JOURNAL/ Education

The outer façade presents a contemporary interpretation of the heritage context, utilising fine grain architectural sunshade elements to maximise amenity and provide a new public facade for the faculty on Parramatta Road. A State Significant Development Application is planned for March 2015.

Director Guy Lake explains the composition of the scheme:

'Each college is defined by a 5-6 storey linear volume that steps up the site in response to the steep topography. The volumes are connected by low-rise transverse elements that frame and maintain solar access to the communal courtyards.'

Individual colleges are designed to have their own identity while collectively reading as part of Kensington Colleges as a whole. Building façades reinforce this through a consistency of materials combined with subtle modulations of colour and expression.

The courtyards are framed by facetted walls of glazed brickwork which present a playful expression of colour, texture, light and shade. In contrast, and in response to the mid-century brickwork of the surrounding buildings, the rectilinear external facades use a blend of three shades of face brick as a contemporary interpretation of the original clinker brick.

Visit Bates Smart to read more.

Bates Smart Workplace Strategist Kellie Payne explains how the teaching spaces were developed:

“We worked closely with the leading edge CDU Office of Learning and Teaching to introduce differing levels of privacy, social interaction and technology to encourage students to both work and socialise on campus and thereby extend their learning experience.

“Students need to connect with the world and communities beyond the classroom to bring relevant resources for use as part of their learning experience.”

The collaborative and interactive room layouts allow complete flexibility. Technology in these rooms is consistent and seamless, with multiple interactive screens, lecture recording and distant streaming on a consistent and easy to use platform. In addition social spaces have been carefully planned around the notion of ‘food is glue’, the centrally located cafe at the campus entrance and the generous shared kitchen on the upper floor are considered key social spaces linked on either end by the interconnecting stair.

The new workplace designed by Bates Smart will offer a more open work environment, designed to nurture the collaborative and focus workstyles of their legal staff. There will be a greater diversity of work settings to suit varied workstyles, with increased mobility supported by an advanced technology infrastructure. Staff will be better connected in the new workplace, working on floorplates double the size of their current floors at 140 William Street and connected by a dramatic spiral stair and generous atrium across the 3 levels.

Clients and staff will enjoy excellent amenity, including a client working lounge and a signature double-height wintergarden.

Bespoke spaces are designed to combine the multifunction of reception and display with the technical and functional aspects of sales. In the past few years we have completed display suites for 35 Spring Street, The Capitol and Convesso Concavo in Melbourne as well as Sydney projects including: HarbourFront, Balmain, Leichhardt Green, Ryde Garden and Monarch Mosman with several more under development.

Associate Director David Tordoff was closely involved in the development of the display suites for Country Garden and their highly successful Ryde Garden development.

“These complex spaces are critical in communicating a strong branded message to potential purchasers of the quality of the development. They typically contain one or two mock-up apartments plus other marketing information such as apartment finishes, options and marketing plans.

Our designs for these spaces have consistently facilitated high volume, high return sales early in the marketing campaign.”

The Country Garden development was successfully launched to market with 296 apartments being sold in the first 6 hours of selling (90% of the first release).

View the gallery images to see recently completed display suites across Sydney and Melbourne.

Building A New World: A History of the State Library of Victoria 1853–1913, by Harriet Edquist, traces the story of the Library, the National Gallery of Victoria, the art and design schools and the Museum.

This colourful tale of a century of institutional and architectural reform provides a fascinating insight into the development of Melbourne as Australia’s cultural capital.

Buidling A New World can be accessed free of charge here.

The main impetus for creating the Queensland Mind and Neuroscience Institute (QMNI) at USC is demographic data which show that, in Australia, the highest rates of suicide, youth mental illness and aged dementia are unfolding on the Sunshine Coast. USC has committed to making a major contribution to the amelioration of these conditions by establishing a centre of excellence in clinical outreach, support and research into these terrible diseases.

The future QMNI is briefed to be a purpose built tri-function building – combining clinical treatment, teaching and research facilities.

The strategic brief has three main focus points:

• Flexibility
• Expandability
• Evidence Based Design.

Stage 1 of the high-end residential tower is scheduled for completion in September, with residents expected to start moving in by the end of 2015.

This project combines high quality and enduring design, efficient and practical use of space, the amenities of a five star hotel, and a strong presence in the surrounding city.

The unit, led by Design Director Kristen Whittle and Associate Jonathan Brener, was based on the working philosophy of Design is Research and sought to guide students toward a new paradigm of design, structured around use of smart geometry and state of the art design to production construction techniques.

Final crits were held in April with fellow Jurors Chris Knapp, Discipline Head and Associate Professor, Abedian School of Architecture; Anthony Burke, Head of School UTS; Jason Trisley, Partner at Space Studio; Daryl Le Grew, Fellow at University of Melbourne; and Philip Follent, former State Architect for Queensland.

The work of the studio will be exhibited in the schools main space with an opening coinciding with Kristen Whittle’s public talk at the school on Thursday 29 May.

Learn more about Kristen Whittle's talk, part of the lecture series Design is Research at the Abedian School of Architecture.

Read an interview with Chris Knapp, Discipline Leader of the Abedian School of Architecture on Archinect

The hotel rooms wrap the street facades, while the lift lobby has incredible city views. The facade to the hotel rooms cant to provide optimal diagonal views from every room while creating a self shading facade.

A grand retail space presents to George Street with a covered portico to a widened public domain. In contrast an intimate laneway connects Hunter Street to Curtin Place, providing a covered hidden space for street life at the base of the tower.