Asia & The Gulf Commercial Design Trends Asia Commercial Design Vol. 30/9 | Page 63

“The western facade fronting Anzac Parade
needed to bridge the area between the retail strip
on one side and the leafy trees on the other. We
consequently fractured this facade into three
distinct modules. The building weaves in and out of
the trees, while at the same time it makes a gesture
out towards the streetscape. The eastern laboratory
module is turned to acknowledge the orientation of
the Village Green.”
Terracotta-coloured ceramic panels clad the
exterior, which incorporates fixed vertical sunscreens. Because these are full-height screens,
they allow plenty of natural light to flood the interior,
and help to angle views while maintaining a degree
of privacy for the offices inside.
“The terracotta colour provides visual warmth
and gives the building a very earthy, Australian
feel,” says Todd. “It also echoes a much older brick
building on the campus.”
On the western elevation the building is lifted up,
so it appears to float above the ground level, thanks
to a fully glazed lower level.
“This is the student commons area, with a café
and informal meeting and study areas,” says Todd.
“It’s a very transparent, social space – you can see
right through the building, which helps to give the
architecture a sense of lightness.”
On the north side, the building opens up to the
mall, with a series of wide steps creating an easy
transition into the building. The platform also functions as a gathering place for students.
“In a way this facade harks back to traditional
agoras and ceremonial public steps,” says Todd.
“We also created a huge portal for the main entry
– it resembles an enormous carved-out cube. This
was formed from a precast concrete aggregate mix
with a custom colour and honed finish.”
Louvres along part of the north facade screen the
sun from the academic offices behind.
The architect says other devices were also
introduced to relieve the massing of the building on
this side.
“We chose to push down the roof at the front to
align the building with the tree canopy, and build it
up at the back to accommodate the labs and plant.
The roof itself is a complex curved sawtooth. We
wanted to articulate each of the elevated parts, so
these are treated as individual extrusions that give
the building a sculptural look when viewed from
the side. These elements are also expressed on the
inside with curved plaster ceilings.”
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