It may be one of Australia’s youngest universities, but the campus of the University of the Sunshine Coast can already boast an enviable quality of design. Michael Keniger reflects on the Chancellery building, designed by architectus.
June 2nd, 2008
Since the admission of the initial cohort of students in 1996, the University of the Sunshine Coast campus at Sippy Downs in Queensland rapidly acquired form and substance as its key teaching, research and administrative buildings took shape.
The lay-out of the campus, governed by Mitchell Giurgola Thorpe and Geoffrey Pie’s masterplan, recalls aspects of Thomas Jefferson’s ‘academical village’ at the University of Virginia. Its key feature is a continuous linear court through the heart of the campus that provides a unifying space for the separate disciplines and support services that address the court.
The University Library (Lawrence Nield and John Mainwaring) is given special prominence by stepping into the vista along this space. The importance of the library to the life of the university is emphasised by its jagged sculptural silhouette and by the cascading planes and articulated structure of the 3-storey public veranda-cum-portico that directly engages with the court. This emphasis is amplified by deliberate contrast with the ordered and relatively sedate colonnades that line the court and that unite and mask the separate buildings along its length.
The most recent element to be added to this central composition is the Chancellery building which completes the southern edge of the court directly opposite the veranda elevation of the Library. Lindsay and Kerry Clare, design directors of architectus, brought to bear their proven understanding of the special qualities of the sub-tropical coastal environment and lifestyle of the Sunshine Coast in generating and refining the design of the Chancellery.
The function of a chancellery is to house the principal officers of a university and their supporting administrative staff together with the meeting rooms for the governing council. All too often they are singled out through their siting and design as separate and reserved territories, aloof, dignified and secure – a cut above the university as a whole. In contrast, the location and design of the Chancellery at the University of the Sunshine Coast resonates strongly with the characteristics of openness and welcoming sense of inclusion fostered within the university by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Thomas, over the hectic period of its establishment and initial growth.
The brief for the Chancellery included the accommodation for the Vice-Chancellor and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice Chancellors and their administrative support together with the meeting rooms for the Council, teaching and research spaces, a lecture hall, academic offices, a café, the university’s boardroom and the offices of the indigenous support unit. This juxtaposition of functions enables the building to serve as a microcosm of the university as a whole with a dynamic driven by events and functions and the rhythm of the academic day, week and year….
To read the whole article, see Indesign Magazine Issue #33, currently in newsagents.
architectus
www.architectus.com.au
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Kaldor Public Art Projects’ 32nd installation references the 19th-century Garden Palace building that once stood in Sydney’s Botanic Garden between 1879 and 1882, before being burnt to the ground.
Timothy Alouani-Roby met with Richard Francis-Jones of fjcstudio (formerly fjmtstudio) to discuss his timely, provocative and, quite frankly, necessary book on architecture. In this first part of the book review, we consider the alienation and commodification of the profession, as well as its place in society.
Tuesday 27th July was Cosmic Night at the Artemide Showroom in Surry Hills. In celebration if the launch of the ’Cosmic’ range by Ross Lovegrove, guests enjoyed nibbles and drinks with fellow members of Sydney’s design and architecture industry.
Interior Design and Management Solutions company PTID has designed the interior of the new Sydney office of gambling-led entertainment company Tabcorp in the city’s CBD. The final stage of the four-floor fitout is a full floor of open work environment cleverly utilising Agile methodologies to present a compelling and intelligent design.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
Overcoming pandemic hurdles to redefine guest experiences amidst Sydney’s bustling entertainment precinct, The Darling has undergone a two-year restoration that melds Art Deco interiors with the necessities of hotel living.