Architectural Design Competition

Overview

In 2008, the University approved funding for the construction of a new building for the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning in order to provide appropriate high-quality spaces for teaching and learning for staff and students within the Melbourne School of Design and spaces in support of undergraduate teaching in relevant pathways.

The environment created for the Melbourne School of Design and the teaching of Bachelor of Environments design programs will be student-centric, facilitative of a strong studio culture, equipped with the most appropriate technology and equipment and nurturing of strong staff-student relationships. At the same time it will continue to provide facilities to nurture the research on which the Faculty’s reputation rests. Above all, it will be designed for change as the faculty continues to develop its research and teaching programs to retain its position of leadership in the Asia-Pacific region.

The process for appointing the architects to work with the University and the Faculty to design the new building was an international competition. The University elected to undertake a competition because this was deemed to be a significant new project for the Parkville campus, with a well informed and demanding user group and the potential to create a distinctive and highly innovative building that sets a new standard for campus facilities in the region.

About the competition

The competition was a two stage project competition endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects.

The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, in association with the University’s Property and Campus Services department, sought to appoint an architect or architectural team to design a new building for the Faculty, to be located on the Melbourne University Parkville Campus. The process of appointment was via a limited competition held in 2009. Architects and architectural teams who wished to be considered for selection into the competition were invited to submit an expression of interest (EOI).

Competition objectives

The objective of the competition is to select an architect or architectural team who can demonstrate their capability to:

• Design and oversee the delivery of a building of outstanding architectural merit, which meets the Faculty’s aspirational objectives and functional requirements,
• Create a building which will articulate the Faculty’s priorities and values and showcase its activities, helping to build the profile of the new Melbourne School of Design;
• Balance competing priorities, and work within a given budget;
• Work inclusively with all stakeholders to generate innovative design solutions,
• Build world-class processes capable of being documented through a Faculty research project.

Competition briefing session

The competition process began with a briefing session attended by one or more representatives from each of the six selected entrants, which was held on Friday, June 26th 2009 at the Parkville Campus. The Competition Coordinator and Jury representatives were available to help with specific questions about the competition and engagement process. Following the briefing session, entrants were given the opportunity for an individual meeting with representatives of the client/user group.

Briefing information

Briefing information provided to competition entrants included:

• Consultant Services Guidelines suitable for the University of Melbourne
• Digital documents outlining the site locations, plans, existing car park works, heritage plans, site surveys and site investigation documents.

Submission requirements

• Competition submissions consisted of developed schematic designs for the new building based in part on the first four criteria from the EOI: built pedagogy, the academic environment, the design studio, and the living building.
• Schematic designs were conveyed to the Jury during the August presentation sessions using a multimedia presentation, and summarised on presentation panels suitable for exhibition. Precise requirements in terms of number and format of presentation sheets to be submitted were conveyed to competition entrants during the June 26th briefing session.
• Entrants were not required to present fully developed designs of a completed building, and built models will not be accepted as part of the submission.

Presentation

Presentations for entrants were scheduled for Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 August 2009. Each entrant was allocated a 90 minute closed session with the jury, which consisted of a 45 minute presentation followed by 45 minutes for questions and discussion. The schedule for presentations was conveyed to entrants during the June briefing session.

Entrants were required to explain and elaborate upon their schematic design responses during their allocated session, supported by a multimedia presentation of their choice. Digital animations, where used, were no longer than 5 minutes duration. Presentation sheets were submitted to the Jury by each entrant during their allocated presentation time. Entrants were also asked to submit one copy of their invoice for payment of the honorarium at the time of their presentation.

Honoraria

An honorarium of AUS $50,000 was paid to each entrant upon submission of their competition entry following their scheduled presentation. In addition, selected entrants not based in Melbourne were given four return economy airfares and four nights’ accommodation to enable up to two members of the architectural team to attend the briefing and presentation sessions. On submission of the Stage 2 documents, entrants included an invoice for AUS $50,000 (incl. GST) addressed to the Vice-Principal, Property and Campus Service, Mr Chris White.

Consultation

Entries were exhibited for viewing by technical advisors and users. Buildability, planning and environmental advice was sought by the University of Melbourne. Other experts were engaged by the Jury if required.

Competition selection criteria

The criteria used to select the winning submission focused on:

• Design Quality: Creativity and innovation in interpreting the Faculty’s functional needs and aspirations in built form making a substantial contribution to the campus; high degree of spatial quality and resolution, appropriate and culturally relevant architectural language, legibility and ease of use, interaction between internal and external environment, and flexibility and adaptability to suit changing needs.
• Value: Strategies to meet the brief requirements, in particular the pedagogical and research aspirations of the Faculty, and provide short and long term value for money.
• Methodology: A proposed methodology for working with the sponsor group to support the sponsor’s strategic ambitions for this project.
• Design and delivery capacity: The methodology for providing timely, complete and correct services for the project including coordination of the consultant team suitable for the complex nature of this brief and client.

The jury had the option to choose to weight the selection criteria and / or focus on particular issues listed within the brief. The jury determined its own selection procedures. One common method used by juries is to begin with a general discussion regarding the selection criteria. Jury members then take time to individually rank each entry before coming together to discuss. Selection of the successful entrant is typically an iterative process of voting, discussion and viewing of schemes.

Consultancy agreement

The University intended to appoint the winning entrant(s) as consultant(s) for the project(s) subject to reaching a satisfactory consultancy agreement. AS4122 was used as the basis for the consultancy agreement. The University intended that the sub-consultants would be selected from a mutually agreed shortlist and be appointed by the client. The scope of services should be based on the RAIA Advisory Scope of Architects Services and set out with a lump sum fee payable at each stage. The fee proposal should indicate a fixed price for the building design, and a flexible price for fitted out space which will vary depending upon the amount of space finally fitted out.

If a satisfactory consultancy agreement could not be reached with the winning entrant, the sponsor reserved the right to appoint another entrant. The preferred outcome was to award both base building and fitout to the same architectural team but the jury reserved the right to award base building to one firm and fitout of the new building to different firms if necessary. The jury considered the methodologies proposed by each competitor for the project as a whole.

Competition conditions

View the competition conditions

Jury

Ms Odile Decq – Architect

Odile Decq has won various awards during the course of her career including the 9th International Prize for Architecture in 1990, and in 2001 she was made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, one of France’s highest honours for the Arts.  Her latest projects include: the Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain in Rennes, France, 2005; Zenith, an 8000 square metre exhibition hall and offices at St Etienne, 2005; A5 Infinite Interior: the design and development of a prototypical apartment for the first Architecture Biennale of China in 2004; a new museum building for the Liaunig Collection in Neuhaus, Austria, 2004; a new headquarters building for OPAC in Bar-le-Duc, 2004; administrative buildings and a customer care centre for Sollac Atlantic-Dunkerque, 2003; and the competition-winning Museum of Contemporary Art (MACRO)in Rome in 2001.

Odile Decq graduated from the Ecole d'Architecture de Paris-La Villette in 1978, and in 1979 she obtained a DESS in Urbanisme et Aménagement from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris.  In 1980 she decided to open her own agency, and 1985 saw the launch of her valuable partnership with Benoit Cornette which ended tragically when Benoit died in a car crash in 1998.  During this period she and Benoit developed numerous projects including the prestigious Banque Populaire de l’Ouest et d’Armorique in Rennes, and their work received awards and recognition on several occasions, including the Golden Lion of the Biennial International Exhibition of Modern Art in Venice (1996), the Benedictus Award for the Faculty of Economic Sciences and the Law Library of Nantes (1990) and the Trophy of the Association of Construction Journalists (1990).

In addition to her illustrious Architecture career she has also devoted much time to teaching, working at her old school the Paris-La Villette Ecole d'Architecture between 1984 and 1986 and at the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in 1993 and 2002.  Odile was appointed honorary professor at the Université de Montréal in 1992 and has since worked as a visiting professor at the TU in Vienna in 1998, the Bartlett in London between 1998 and 2000, and Columbia University in New York in 2001 and 2003.

Mr Peter Elliot – Architect

Peter Elliott is a practicing Melbourne architect and an Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture and Design, RMIT University. He is principal of Peter Elliott Pty Ltd, Architecture and Urban Design, which was established in 1975. He has lectured and written extensively on contemporary architecture and urban design. The work of the practice has won in excess of 40 National and State architectural and industry awards. This includes an Order of Australia in 1987 for services to architecture (public housing), the RAIA Victorian Architecture Medal 1991 for the Carlton Baths and Community Centre, the 2000 Walter Burley Griffin Award, the Joseph Reed Award for RMIT University Urban Spaces Project and the 2006 Lachlan Macquarie Award for the Memorial Hall & Music Centre at Melbourne Grammar School.

The practice has a special interest in architecture and urban design in the public realm. This includes a broad range of work for secondary and tertiary educational institutions, public authorities and government agencies. Projects include, Spencer Street Footbridge, the Robert Clark Horticultural Centre Ballarat Botanic Gardens, Observatory Gate Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

Recently completed projects include Mirka at Tolarno Hotel, Fitzroy for Guy Grossi, and the Water Recycling Plant for the Melbourne Zoo.

Professor Glyn Davis AC (CHAIR) – Vice-Chancellor, University of Melbourne

Professor Glyn Davis became Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Melbourne on 10 January 2005. Professor Davis was previously Vice-Chancellor of Griffith University in Queensland and has served as the most senior Queensland public servant. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with first-class honours in political science from the University of New South Wales and was awarded his Doctorate of Philosophy from the Australian National University for a thesis entitled 'The Political Independence of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation'. His academic association with Griffith University began in 1985 as a lecturer in politics and public policy. The award of a prestigious Harkness Fellowship provided an opportunity to work at the University of California, Berkeley, the Brookings Institution in Washington and the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, during 1987 and 1988.

Subsequently, as an Australian Research Council QE II Research Fellow at Griffith, Professor Davis published a series of articles and books on policy coordination and public sector change. He was appointed a Professor in 1998.

Secondments to the Queensland Government have included appointments as Commissioner for Public Sector Equity in the Queensland Public Sector Management Commission (1990-1993), as Director General of the Office of the Cabinet (1995-1996), and Director General of the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet (1998-2002).

Professor Davis has written widely on policy and governance. His most recent publications are a third edition of The Australian Policy Handbook (with Peter Bridgman, 2004), The Future of Australian Governance: Policy Choices (coedited with Michael Keating, 2000) and Are You Being Served? State, Citizens and Governance (coedited with Patrick Weller, 2001). Professor Davis was Foundation Chair of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) which is headquartered at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a Companion in the Order of Australia.

Professor Tom Kvan – Dean, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning

Tom Kvan was appointed Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning in 2007. He has held similar positions at the University of Sydney and University of Hong Kong. His experience in architectural practice in Hong Kong, Botswana and the United States of America have complemented academic study in England and California. A pioneer in the development of digital design and building operations, his teaching and research have focused on extending digital support of architecture and urban design.

Advisor to the Jury: Mr Chris White – Vice-Principal, Property and Campus Service, University of Melbourne

Mr Chris White was appointed Vice-Principal (Property & Campus Services) in January 2008. Prior to this, Mr White spent nine years at RMIT University in a similar role as Executive Deputy Director (Services). Mr White graduated as an architect from RMIT University in 1978 and has worked extensively in the property industry for the last 30 years in both the public and private sectors. He has been active in the Property Council of Victoria serving on both the Corporate Real Estate and Sustainability Committees and for the past five years has been a Director of the Tertiary Education Facilities Managers Association.

Project brief

Project scope

The new building will consist of educational facilities for staff and students, with a total floor area of approximately 18,000m2. The budget for the new building will be approximately AU$90 million for construction and fitout, plus consultant fees; a major portion of this sum has been committed by the University with the balance of the funding currently being sought from Federal, State, and private sources. Construction is anticipated to commence in early 2011, with an anticipated completion date of 2013.

Site and Heritage

The current Parkville Campus Masterplan identifies the existing location of the Architecture and Old Commerce buildings as the site for the new building; development of this site will be undertaken in accordance with the Masterplan. These current buildings contain items of heritage significance including murals, stained glass windows, sculptures and statues. Notable among these, the former is home to the Japanese Room, a space fitted out by appreciative alumni from Japan using traditional Japanese finishes and fittings, and a Japanese Garden. The Old Commerce Building currently includes on its west façade historically significant elements from the former Bank of New South Wales building in Collins Street, Melbourne, by the architect Joseph Reed of Reed and Barnes. This façade was originally built in 1856 and was transplanted to the Parkville campus in 1936. These elements will need to be addressed in the design response in accordance with University heritage management plans and policies and in consultation with relevant heritage committees and consultants.

Aspirational Brief

The project is seen as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for the Faculty to achieve strategic objectives relating to the positioning of ABP and the MSD, with a commitment to innovation in relation to the design and delivery of an outstanding campus building. The aspiration of the faculty and the University is that the new building will demonstrate an outstanding level of quality in both the processes of design and development and in the finished product. The resulting design will provide an excellent working environment to encourage high quality research, teaching and learning.

Process

The project will be used to demonstrate the best possible processes of design, collaboration, procurement and construction, with all parties working closely together with the University, the Faculty, and with staff and students who will use the building into the future. The project will also form the focus of a research program around issues relevant to the various professions and disciplines within the Faculty, with staff and students monitoring and recording the processes of design and construction.

Quality

The new building will demonstrate an outstanding level of quality in relation to all of the disciplines within the Faculty. It will be a building of international architectural merit, with highly integrated landscaping and urban design features that will make a significant contribution to the surrounding campus and community. It will demonstrate the best practices of engineering, fabrication, construction and servicing.

Research, Teaching and Learning

The new building will provide outstanding accommodation for research activities within the faculty, comprising individual and group projects between academic staff, visiting and professorial fellows, post-graduate students, and research assistants. It will provide outstanding facilities for formal interaction between staff and students, as well as for informal and peer-to-peer learning. In particular, the new building will strengthen studio teaching culture within the Melbourne School of Design, recognising the unique contribution of studio projects to student learning, which is dependent upon informal interaction, experimentation and discussion. Studio spaces must be creative, tolerant of mess, able to be decorated and personalised, and focussed on making students feel valued.

Environmental Performance

The Building will demonstrate an outstanding level of environmental performance, expected to be a 6-star Greenstar rating (or equivalent) using Green Building Council of Australia rating system. The building will enable teaching and learning opportunities, with students being able to actively monitor and adjust the environmental features of the building in order to appreciate their impacts on the indoor environment as well as research opportunities for the broader Faculty agenda.

Preliminary Functional Brief

The project will provide a series of innovative spaces for research, teaching, and learning, as well as informal spaces for staff and students to interact, relax, or study in between formal classes. These are anticipated to include:

Research Space (2,500m2)

The building will include research work space for academic staff, research staff, and research higher degree students. The purpose of this space is to provide a secure working environment, separated from the general teaching facilities, allowing a combination of quiet, solitary research work as well as collaborative group or team projects. This is likely to consist of traditional individual offices with storage for books as well as more open, interactive workspaces, with the flexibility to switch between the two as needs evolve. There is a need to accommodate approximately 100 full-time academic staff; 200 part-time, and honorary staff, research assistants and tutors; and 100 research higher degree students.

Administrative Space (1,500m2)

The building will provide workspace for approximately 50 operational and support staff, and associated facilities such as file storage, meeting rooms, and Faculty reception. This would also include an executive area for the offices of the Dean, Deputy Dean, and Faculty General Manager, as well as dedicated administrative staff and meeting rooms.

Design Studio Spaces (1,000m2)

Design studio teaching is central to the Faculty, and design spaces will need to provide an outstanding environment for interaction between staff and students as well as for peer-to-peer learning. These spaces are used for producing and discussing design proposals in digital, paper, or physical model format, either individually or in groups. Studio spaces will provide a level of containment and acoustic privacy for approximately 20 groups of 16-20 students per group, as well as storage to allow student work to be kept secure between classes.

Teaching Spaces (1,000m2)

As well as design studio spaces, the Faculty requires a range of other teaching spaces for tutorials and seminars, including spaces highly engaged with digital media and immersive projection. These will provide acoustic and visual privacy for small class groups of 15-25 students, and will be equipped with whiteboards and digital projection facilities. Spaces and furniture should be flexible so that these spaces can be used for the display of student design work at the end of each semester.

Lecture Theatres (1,000m2)

The building will include lecture theatres as follows:

• One large theatre, seating 400+ people, possibly divisible into two smaller theatres;
• Two medium theatres, each seating 120-150 people, and
• Two small theatres, each seating 50-60 people.

This will also include foyer / breakout spaces large enough for the same number of students to gather and wait for the next lecture, which could have a dual function as an exhibition or casual seating space.

Faculty Library (1,500m2)

The Faculty enjoys the benefits of a dedicated library, which will form one of the major focal points of the new building. The library has the leading collection in the region of texts related to our fields of architecture, building and planning, including a substantial collection of unique and valuable items. The new library will provide a range of spaces for individual and group study, enabling access to physical and electronic resources, as well as facilities for photocopying and printing, storage and display of books, models, drawings and digital collections.

Digital Teaching Spaces (500m2)

Students currently have access to high-end modelling software for design and analysis of large scale or complex projects in dedicated computer labs. The new building will provided spaces for instruction in and production of digital designs, either separately or integrated with other teaching (studio) spaces. Digital equipment would include desktop computers, large monitors, and facilities for printing and projection, as well as access to rapid prototyping (see workshops below).

Exhibition Space (300m2)

The new building will provide various opportunities for display of current and historical student work as well as for touring or external exhibitions and for other faculty events. Display facilities should accommodate drawings, smalland large-scale models, digital projection and immersion spaces, and outdoor exhibitions. Any dedicated exhibition space will need to be serviced by a commercial-type kitchen for use at functions, and be near to public amenities within the building.

Workshops (300m2)

The faculty currently has a dedicated workshop containing tools and equipment suitable for producing small- to medium-scale timber and metal work, e.g. models, furniture or construction prototypes. The workshops and workshop staff provide suitable facilities, safeguards and supervision for students to work on these projects. The faculty also has a digital fabrication lab, containing rapid prototyping machines as well as some facilities for foam and plywood modeling. The workshops need ground level access for easy visibility as well as for delivery, storage and display.

Café and Lounge (300m2)

Located at the eastern edge of the Union Lawn, a significant open space on the Parkville Campus, the Faculty has an opportunity to create a lively and active ground plane that will provide entry to the spaces above as well as being inviting for the entire campus community. The ground level should have café and informal lounge areas for both staff and students to eat and drink, socialise, study alone or in groups, or just relax between classes. These areas should integrate with the circulation and display spaces of the new building so that the activities and efforts of staff and students are on display to visitors.

Research, Teaching and Learning

The areas above, combined with circulation, storage and amenities (lifts, toilets, etc) as well as informal study spaces scattered throughout the building, will equate to the 18,000m2 total indicated above.

Process

Between 2009 and 2012 the University of Melbourne, through the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning intends to design and deliver a new environment for teaching, learning and research. The University will choose its partners carefully and will seek to integrate the world-class expertise which resides in its disciplines with those of its selected consultants.

The process for selecting the architect, architectural practice or architectural team to work with The University of Melbourne and the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning to design the new building will be two-staged.

The request for expressions of interest (EOI) may be responded to by any architect, architectural practice, architectural partnership or architectural team throughout the world, (Respondents), provided the Respondent is registered as a practitioner in its place of origin and is also capable of satisfying the registration requirements in the State of Victoria, Australia.

Eligible Respondents that submit an EOI and which is compliant with the terms and conditions of this document will be evaluated by the Jury. The Jury will initially shortlist a total of up to six Respondents to proceed to the second stage. All Respondents will be notified of the Jury’s decision, and a list of the selected Respondents will be published on the competition website.

Competition Timeline

Competition Advisor

Professor Geoffrey London
B. Arch (UWA), AA GradDip, BA Fine Arts, GradDip Art & Design (WAIT), FRAIA

Geoffrey London is the Victorian Government Architect. He is also the Professor of Architecture at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and has held the position of Professorial Fellow at The University of Melbourne. He was, for a period of nearly five years, the inaugural Government Architect in Western Australia. He is a past Dean and Head of School at UWA, a past President of the Western Australian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects, and a Life Fellow of the Institute. He is currently a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts and has acted as a consultant on numerous architectural and urban design projects. He has served on and acted as Chair of many architectural design award juries and a large number of competition juries. He is a graduate of UWA and the Architectural Association in London and has been a practising architect for over 30 years.

Competition Coordinator

Dr Scott Drake
BSc(Ma), BArch (Hons) PhD.

Dr Drake is Senior Lecturer and Assistant Dean (Facilities), Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne.

Expression of interest

Expressions of Interest are invited from architects and architectural practices, individually or in collaboration, interested in working with the Faculty and the University in the role of architect for the new building. Submission requirements for the EOI consist of a digital submission in Adobe PDF format comprising of a maximum of 6 x A3 sheets consisting of information sufficient to address the points below. The submission should comprise text and images describing the profile of the architect, practice, or collaborative team, with a focus on the way the architect / practice intends to address a project of this type. It is recommended that Respondents allocate one sheet to each of the 6 points, which will form the basis for selection for the competition.

Evaluation Criteria

Selection of Respondents for the competition will be made by Jury members based upon submitted expressions of interest.  The aim of the competition is to select an architect, architectural practice, or architectural team to work with the Faculty and the University to design and deliver a building of outstanding quality.  Expressions of interest should therefore focus on the capability of the respondent to design and deliver a project of this type as characterised by the following criteria.  Respondents should respond to these criteria using examples from their own built or unbuilt projects, explicated using conceptual drawings and diagrams.  The emphasis at EOI stage is on a clear, concise, and coherent demonstration of the architectural approach used in these examples.  EOI submissions must NOT include a design response to the project brief, site, or heritage requirements, and any such material will be disregarded by the Jury.

The decision of the Jury will be based on the EOI submissions only, and further information, such as practice profile documents, must not be submitted. However respondent may include in their EOI reference to information available on publicly accessible websites by including the relevant URL. The Jury reserves the right to view such information at their discretion, and are not bound to evaluate entries on anything other than submitted EOI documents.

Built Pedagogy

The project will provide a new learning environment that will demonstrate the best that each of the professions represented by the faculty has to offer. It will be an outstanding work of architecture, in both appearance and performance; it will be an outstanding work of urban design, activating and connecting to the campus and its community; it will use advanced construction, structural and servicing techniques, it will demonstrate integrated design between the natural and built landscape in and around the building. The building will also communicate ongoing work in each of these professions by enabling completed and in-process work of staff and students to be highly visible, as well as being enlivened by regular discussions, exhibitions and displays of contemporary and historical work.

The Academic Environment

The new building will provide an outstanding work environment for all staff, and in particular, will facilitate high quality research outcomes from academic staff and Research Higher Degree (RHD) students. The academic work environment will provide a range of opportunities from quiet, individual research through to collaborative work with other academics and with RHD students. The building will play an essential part in the Faculty’s goal of attracting and retaining the best staff and allowing flexibility and choice in work styles.

The Design Studio

The new building will provide an outstanding teaching and learning environment for all staff and students. It will provide a range of formal and informal teaching and learning spaces, encouraging interaction between students from all year levels, while still providing acoustic and visual privacy to enable work to proceed without interruption where necessary. Teaching and learning spaces will be based on advanced theories of studio and classroom design, addressing the role of technology, staff-student interaction and work styles in their layout, furnishings, and equipment. Studio is seen as the focus of student learning, the place of immersion in professional culture driven by experiential learning and global engagement in relevant social issues.

The Living Building

The building will demonstrate outstanding performance in the design and on-going operation of its environmental systems. It will use the best available techniques and technologies for sustainable design, and for the use of materials, energy, air and water. The building will also act as a laboratory, providing opportunities for staff and students to control, adjust and monitor environmental systems such as sun-shading or natural ventilation. The building will take advantage of local climate conditions to resourcefully provide high levels of occupant comfort, which will be evident through changes in the internal environment or to the external fabric. Internal spaces will be adaptable and flexible, but still have access to high quality natural light, ventilation and acoustics.

Capability and Process

Architects / practices are asked to demonstrate their capability of completing a project of this size, scale, type or budget, including registration with relevant local boards or authorities. Respondents should also address their capacity to deliver the project in Melbourne, for example, by nomination of the design team and their anticipated contribution to the project, nomination of preferred consultants (if any), a statement of processes for engagement with clients and users. Responents are invited to describe their preferred or intended process of collaboration with the Faculty and the University in delivering an outstanding project. Please include a selection of previous work as well as at least one client reference from a recently completed project.

Merit

Architects / practices are asked to demonstrate their capacity to produce works of outstanding architectural merit, including recognition of that approach demonstrated through prizes, awards, publication in significant architectural journals, other published essays and reviews in print, film or digital media.

Publication and Exhibition

1. The Respondent acknowledges and agrees that the University may:
2. (a) in any form disclose information contained in the EOI and any other information provided to the University by the Respondent as part of the competition:
3. (i) to the University's officers, employees, management, consultants and advisers;
4. (ii) to the extent that required to do so by law;
5. (iii) to exhibit and publish the EOI from the selected Respondent’s; and
6. (iv) otherwise for any purpose associated with the competition; and
7. in any form exhibit or publish the EOI from the selected Respondent’s.

The University must not use material included in an EOI from a Respondent that is not appointed as consultant unless the University has obtained the prior written consent of the Respondent, such consent must not be unreasonably withheld by the Respondent.

This information was prepared with the assistance of Clare Newton and Rosemary Kirkby, and in consultation with members of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.

Short-listed finalists

The following are public lectures given by the short-listed finalists during the June Briefing Session. These were an opportunity for the firms to showcase their previous and ongoing work prior to phase 2 of the competition.

Denton Corker Marshall Pty Ltd

Diller Scofidio + Renfro

John Wardle Architects & Office dA

KoningEizenberg with William J Mitchell and Gehry Technologies

McBride Charles Ryan

Sauerbruch Hutton with NH Architecture

Winner

John Wardle Architects and Office dA were named the winners of the competition to design the landmark new Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning site at the University of Melbourne.

The building design includes dedicated spaces for research into sustainable precinct design and performance, along with lecture theatres, a library, exhibition, and specialist workshop spaces. It will accommodate students enrolled in the Bachelor of Environments, one of the degrees formed under the Melbourne Model, and in the Melbourne School of Design as well as provide offices for staff of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.

The competition jury noted the quality of the partnership between Melbourne based John Wardle Architects and Boston based practice Office dA. The Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, Professor Tom Kvan, says their scheme showed a strong understanding of educational, environmental, and social issues in a design that would generate excitement for all staff and students. “The winning design showed a detailed understanding of the teaching and research activities of the Faculty and the potential for contribution to research across the campus.”

Short-listed entrants had to address four key issues central to the project: Built Pedagogy, The Academic Environment, The Design Studio, and The Living Building. In evaluating the presentations, the Jury focused on demonstrated capacity to work with the University to achieve our aspirations, a focus on design quality. The Jury, which consisted of noted architects Odile Decq (Paris) and Peter Elliott (Melbourne), the Vice Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis and Professor Tom Kvan, were highly impressed by the presentations given by all six short listed practices, and noted the broad range of design responses and variety of innovative approaches to research and education.

The John Wardle Architects and Office dA submission was selected out of 133 submissions from 15 countries. Six entrants were then selected to proceed to competition stage, with each paid to develop a conceptual response to the key issues of the brief. The competition was endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects. Presentation boards summarising the response from each of these entrants were on display in the Wunderlich Gallery at the Parkville campus throughout September.