Change your location to view content tailored for you.

Student Precinct, University of MelbourneCreating sustainable, socially inclusive spaces for learning and connection

Creating sustainable and socially inclusive spaces for learning and connection to students of the University of Melbourne.

The University of Melbourne had a bold vision for the development of its student precinct to become the heart of its Parkville Campus in Melbourne, Australia. The goal was to create a gathering place for students, staff and the wider community, to engage, learn, and collaborate.

Aurecon contributed to this vision with environmentally-sustainable design (ESD) advice. The precinct included two new buildings (Student Pavilion, Arts and Cultural), together with four refurbished buildings and the outdoor landscape. Focusing on circular economy, the innovative re-lifing and adaptive reuse of the underutilised site became a stand-out accomplishment.

Co-creating the ESD strategy

Co-creation was critical, with staff and alumni actively contributing their views, ideas and expertise to inform the planning and design process through targeted workshops.

These workshops saw the development of key sustainability aspirations to embrace low carbon, circular and resilient outcomes for the precinct – later becoming the design’s guiding principles. The education precinct now responds to their input by recognising rich cultural history, sustainability, and accessibility.

Location

Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Client

University of Melbourne

Partners

Lyons, Kane Constructions, Edge Environment, Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Aspect Studios, NMBW Architecture Studio, Greenaway + Greenshoot, Architects EAT, Breathe Architecture, Glas Urban, Lucid, WSP, BG&E

Aurecon's Role

Environmentally sustainable design and circular economy application for the built form and landscape

Complete

2023

Using circular economy design principles

Applying circular economy principles was important to the project team to preserve the existing buildings that have been part of the university’s cultural fabric, and in turn reducing the overall embodied carbon of the precinct’s transformation with minimised new construction.

Sustainable infrastructure accomplishments include:

  • Reducing building waste and construction materials by refurbishing four existing buildings: Building 1888 (heritage listed), the Eastern Resource Centre, Building 168, and Building 189
  • The adaptive reuse of Building 189 has seen the building restored to its iconic Art Deco form. The ground floor, previously closed in, was reopened to the new landscaped areas and amphitheatre, providing better student access to the new Market Hall inside the building
  • 90 per cent of construction waste was diverted from landfill by being repurposed or recycled. Bamboo removed from old buildings was reused at Melbourne Zoo in the elephant enclosure, and salvaged bricks were repurposed into pavers and artwork for the site’s new buildings
  • Although the original Bouverie Creek watercourse through the site has long been submerged, its environmental history has been reinstated with water tanks beneath the precinct. Captured water circulates in building air conditioning systems and irrigates the native plants and biodiverse landscaping
  • Low impact materials were chosen for construction, for instance supplementary cementitious material (such as fly ash) as an alternative mix concrete
  • Centralised building management systems provide operational effectiveness
  • Prioritisation was given to using products that had accredited environmental certifications
Providing a sustainable and resilient precinct for the University of Melbourne’s students.

A sustainable and resilient university

The university has emphasised that this project is a significant example of its sustainability in design ambitions. It is an integrated, holistic, project that positively impacts all phases of building performance, together with encouraging cultural significance. The Indigenous history of the site is immortalised into the brickwork of one of the historic buildings with transparent bricks showcasing items that fuse technology, architecture, and connection to Country.

Incorporating sustainable water design

Acknowledging and embracing all people, including the consideration of Indigenous engagement, was crucial to design. The project team worked with Indigenous consultants Greenshoot Consulting and Greenaway Architects to determine sustainable design for water capture, flow and use, that is now part of reconnecting students with the living history of the site and Indigenous storytelling.

Some examples of the carefully conceived cultural narratives include an eel and frog pond to encourage the return of native fauna, the Billibellary ‘Welcome Ground’, and reference to the original Bouverie Creek waterway. Historically traversing the university campus, the waterway that was an eel migration route has been reimagined in the form of grey mudbrick paths that now wind through the outdoor spaces.

The analysis of the waterway was just one aspect of the full water modelling exercise undertaken to identify opportunities to increase water reuse and decrease the loss of stormwater from the site, in addition to reducing overall water consumption within the buildings. The resulting integrated water system is fully connected and automatically directs water to where it is best utilised based on specifications, consumption, and external weather events.

What does it take to deliver sustainable infrastructure?

Join our designers, engineers and advisors as we explore 'What does it take to deliver sustainable infrastructure?'

The living laboratory

The new buildings are a living laboratory for students and researchers to study low carbon design, the application of building system data for operational efficiency, and how water, waste and energy can mimic natural processes.

By leaning on digital engineering tools, the project team was able to intertwine engineering and architecture solutions to make both new buildings at least 50 per cent more water and energy efficient than other buildings of a similar size and function. Key initiatives included:

  • Variable air volume air conditioning systems that adjust the air output to suit the amount of air needed in the areas they serve
  • Highly efficient and low energy chilled water and hot water systems
  • A 20kW rooftop photovoltaic system on the student pavilion and a 40kW system on the Arts and Cultural Building. Any energy consumed from the grid is 100 per cent renewable, through the university's Power Purchase Agreement.
square iconplus icon
Applying circular economy principles to the Melbourne University project, preserving the existing buildings.
Refurbished Building 189 in the foreground, followed by Building 168, then the new, Arts and Cultural Building.
The strategic reuse of existing heritage listed 1888 building to reduce building waste and construction materials.
The student precinct creates spaces that connect university students, staff and alumni in a way that recognises the significance of Traditional Owners and cultural heritage.
Inside Building 189, its lower level excavated from beneath ground level and restored into student meeting spaces.
Indoor features of greenery and timber support occupant health and well-being.
Mimicking natural processes demonstrates to students how the built form and landscape can deliver holistically beneficial outcomes.
Salvaged bricks were repurposed into pavers across the precinct.
1 of 8
Applying circular economy principles to the Melbourne University project, preserving the existing buildings.
Applying circular economy principles to the Melbourne University project, preserving the existing buildings.
Applying circular economy principles to the Melbourne University project, preserving the existing buildings.

Award-winning

The Student Pavilion and Arts and Cultural buildings have both been awarded 6 Star Green Star Design & As Built ratings by the Green Building Council of Australia, which acknowledges projects that represent global leadership in sustainability.

The precinct, connecting university students, staff and alumni in a way that recognises the significance of Traditional Owners and cultural heritage, has been recognised with numerous awards:

  • Winner: Australian Institute of Architects National Architecture Awards 2023 – The Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design
  • Winner: Australian Institute of Architects National Architecture Awards 2023 – National Award for Heritage
  • Winner: Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Architecture Awards 2023 – Victorian Architecture Medal
  • Winner: Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Architecture Awards 2023 – The Henry Bastow Award for Educational Architecture
  • Winner: Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Architecture Awards 2023 – Architecture Award for Creative Adaptation
  • Winner: Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Architecture Awards 2023 – The Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design
  • Gold Winner: Good Design Awards 2023 – Architectural Place Design

TAGS

Explore projects

Edith Cowan University City Campus brings learning, culture and industry together in Perth’s CBD. Image courtesy of Peter Bennetts and Edith Cowan University.

Edith Cowan University City Campus, Perth, Australia

Aurecon's sustainable design shaped Edith Cowan University’s City Campus in Perth, promoting inclusivity, performance, and green design.

Limestone Coast Technical College showcases Aurecon’s leadership in integrating sustainable materials, accelerating design and delivering adaptable spaces that meet industry and community needs.

Limestone Coast Technical College, Mount Gambier, Australia

Aurecon helps future-proof local education and careers with state-of-the-art education facility for Mount Gambier using 100% locally sourced engineered timber.

Aurecon are lead engineers and project managers helping deliver the Australian Institute for Infectious Diseases.

Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID), Melbourne, Australia

Aurecon leads integrated engineering and project management for AIID, delivering low-carbon building design for one of Australia's leading research facilities.

We would love to work with you to bring your ideas to life, so get in touch and we'll get back to you.

Or contact an office near you.