Culturally-rich health training project a national award winner

We are honoured to be part of this commemoration once more, with Curtin University’s Midland Campus receiving a National Award for Educational Architecture. In recognising the project’s merits, the National Jury note “the building design purposefully promotes health and wellbeing for the occupants, connection to landscape, strategies for arid native planting and cultural sustainability through a “meeting place” and heightened Indigenous representation – a perfect fit with the program for multidisciplinary health training.” You can read the full Jury citation below.

Designed by Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley, this new brick-brise soleil building marks the first of the new Midland campus, thoughtfully designed from the site’s rich indigenous and industrial context, and for the wellbeing of its occupants.

“This award demonstrates national recognition for a project which truly acknowledges not simply its purpose but, equally, its cultural context. We were up against some incredibly tough competition and are very proud to receive another national award for a project that showcases so many of our design strengths.” — James Wilson, Director of Lyons

Jury citation

• Curtin University’s Midland Campus sits within a culturally rich area of pre- and post-colonial histories on traditional Whadjuk country and among heritage rail workshops. Both ancient and recent histories inform the design, which is conceived as a solid object selectively carved out to announce entry and reveal activity. Importantly, the solidity of the bold red brick facade dematerializes and opens to outdoor spaces that clearly relate to the surrounding Centennial Place, Blacksmith Lane and Helena River. The new Health Sciences building successfully strengthens the campus’s connection to place through the seamless confluence of public realm, architecture and art. The building steps slightly forward of the rail workshops in Blacksmith Lane and the inner “street” of public spaces is placed on this axis, enabling a strong dialogue between the new building and its urban context.
  
  Passive solar design is intelligently applied to the internal planning arrangement and the facade to ensure comfortable occupation both inside and out – an important consideration for exemplary performance in the Australian environmental and cultural context.
  
  The building design purposefully promotes health and wellbeing for the occupants, connection to landscape, strategies for arid native planting and cultural sustainability through a “meeting place” and heightened Indigenous representation – a perfect fit with the program for multidisciplinary health training.