(Above: McBride Charles Ryan's design)
From Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s “pornographic” views to the KoningEizenberg’s promise of America on a rope, we reveal video presentations of the finalists in the University of Melbourne architecture competition.
The shortlist for the new landmark building for the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning read like a who’s who of architecture.
Six finalists were chosen from 133 submissions across 15 countries to compete for the commission.
While John Wardle Architects and Boston-based Office dA were announced as the winning team earlier this month, running up submissions came from McBride Charles Ryan (pictured above), Denton Corker Marshall, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Sauerbruch Hutton with NH Architecture, and KoningEizenberg with William J Mitchell and Gehry Technologies.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s submission proposes a democratic approach to study, built around on an inclined plane that is carved and sliced to serve the building’s needs. The building must “straddle and merge” the dualisms of theory and practice, real world and academia, the submission argues.
KoningEizenberg with William J Mitchell and Gehry Technologies extends the historic quadrangles and lanes of the campus to create two major new quadrangles that are activated by surrounding buildings, connected into a reorganized lane network, and then create a dramatic new campus entry from Swanston Street.
Teaching is a public act in the McBride Charles Ryan design. Pedestrians pass through the building, which is dissected by a “canyon” that reveals the act of learning. As an urban building, the structure should work as miniature city such as Rome, Venice or even Melbourne, the architects suggest.
Denton Corker Marshall designed a “learning warehouse” that prioritises light and space and provides for future changes in teaching. The light-filled interior allows for interactivity and social connections.
The university is portrayed as a marketplace where students can pick up their future professions by Sauerbruch Hutton and NH Architecture, which vox-popped many students about what they want from their new faculty in preparation for their submission.
(Below:: McBride Charles Ryan; KoningEizenberg with William J Mitchell and Gehry Technologies; Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Sauerbruch Hutton with NH Architecture; and Denton Corker Marshall)
