The brief of an architect’s nightmares made a reality at Monash University Clayton campus.
October 21st, 2009
Completed in 2007, the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy (MCEM) was last month awarded the 2009 Engineering Australia Engineering Excellence Award (for projects up to and including $20 million).
The project, by Architectus, had unique requirements to house specialised electron microscopes. Basically, this equipment requires sound and ground vibrations and electromagnetic interference to be minimised in order to operate effectively.
To eliminate electromagnetic fields the Architects could not include lifts, continuous steel structures or fluorescent lights and metal ductwork and pipes needed to be fitted with insulation breaks every six metres. Even the slab reinforcement had to be individually earthed and a ‘low velocity air supply’ had to be created.
Faced with these challenges Architectus teamed up with JMP (John Mullen & Partners) engineers to create a building that is “100 times more stable than an operating theatre and quieter than a recording studio”.
To achieve this the team has ‘cocooned’ the nine sensitive microscopes in multiple layers of materials and a timber structure. The whole building is also raised on a mound, further reducing external disturbance, while adding to the existing ‘pavilion’ style of the Monash Clayton Campus.
The project has received a lot of attention for a beautiful design under an extremely difficult brief. Click here to view a more scientific description for the ABC’s Catalyst program earlier this year.
Architectus
architectus.com.au
MCEM website
mcem.monash.edu.au
Image Credits (Below):
1 – 4 Peter Hyatt
5 – 9 Trevor Mein + Hero Image Above
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
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!
BLANCOCULINA-S II Sensor promotes water efficiency and reduces waste, representing a leap forward in faucet technology.
The new range features slabs with warm, earthy palettes that lend a sense of organic luxury to every space.
How can design empower the individual in a workplace transforming from a place to an activity? Here, Design Director Joel Sampson reveals how prioritising human needs – including agency, privacy, pause and connection – and leveraging responsive spatial solutions like the Herman Miller Bay Work Pod is key to crafting engaging and radically inclusive hybrid environments.
This week Sue Davies dials in with Koos de Keijzer, founding Principal of DKO, to discuss how the dynamics of their workplace practices have changed.
Focusing on Ontera’s ‘Design Freedom’ concept, the photo shoot for the DQ#53 cover was a creative exploration of custom carpet tiles, resulting in a dynamic, imaginative image. We go behind the scenes to speak with Art Director Frances Yeoland about the process of conceptualising and executing the shoot.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Take a whirlwind tour of some of the standout appearances at 3daysofdesign 2025.
Designed by PAN- PROJECTS, Earthboat is a series of mobile cabins set across the mountainous regions of Japan and built entirely with Japanese cedar CLT.