From the architect:
Born from an appreciation of architecture, The Melbourne School of Design (MSD) has become a catalyst for creativity and inventive design research.
Within this building, the next generation of designers, planners and thinkers learn to collaborate across disciplines.
MSD is located in the centre of the historic core of the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus. Heritage buildings, landscapes and key campus streetscapes surround the building. Specifically, it resides between the heritage façade of the Elisabeth Murdoch building, and the façade of the former Bank of New South Wales. Therefore, MSD must emphasise both occupation and interaction, as it responds to the historic bookends at the east and west of the site.
Our design, in collaboration with Boston architecture firm NADAAA, is driven by the idea that the building itself is Built Pedagogy. With its many inventive structural and environmental ideas, the building itself becomes a live learning tool for students and staff alike. Through its clarity of materials, tectonics, and organization, MSD is active in the education of its occupants.
Furthermore, the creative and collaborative activities within MSD are revealed through transparent building facades, and an open permeable ground plane encourages engagement with the rest of the university community.
