Cairns Masterplan

⁠⁠⁠Suppliers are invited by James Cook University (JCU) to submit an offer for the Cairns Masterplan for the provision of Principal Consultant Services whereby it is anticipated that the Principal Consultant will be responsible for engaging the subconsultants deemed necessary to complete all tasks / deliverables required, in-line with the Scope of Works.

JCU Cairns has two locations: Nguma-bada, Smithfield; and The Yeinie Building, which is part of the Dugurrdja Precinct. In addition, JCU leases shared facilities within the Cairns Hospital to support clinical training and education.

Collectively these locations form a connected and supportive learning environment, with 2419 students enrolled in 2026. Across these locations, the University provides a diverse range of facilities, including teaching and research spaces, informal study areas, library services, food and retail offerings, sporting facilities, and a variety of student-led clubs and activities. This distributed campus model supports a strong sense of community while enabling access to specialised learning environments aligned with academic and industry needs.

Scope:

JCU seeks, a Principal Consultant to lead the Cairns consolidated Masterplan in line with the University’s strategic objectives while adopting a more “granular”, project-focused approach with an emphasis on the University’s existing built environment and development opportunities. This project will move away from only incorporating the broad, high-level planning of previous master plans and instead focus on more detailed assessments of individual buildings, floor levels, and thematic integration across projects. As such this shall be considered a Cairns Masterplan.

The new Cairns Masterplan must:

• Assess and challenge the functionality, necessity, and future potential of each operational building and space.
• Establish clear and cohesive planning themes that interconnect individual projects and define a distinctive campus character. These themes should build on and extend the vision and approaches of the previous Smithfield and Dugurrdja Masterplans, incorporating principles of campus activation, shared and integrated environments, connectivity, urbanisation, and flexibility.
• Provide more realistic, deliverable outcomes for the next 10 years, ensuring feasibility and strategic alignment.
• Integrate sustainability, adaptability, and technological advancements into the Universities long-term planning.
• Incorporate academic growth and evolution by considering the spatial and infrastructure requirements associated with new and emerging courses, ensuring the campus can support future teaching, learning, and research needs.

The selected consultant will be responsible for delivering an actionable, data-driven masterplan that guides investment, new development, and importantly, adaptive re-use across the Cairns Campuses over the next 10 years. In addition to this it should also identify what the university may consider relocating or constructing withing the Dugurrdja Precinct.