman says that the team had to adapt the building not only to educational uses such as lecture and tutorial halls for business, law, and information technology, but also to have specialised environments. The latter includes a moot court with repurposed Supreme Court furniture from the early-1900s as well as cyber range and data visualisation labs. Pickering says that before any demolition could begin, the team undertook an extensive process ito identify and catalogue heritage items. “Significant architectural elements—fixtures and fittings that could be impacted by the works—were carefully removed, labelled and transported off site for secure storage ensuring they could be reinstated or restored as part of the completed project,” Pickering says. But the building had to also fit in new infrastructure—mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and communications systems to meet current Australian Standards. Treasury Building structural changes Despite the obstacles, the team took a “light-touch approach” structurally, Newman says, “guided by a commitment to preserving the integrity and character of the Treasury Building and leveraging the building’s inherent strengths”. “The building’s existing generous floor plates, robust construction and strong circulation framework already gave it a strong foundation to accommodate Griffith University’s needs without requiring significant intervention,” Newman says. ▲ FDC Queensland general manager for fitout and refurbishment Adam Pickering. Rather than altering the internal structure, additions such as a discreet accessibility lift providing equitable access through the Queen Street entrance were built in, as well as 12m skylights cut into the roof—one of the most significant structural challenges—bringing natural light into the central courtyard. “This involved carefully cutting out sections of the original roof structure and installing three new skylights, requiring substantial roof alterations and the installation of new structural steel to support the new openings,” Pickering says. The design also seeks to reverse a number of previous alterations to reinstate the “original spatial relationships” and strengthen the building’s historic planning logic, Newman says. Building program for Treasury revamp The demolition phase is now complete and the team are well into the building services rough-in with mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and communications infrastructure progressing across the site, according to Pickering. “Reaching this point is a significant milestone on a project of this complexity. “Completing demolition within a 100-year-old heritage building while carefully preserving its historic fabric is no small achievement and it’s a real credit to the entire project team.” ▲ Cox Architecture director Kellie Newman. The project is now 30 per cent through its lifecycle. “The focus has shifted from uncovering the building’s history to delivering the new infrastructure that will transform it into Griffith University’s future Brisbane City campus,” Pickering says. Newman said it was exciting to see the vision for the Treasury begin to take shape. “Spaces of cultural significance, such as the former Cabinet Room, Colonial Secretary Suites and State Savings Bank are being carefully restored, which create natural opportunities to tell new stories of Country, First Nations connections and local craftsmanship,” she says. A new future for the Treasury Building Griffith has been a rising star of Australia’s universities, consistently ranked in the top 2 per cent of universities worldwide and second worldwide in the 2026 Times Higher Education Impact Ratings for Sustainability. Martenstyn-Powis says that the Treasury will allow Griffith to reach another 1.3 million people across South-East Queensland and bring more than 6000 students by 2028. International students alone are projected to contribute $100 million to the local economy every year, he says. ▲ A rendering of the internal courtyard of the new Treasury Building campus. Putting its flag in the sand for a new CBD campus is a landmark moment, and with the 2032 Games on the horizon, developers have already seen the opportunity Griffith’s move makes, with Dexus completing work on its 41 George Street student accommodation earlier this year. Newman says it has been a privilege to join the team from early strategic discussions. “And it has been incredibly rewarding to see that vision become a reality and witness the careful transformation of this landmark building.” Teaching is planned to begin at the Treasury Buildling from Trimester 1, 2027.

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Clare Burnett
Fri 31 Jul 26

From Casino Floor to Lecture Hall: Brisbane’s Biggest Heritage Fit-Out