Asia & The Gulf Commercial Design Trends Asia Commercial Design Vol. 30/9 | Page 52

a welcoming, all-embracing facility. Providing the
interchange within the building enabled us to go
beyond mere co-location towards true integration.
It is literally bringing education to the people.”
On the exterior, the building boldly addresses the
street providing a defining landmark that is a key
part of the rejuvenation of adjoining Hayward Park.
An exposed white diagrid, with a diamond-shaped
grid, reinforces a sense of place.
“This needed to be a cultural building that would
reflect the community and express its place in the
world,” says the architect. “So rather than using
an orthogonal grid on the facade, we opted for the
duality of a design that is reminiscent of traditional
weaving patterns. It expresses the idea of both
technology and craft. While this is a highly technical
building we have imbued the entire campus with a
sense of craft and textural richness.”
The facade is further defined by layering. Beyond
the diagrid are fixed louvres, angled to deflect
the sun and reduce heat loads inside. Horizontal
louvres feature on the east and north sides of the
building, while the west facade has vertical louvres.
Another key determining factor in the design was
the existing rail trench.
“The building needed to straddle the trench, so
much of the structure is hung from the roof trusses
– in part it was built from the roof down, rather than

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from the ground up,” says Johnston. “This has
given the building a certain lightness that would not
have been achieved otherwise.”
This need to accommodate the trench led to the
soaring six-storey atrium, which was not part of the
origina