Frank Gehry UTS building unwrapped as Lend Lease wins construction rights

Work on the first Australian building designed by North American architect Frank Gehry nears after the construction giant Lend Lease won the bid to build the landmark undulating building at the University of Technology, Sydney. Billed as Sydney's most distinctive project since the Opera House, it will consist of 320,000 brown bricks, all laid by hand.

Likened to a paper bag by some, the 12-storey faculty of business building will be the 83-year-old architect's first in Australia.

Excavation of the Ultimo site near the ABC is already under way, and construction of the tower for around 1,300 students and more than 300 academic staff has an early 2014 completion timeline.

Gehry, who was reportedly unperturbed by the paper bag comparison, has described the building's internal structure as being like a "tree house", designed to encourage a sense of "creative play".

The 12-storey building is being built on the former Dairy Farmers site between the ABC Ultimo Centre and the Powerhouse Museum.

It will be named after Dr Chau Chak Wing, an Australian-Chinese businessman who donated $20 million for its construction and $5 million for scholarships.

Its a $180 million project, according to the UTS vice-chancellor, Ross Milbourne. The new building is part of a UTS campus master plan, estimated to cost a total of $1 billion.