i
(stepping) individual bricks to articulate the
building’s organic shape. The lightcoloured bricks
– around 320,000 in total – were custom made
for the building and reference Sydney’s sandstone
heritage, while a vast glass ‘curtain wall’ reflects
the building’s contemporary context.
Striking stairways
To encourage interaction, the building makes
prominent use of stairways to move people around.
The most striking of these is a polished stainless steel
staircase, which lends a sculptural focal point to the
main lobby and reflects the movement of both people
and ideas. Manufactured by Queensland-based Urban
Art Projects, it was shipped from China to Sydney in
parts and assembled on site. Another eye-catching
feature is a stairway made of Victorian ash, which
wraps around an oval classroom on level 3, linking it
to the student lounge on the floor above.
Oval classrooms
Two oval classrooms have been constructed from
International project: Dr
African project:
Chau Chak Wing Building
Cubana nightclub
around 150 large laminated timber beams,
each weighing up to two tons and the longest
measuring 12 metres. Originating in New
Zealand, the glue-laminated (glulam) radiata
pine beams create a sculptural form within
the ground-floor atrium void. The classrooms
feature the world’s longest timber- concrete
composite floor construction and the first in
Australia. The oval form classrooms provide an
intimate environment with 360° engagement,
encouraging dialogue between all.
Lighting
Lighting is a key feature throughout the Dr Chau
Chak Wing Building. Acrylic cloud-shaped lights
are prominent on the lower public levels of the
building, notably above the level 2 café counter
and in the student lounge on level 3. On the upper
levels, the cloud lighting takes on a papery texture
and creates a striking point of interest in the staff
kitchen on level 8 and in the Dean’s boardroom on
level 12. AD
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