Contract value: $22.0m
Client: YHA Australia
Architect: Alec Tzannes
Completion date: November 2009

The new purpose built Sydney Harbour YHA and The Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre has a floor space of 4,714 square metres. The hostel contains a 106 room youth hostel accommodating 354 guests and a two classroom education centre including a simulated archaeology dig and retail space.

YHA and The Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre are built on ‘The Dig Site' at Cumberland and Gloucester Streets, where structural remains dating from 1795 and more than one million artefacts have been found since excavation began in 1994. To preserve and showcase these archaeological remains, YHA is raised off the ground on pillars and an on-site archaeology education centre is available to education groups so that studies can be made continually into the future. The project is the largest archaeological urban development ever completed in the southern hemisphere and Australia's first purpose built environmentally sustainable youth hostel in a central city location.

To ensure that the remnants were not damaged a ‘crash deck' was constructed over the entire site and only opened up where the columns were located for specific tasks. This deck enabled the project to be constructed above with no damage below.

Built worked closely with the archaeologists, conservation consultants and authorities to ensure that all parties were satisfied with the construction methodology.

The structure is a full steel frame with ply flooring to enable the design to work with the remnants below. Large spans were needed as the columns could only be located in certain locations. Two cranes were erected on the site to enable all materials to be lifted into the correct positions and to reduce the impact onto the site.

Significant sustainable design initiatives were incorporated to meet environmental design targets. Some of these include:

• a solar hot water system;
• a rain water detention tank;
• recycled building materials;
• natural fibre carpets;
• environmentally accredited flooring;
• recycling options for guests;
• an abundance of natural lighting through the inclusion of central voids, a large
  roof terrace and significant glazed sections and;
• the inclusion of operable walls, shade louvres and blockout curtains to allow for
  natural ventilation.