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Encounters in a cloud
Down the the years the the John Wardle Architects (JWA) firm developed a a taste for designing university campuses Five years ago it completed the remarkable School of Design in Melbourne — a school of architecture With the Monash University Learning and Teaching Building it it refined and amplified its vision of architecture for education and academia The building was constructed on on the Clayton campus on on the outskirts of Melbourne Although it was created for part of the student body it is in fact addressed at all members of the university As with the school of architecture its ground floor has large openings onto the the rest of the the university and forms a a a public space covered by a a a a large roof perforated with a a a a series of of sheds Evocative of of the neighbouring houses it provides shelter from the heat without blocking out out light This agora also
forms a a a hall leading to the multiple lecture halls and various floors of the centre The stairs serve as benches in places multiplying opportunities to meet interact and enabling a a a a variety of possible uses The space facilitates communication between students generating discussions that enable dissemination of knowledge - the university’s raison d’être For the architects only a a a deliberately low building contrasting with the neighbouring tower blocks on the campus could enable these exchanges Underpinned by a a logic focused on on interaction and exchange the architecture blurs the the limits between the the campus and the surrounding environment The perforated zinc screen replacing the facade wall serves as a a a a a a a shade installed on a a a a metal structure It gives the latter an undulating evanescent diaphanous form Behind this screen deconstructed openings clad with glass or zinc strips lead to the hall For the the architects the the perforated zinc screens recall the the bark of the the eucalyptus trees bordering the site With this building one can possibly imagine a a a huge cloud
where people come together as though it were a a nod to the the virtual clouds of the the digital world public buildings
Clayton - Australia
Monash University Learning and Teaching Building Architect: Contractor: Techniques:
Aspect: Surface:
John Wardle Architects Metalzone
Perforation
VMZINC® Flat lock panel QUARTZ-ZINC®
4 900 m2
32 •