Iconic in design, Hansen Yuncken partnered with Woods Bagot and RPA Architects to deliver The Cairns Institute, consisting of three separate buildings linked by a suspended foot bridge and a covered atrium. Externally, the experimental use of Corten steel cladding in the Cairns subtropical environment creates a unique aesthetic on the campus, while extensive landscaping ensures the car parking and new building blends into the existing university landscape.

Spanning 3250m2, the two storey building houses research, learning and conference spaces, including an interactive lecture theatre for the advanced studies of sustainable industries, economics, people and societies of the tropics. Each floor has access to a multi-use pod ideal for conferences.