$13 million horticulture centre open for business

Submitted by Andrew Barr on 5 March, 2010 - 12:40

The new $13 million Canberra Institute of Technology Horticultural Training Facility at Bruce Campus is now in business. The new facility will help Canberrans learn the skills they’ll need to help make Canberra and other Australian cities more environmentally sustainable into the future.

Students will not only learn in these buildings, but also from these buildings and their surrounds. The lessons of sustainability are built into the fabric of this facility.

It features a 5.2 megalitre dam catching runoff, 30 rain and bore water storage tanks which will not only water this site, but that of CIT’s strategic partner the Canberra Raiders.

The sustainability lessons learned by students will also extend to them using their skills to further improve this facility. Students in Horticulture, Landscaping and Turf Management will work on projects on and around the Bruce Campus making it a ‘live’ environmental training site.

A great education system is one that provides students with the skills they will need for the future. The ACT education system does this, and this facility is a great example of why this is so.

The new facility covers four and a half hectares. The dam will be used as the primary water source for the site, and 23 on-site rainwater tanks, with capacity of 69,000 litres will capture roof runoff from the new buildings and provide additional water for the site.

The new facility will also give students access to the full range of CIT support services.

At Bruce, CIT students will have access to a wider range of services which were not able to be provided at the smaller Weston Campus. This includes library facilities, retail and food outlets, study support and CIT Student Association services.

Importantly, students will also have better access to complementary programs in surveying, construction and environmental sciences, plus access to the latest wireless and on-line training resources.