Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung
Victoria
Located on the corner of Grattan and Bouverie Streets in Carlton, directly opposite the University of Melbourne, this project establishes a new benchmark for student living by prioritising social connection and occupant wellbeing through generous, purpose-built communal spaces.
Situated within Melbourne’s rapidly densifying City North Innovation Precinct, the building is conceived as an assemblage of stacked forms that subtly ‘slip’ out of vertical alignment in response to the surrounding context. This articulation allows the building to be read at multiple scales: the street, the established mid-rise fabric of the precinct, and the emerging scale anticipated by future planning controls.
Mediating the scale and grain of the fast-developing university precinct to the south and the institutional pragmatism of campus buildings north of Grattan Street, the building adopts a material simplicity and honesty. The design approach recognises the importance of spaces that embed wellbeing, sustainability and accessibility.
It’s been a real pleasure to watch students move into the building and enjoy its different spaces. The generous common areas create zones to gather, study, and reflect, as well as more active spaces to cook and exercise. They also support an extracurricular program that includes workshops, craft sessions, fitness and cooking classes. The use of natural materials reinforces a sense of calm, while outdoor gardens and indoor planters provide a calming antidote to the urban surrounds. The rooms function as compact havens, enabling students to balance interaction with retreat.
Graham Burrows, Design Architect
Chris Botterill, Project Architect
Nathan Crowe, Project Architect
Jimmy Walker, Project Architect
Natalie Cain, Architect
Cameron Burnett, Graduate of Architecture
Natalie Iannello, Interior Designer
Matt Gobbo, Architect
Luke Wilson, Architect
Chloe Hinchliffe, Interior Designer
Shailza Sharma, Interior Designer
Richard Wong, Visualisation
Wynn Management, Project Manager
4D, Geotechnical Engineer
Philip Chun, Building Surveyor
Architecture and Access, Access Consultant
Contour, Town Planner
Ratio, Traffic Engineer
4D, Structural Engineer
OWC, Civil Consultant
ADP, Services Consultant
ADP, ESD Consultant
ADP, Fire Engineering
ADP, Acoustic Engineering
BG+E, Façade Engineer
Altitude, Façade Access
ADP, Vertical Transportation
Openwork, Landscape Consultant
Ratio, Waste Managament
MEL Consultants, Wind Engineer
Bryce Raworth, Heritage Consultant