The Donald Horne Building | Collins and Turner

The Donald Horne Building in Muswellbrook, located in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, is a key part of the University of Newcastle’s Upper Hunter Precinct, developed with Muswellbrook Shire Council. The building offers advanced laboratory, fabrication, and teaching spaces designed to support education, research, and manufacturing, contributing to Muswellbrook’s growth as an educational hub.
A key feature of the project is its integration with Muswellbrook’s historic landscape, alongside two heritage-listed buildings: Loxton House and Weidman Cottage. The project fosters collaboration among students, academics, manufacturers and local businesses at a time of significant economic and industrial change in the Upper Hunter.

A new covered public space and glazed air bridge connect the adjacent heritage structures to the Donald Horne Building and surrounding streetscape, with the juxtaposition of structures symbolising the blend of the old and new, as well as a dynamic future for the region.