In 2016 the Griffith University Council agreed to add a new building to the University’s Nathan campus, to meet an increasing demand for engineering and built environment facilities across programs in engineering, architecture, design and aviation. The “ETA” (Engineering, Technology and Aviation) building, Building N79, was completed in October 2019 and now houses innovative research, learning and teaching facilities for the University’s School of Built Environment and Engineering.
N79 Building is a six-story reinforced and prestressed concrete structure. Fig. 1 shows the building elevation view. The whole building is designed to act as a ‘Living Laboratory’ where more than 30 sensors relay information about the building’s energy, water, and structural performance in real-time. he long-term structural health monitoring (SHM) system has been installed at sub-surface and surface levels. The electronic sensors, which were placed at sub-surface level, can capture environmental effects including rainfall, temperature and groundwater fluctuations within the design life of the sensors. The surface level sensors, which are in the process of being installed on the building, will capture how the building responds to short-term and long-term loading effects, wind, shrinkage, creep, laboratory machineries induced vibrations and so forth.