An innovative design that incorporates and celebrates its tropical surroundings has landed Woods Bagot and RPA Architects the design of the coveted Cairns Institute at James Cook University’s Cairns campus.

A $25 million project funded partly by a grant from the Federal Government, the Cairns Institute aims to establish James Cook University’s reputation as a key global institution and research centre.  The building will provide a headquarters for leading researchers from around the world to examine key issues concerning people in the tropics.

With this objective in mind, Woods Bagot and RPA Architects created a design that embraces the campus’ rainforest setting and blurs the line between the building and the landscape, making the environment part of the experience.

Several cutting-edge design elements have been proposed, including a trellis that will encompass the building, providing sun control and contributing to the rainforest-meets-urban aesthetic.

“We had an opportunity to create a building that represented its place and its context in a new and exciting way,” said Mark Damant of Woods Bagot. The Institute’s design elements will be key in attracting a high-calibre team of researchers. “It was crucial that our proposed building design would create an environment that optimises the working experience to a point that people would love engaging with the building,” Damant explained.

Construction of the Cairns Institute is set to begin before mid-next year and expected to take twelve months.

Woods Bagot
woodsbagot.com