The design draws on a number of high-level findings by the engagement of students, teachers and staff which included creating student “owned” spaces for study, recreation and socialisation, teaching and learning facilities, student-facing services, food and beverage offerings and student support services including clubs, associations and religious centres. In the university’s biggest redevelopment in nearly 50 years, the new plaza and student hub includes over 11,000m2 of enhanced facilities as well as an improved terraced plaza space designed to create a dynamic precinct for students. The Woods Bagot design creates a new ‘front door’ to the campus, significantly improving visual and movement connections through the plaza and activating the central core of the campus by drawing students into a contemporary education environment with a diversity of spaces designed for active learning. The redevelopment includes a new four storey administration building with a sustainable rooftop garden, a new three storey enclosed mall, refurbishment of the existing Union building and refurbishment of one level of the library. The newly designed plaza comprises a terraced amphitheatre for learning, socialising and relaxation and will host outdoor concerts and film nights for up to 2,000 people. It also features quiet study spaces, collaborative group lounges and conference facilities, new bars, a restaurant, which offers fine dining options and spectacular 180 degree views of the lake and ocean from the top floor of the hub, function centres, retail, as well as food and beverage outlets. Woods Bagot Senior Associate and Project Leader Milos Milutinovic said there were a number of key themes that drove the design process. Initially it was about realising the potential of the Flinders campus and drawing on this competitive advantage, he said. “We have a campus located in one of Adelaide’s most prime locations which offers panoramic views stretching to the hills, ocean and city. One of the key drivers was to showcase the landscape in its beauty and create a visual linkage between the north and the south,” he said.
Project team: Alex Gilmore-Johnstone, Alex Hall, Alice Sangster, Craig Rogers, Ernst Jury, Gavin Kain, Jack Saunders, Jo Dane, Keith Dougal, Melinda De Cianni, Michael Andrew, Milos Milutinovic, Nick Bendys, Pasquale Macri, Sarah Ball, Sarah Howden, Thomas Masullo This was addressed by reshaping the plaza and moving its position down a level to activate and open up the space. As Milos explained it was also about removing segregated areas and opening up the design so each area of the campus flowed into the other. “Typically in universities the staff and student spaces are separated, however at Flinders we wanted to create an integrated student and staff hub which offered common meeting spaces to facilitate the needs of both students and staff,” he said. By designing everything at Flinders University under one umbrella, Milos said it enabled facilities to overlap and created an endless transition from one area to the next so students and staff could easily move between student breakout spaces to food and beverage and the learning environment with ease. “Our brief was based around building on the University’s brand. It was about designing a facility that would be of a high enough standard to bring the public into the campus and create a campus that was not purely focused on staff or students but had a more community approach to design,” he said. Woods Bagot Senior Associate Keith Dougal said the design of the interior embodied a university with a professional and innovative approach to learning. ‘There was a conscious decision to design this facility as a place that signifies the beginning of a student’s professional life rather than an extension of their secondary ‘schooling’. The result is a range of interconnected learning environments with a sophisticated palette that balances harmony, across the entire student hub, with identifiable personalities of each learning and social spaces,” he said. Woods Bagot Director Thomas Masullo said with a focus on student interaction, engagement and services, the new Student Hub and Plaza is a vibrant place to learn, connect and play. “A mix of technology-enabled student spaces provides choice and autonomy, encouraging collaboration and peer collegiality. Research shows that the best education occurs when students learn from each other and the hub is an environment that supports and stimulates collaborative learning.”
