Nan Tien Institute

The Nan Tien Temple is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the Southern Hemisphere and was opened by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order in Wollongong in 1995. Just to the north of the temple, across the M1 Princes Motorway, is the site of the Nan Tien Institute (NTI), the first government-accredited higher education provider of its kind in Australasia. Opened in 2015, NTI is a centre for higher learning founded on Buddhist values and wisdom, and together with the Temple, are a major tourist attraction for the NSW South Coast.

The APP Group was first engaged as the Project Manager to deliver the first campus building for NTI in 2012. With a busy motorway between, a new pedestrian footbridge was then needed to connect the Institute and Temple grounds. After the success of the first project to build a home for NTI, The APP Group was reappointed by the International Buddhist Association of Australia Co-operative Limited (IBAA) to deliver the new footbridge. 

At 8 metres wide and 160 metres long, the pedestrian bridge represents an important physical and spiritual connection between the two sites. The IBAA, The APP Group and contractors Abergeldie worked closely with the local council and the RMS to minimise disruption to motorists on the M1 when road closures were required.