Set to house Bond University’s Soheil Abedian School of Architecture, the Gold Coast’s “architectural version of the Sydney Opera House” has been designed by internationally renowned CRAB Studios in London.
Already well under construction, the architecturally iconic building is named after Gold Coast architect and property development figure, and long-term supporter of the University, Dr Soheil Abedian.
Due for completion in mid-2013, and opened later in the year, the $16 million building for architectural students will become a Queensland icon.
Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham of CRAB Studios designed the project, after winning an international competition in 2010 to deliver a state of the art architectural school headquarters.
Designs of the building are based on the premise that for students to achieve maximum creativity and benefit, they have to be operating in a space that provides connectivity, a flowing fluid environment and an atmosphere of harmony and creativity.
ADCO Constructions Pty Ltd is charged with making CRAB Studios vision a reality.
ADCO Gold Coast manager Colin Kitto says there were considerable challenges in building the innovative and visually stunning structure.
“Features include an internal streetscape that runs the length of the building and ‘scoops’ that provide individual workspaces for students to exhibit and critique their work, as well as dedicated environmental science laboratories.”
A world-first in terms of construction, the scoops form an integral part of the interior and are free form in shape measuring three storeys high. They, along with the design of the overall building, provide a real-life case study for architecture students.
“The formwork design was undertaken in Germany with 3D modeling undertaken by CRAB Studio in London to show how they would function,” Kitto says.
“They fit together in a complex design that is critical to the building’s structure.
“ADCO is the principal contractor for the project and during the construction phase it has created approximately 660 direct jobs and many more indirect jobs.”
One of the main construction challenges ADCO has faced is turning the complex and leading edge designs into a reality, he says.
ADCO Constructions had been associated with Bond University since 2003 and has been responsible for the construction of numerous buildings on campus.
Other projects undertaken include: the Bond Faculty of Health Science and Medicine; the School of Sustainable Development; the Balnaves Foundation Multimedia Learning Centre; the first and second stages of the Law faculty; the ADCO Amphitheatre; refurbishment of the library; the library annex; the facilities management offices and workshops, and the architectural workshop.
Kitto says the Soheil Abedian School of Architecture had been the most challenging project undertaken by them so far.
Bond University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Brailsford says the building has been designed to not only provide Bond students with a state-of-the-art facility that enriches their educational experience, but it is intended to provide a creative space that inspires them and immerses them in the work they are learning about.
“Just as the Sydney Opera House has become an iconic building this structure will also gain a reputation as an architectural icon over the decades to come and I am confident that some of the world’s leading future architects will emerge from within its walls, scoops and flowing internal streetscape,” Brailsford says.
