Firms Lyons and m3architecture have been selected to design the Sustainable Futures Building at the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland.
The new building will house the School of Chemical Engineering, and is intended to amplify the University’s profile as a hub of chemical engineering leadership in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and a global stage.
The design concept creates a physical environment and identity that reinforces the School’s distinctive strengths—outwardly open and transparent, and inwardly intense and focused said the main architect at a press release.
Sustainability efforts for the project mimic this concept, as the building features a highly energy-efficient glass skin façade, while energy-intensive research areas are offset by renewable energy photovoltaics on the roof.
The design of the exterior of the building is inspired by “the confluence between chemical engineering and the campus itself,” and thus is an evolution from sandstone to glass, representing the technological advances of chemical engineering.
The project additionally features open connecting stairs, shared collaborative spaces, and “blurred overlapping boundaries between learning, research, and industry.”
News via Lyons and m3architecture.
