Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation
Victoria
The 24/7 Latelab at Swinburne University of Technology reimagines an underutilised Student Union building as a vibrant, student-centred learning and social hub. Located at the heart of a fragmented inner-urban campus, the project uses adaptive reuse to deliver high-quality amenity while dramatically reducing embodied carbon.
Retaining more than 85% of the existing structure significantly reduced the project’s embodied carbon compared to a new-build scenario, demonstrating the environmental value of reuse at scale. Extensive co-design with students shaped a flexible, welcoming environment that supports diverse modes of study, social interaction and belonging, operating 24 hours a day.
New landscaped terraces, outdoor study areas and a central skylit void bring light, greenery and clarity to a previously dark and confusing building. Now the most frequently used building on campus, the 24/7 Latelab has become a magnetic centre for student life and a benchmark for sustainable campus renewal.
24/7 Latelab is a carefully resolved adaptive reuse project that reimagines the university campus as a place of belonging, activity and exchange in a post-pandemic learning environment.
Demonstrating a thoughtful commitment to circular economy principles and low-carbon renewal, the project avoids any sense of compromise. Transforming an underutilised student union building at the heart of Swinburne University’s Hawthorn campus, the project balances safety and operational requirements with an atmosphere that feels generous and deeply student-centred.
The project succeeds as a highly functional social anchor for university life – visibly loved, occupied and claimed by students. A series of interconnected study and collaboration spaces unfold intuitively across the building, supported by landscaped terraces and moments of retreat that bring light and calm into the dense campus setting. Interior compositions are carefully detailed to bring robustness and richness to the student experience. The tightly planned central atrium is carefully calibrated to maintain visibility across levels, while details such as mirrored locker areas and fluted glazing subtly support safety, awareness and comfort for students occupying the building at all hours.
Spaces feel consistently active and embedded within everyday campus life, summarised simply by a passing student’s remark: “I’ll be at Latelab.”
“Co-designed with input from more than 500,000 students, this project reflects Swinburne’s commitment to flexible, student-centred learning. The 24/7 Latelab is the cornerstone of our new student precinct, offering a diverse mix of technology-enabled spaces filled with natural light. Students have embraced this building, as reflected in consistently high daily usage across a range of study styles. The building has exceeded our expectations beyond its functional success as a place-making outcome, creating a welcoming destination where the students and the wider Swinburne community come together to learn and connect.”
Resonate Consultants, Acoustic Consultant
Ed Linacre, Lighting designer
RBS Melbourne, Building Surveyor
TTW, Civil Consultant
Matter Consulting Engineers, Structural Engineer
Wilde & Woollard, Quantity Surveyor
WRAP Engineering, Services Consultant
Focused Fire, Fire Engineer
Studio Semaphore, Wayfinding consultant
Umow + Wooster, AV Consultant