Melbourne University, Building 250
Building 250 provides classrooms and computer facilities for Melbourne University’s economics department. The project was done in two stages: stage one involved the refurbishment of original, neglected heritage building; and stage two expanded on this with a new extension - designed as a kind of black metal box reminiscent of a computer CPU.
Our scheme provided a flexible, open/shut functionality that is adaptable for different needs. With the aim to produce healthy, fresh computer labs, timber baton screens are used let in natural air and light in a controlled way to reduce screen glare.
The old and new buildings are linked with a glass walkway and a timber deck. In the decked area we continued with the ‘computer’ theme playing with LED lights and using road signs as sun screens (evocative of big ventilation grills). A stained glass cube protrudes out of the black box, glowing like a big ‘on’ button.
