Description
The new College of Art and Design on Monash University’s Caulfield campus includes studios, teaching laboratories, offices, galleries, a lecture theatre and two studio apartments for visiting artists. These are provided in a three-level administration wing and a two-level studio wing. The complex turns away from the noisy Dandenong Road/Princes Highway with an undulating aluminium wall highlighted by yellow sticks protruding from above and below. Upper level studios are illuminated with even south light and overlook a gallery through the building which serves as a student meeting and exhibition place. An elevated walkway and bridge connects the studio building to the administration block on the other side of the gallery.
Jury Verdict
This is a building of considerable panache. In cleverly overcoming the major problem of traffic noise, the architects have created an arresting exterior curved form that also acts as a protective enclave for the students and staff of a university faculty. The design extends this sense of containment with a highly permeable interior organisation of space that is engaging in its accessibility. The ambience created in the spatial arrangement and the choice of colours and materials makes for an uncommonly inviting place for study. The architects have created a street or communication zone that connects the varied activities and spaces of the Art and Design Faculty. This spine links easily to the existing campus, making inclusive and accessible environments. The Monash University Faculty of Art and Design proposes a revision for the design of educational institutions in Australia.
Monash Faculty of Art and Design. Image Tim Griffith
Credits
- Project
- Monash University Faculty of Art and Design, Caulfield, Vic
- Architect
- Denton Corker Marshall
Melbourne, Vic, Australia
- Consultants
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Acoustic consultant
Watson Moss Growcott
Builder Kane Constructions
Developer Monash University Council
Electrical and mechanical consultant Aurecon
Landscape architect Denton Corker Marshall
Lighting consultant Aurecon
Quantity surveyor Peter Slattery Australia
Services consultant Watson Moss Growcott
Structural consultant John Mullens & Partners
- Site Details
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Location
Caulfield,
Melbourne,
Vic,
Australia
- Project Details
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Status
Built