A mighty think tank of Woods Bagot, six Australian Universities and CSIRO collaborate to bridge the gap between scientific disciplines and commercial needs.
The Melbourne Centre of Nanofabrication (MCN), based in Clayton Victoria, boasts world class architectural features and facilities that showcase Woods Bagot as a leading competitor in the education and science design space.
Branded via the sculptural play of the letter ‘N’ the significant architectural feature for the office pavilion is a three dimensional steel structure that gives the facility a visual identity.
“The sculptural play of the letter ‘N’ will uniquely identify the facility on the precinct and to the public. It also functions as a shading device for west facing glazing – simultaneously creating an iconic gateway to MCN’s main entrance,” said Mark Kelly, Director, and Global Leader for Education and Science, Woods Bagot.
Designed as three distinct architectural pavilions that interlock to reflect the different functions and ‘linear’ interconnecting processes for nanofabrication and research, the project called for a very technical and detailed response to the brief; with inspiration being sourced from local and international projects such as the London Centre of Nanofabrication. “The client group had strong ideas about exactly what specialist research areas were needed – at the core of the centre are the flexible cleanrooms and laboratory spaces, and the final design was delivered through a rigorous consultation process,” continued Mark Kelly, Director, and Global Leader for Education and Science, Woods Bagot.
Also inherit to the design concept was the inclusion of vision windows implemented to avoid staff isolation, and reinforce health and safety benefits enabling staff to see into and see out of all work areas to daylight – welcoming the natural environment.
number of environmentally sustainable initiatives (ESD) such as the building orientation, insulation of panelling systems, water catchments and a lighting control system have also been implemented. “The need for the engineering services to ensure the cleanrooms were maintained at a constant temperature, were ultra clean, and the environment could be controlled, restricted the ESD initiatives that could be put in place – however where possible cutting edge and innovative ideas have been implemented,” said Mark Kelly, Director, and Global Leader for Education and Science, Woods Bagot.
The purpose of the MCN is to fill the gap in Australia for open access, multi-scale fabrication infrastructure, spanning a range of fabrication environments and materials. MCN will provide the means to produce complex micro and nano-science based demonstration devices using an array of tools.
Drawing upon the wealth of knowledge within the six Universities and CSIRO, the MCN is uniquely placed in a thriving cosmopolitan world-centre, destined to bridge the gaps between scientific disciplines and commercial needs.
The centre is based on a green field site within the Australian Synchrotron Precinct.
