Four Australian architecture firms have answered the call from Melbourne’s Monash University, Clayton Campus and designed 1,000 studio apartments across four new residential buildings for the institution’s student population.

Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCBA), Hayball and Richard Middleton Architects (RMA), and McBride Charles Ryan (MCR) were given one building each (two for the joint Hayball and RMA team) and briefed to incorporate common areas, landscaped spaces and comfortable living areas for residents, as well as achieve a 5 Star Green Star as built rating.

Building 90 has been designed by MCR and the architect’s renders show an eight storey precast structure that wraps with the suns orientation on its eastern façade while adopting a more geometric L-shape on its western frontage.

MCR says that fixed shading, high performance glazing, thermal mass and insulation were considered to achieve a durable, high performing building envelope.

Hayball and Richard Middleton Architects were responsible for buildings 88 and 89 and designed two six-storey L-shaped pavilions that interconnect via a pedestrian thoroughfare and spill out onto a community park.

The form of the buildings has been influenced by environmental best practice to manage solar gain and encourage natural light. Small variations in the panel shapes of the facades are used to manipulate light and shade and provide variegation. A coloured ‘hood’ at the window of each sole occupant studio glows at night, enhancing the colour spectrum.

Jackson Clements Burrows Architects designed building 87 (below) and like the others has included thermal stack chimneys, passive shading and a range of eco materials throughout.

The buildings form part of the Monah University Clayton Campus Masterplan, delivered by MGS Architects, and a scheduled to be completed in December 2015 for a January 2016 summer semester.

Images: Hayball and McBride Charles Ryan.

Nathan Johnson

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