Griffith University’s Strategic Plan required delivery of hybrid learning and research environments, enhanced campus experiences and operational efficiency, while responding to evolving expectations from students, government and industry.
The University had already invested significantly in built infrastructure, technology and capability, but lacked a clear articulation of how these elements could work together. It needed a prioritised roadmap that addressed technology debt and provided flexibility to adapt to changing needs. Benefits sought included campus activation, hybrid learning enablement, Living Lab research impact, efficiency gains, sustainability improvements and stronger industry engagement. Without an evidence-based Smart Campus Strategy these goals could not be achieved in a coordinated or sustainable way.
The challenge was therefore to provide a comprehensive and practical framework that combined digital and physical environments into a coherent strategy with measurable outcomes, clear sequencing and a balance between technology and organisational change.
Trestle Digital worked with Griffith University to establish the strategic vision, measurable outcomes and implementation framework for a Smart Campus.
This included stakeholder engagement, benchmarking against leading Australian and international universities, assessment of existing digital capabilities, identification of high-value use cases, technology evaluation and development of a phased implementation roadmap.
Particular emphasis was placed on organisational readiness, governance and ensuring recommendations were practical and aligned with Griffith’s operational requirements.
The project delivered a Smart Campus Strategy focused on the built environment, identifying Griffith’s strengths, weaknesses and priority actions. Outcomes included a benefits-led strategy balancing technology and organisational change, clear digitisation priorities beginning with occupancy and utilisation data and a governance and policy framework to support sustainable implementation. Alignment was achieved between IT, facilities and external vendors.
Following completion of the strategy, Griffith awarded Trestle Digital a proof of concept project for the new Vice Chancellor’s Office. This prototype integrated Cisco, Microsoft and facilities systems into a working Smart Campus example. Beneficiaries included staff within the Vice Chancellor’s Office, facilities management teams and digital teams who gained the ability to test and validate solutions in a real-world environment.
The project duration was ten months, with scope covering the vision and benefit framework, strategy development, stakeholder engagement and proof of concept delivery with Cisco, Microsoft and Griffith facilities teams.
