VISION 51 — LINES OF SIGHT
Vision’s Peter Hyatt met with Russell and Yelland’s
project architect Hariklia Pontikinas to discuss the
Nautilus Centre:
What were the key design drivers?
The brief was for a design to
encourage wonder, inquiry, discovery and innovation.
Those are reflected not just in new learning opportunities,
but in the fabric of the building itself. The new facility
demonstrates mathematical, scientific and artistic
principles such as the Fibonacci series, the earth’s
rotation displayed by a Foucault pendulum in the main
stairwell, and various sculptural exhibits built into the
indoor and outdoor learning environment.
VISION
HARIKLIA PONTIKINAS
This building really needs to multi-task!
The centre is designed to provide an immersive
STEAM-based learning environment in which science,
technology, engineering, art and mathematics come
together. Large sliding glass door panels, collaborative
shared learning areas, serviced flexible learning areas
and seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor
learning spaces all combine to encourage inter-
disciplinary learning and collaboration.
How did you settle on your material palette?
Precast concrete acknowledges the heritage stone
buildings facing the main quadrangle. Vertical concrete
fins articulate the facades and direct views into and out
from the building. The art courtyard to the east opens
up views of the original buildings from the street and
provides sheltered student work and relaxation areas,
while the studio lab on the south-west corner acts as a
picture frame for the activities within. Glass is crucial
throughout to achieve legibility of form and function.
Glass drastically cuts the need for artificial lighting and
fills the building along its main east west axis.