The Banyule Nillumbik Tech School (BNTS) located on Melbourne Polytechnic’s Greensborough Campus has been designed to create an immersive, collaborative and student-led learning environment. This design intent has been achieved by referencing the school’s internal programs on the building’s external skin.
Designed by Tectura Architects, in collaboration with Melbourne Polytechnic, the building’s form represents a prism and the bending of white light, creating colours of the rainbow, while the pixelated squares represent the ‘digital’ side of life.
The innovative design approach seen in BNTS Tech School’s architecture directly responds to the learning modules. Some of the internal wall linings, ceilings and flooring have been replaced with glazing to reveal the construction elements and services within the building.
ExoTec façade panels from James Hardie Australia were specified as cladding to bring the design of the building form to life. Being customisable, the cladding panels could be used to represent the bending of white light passing through a prism, creating the colours of the rainbow and bringing the building to life.
The complex pixilated design gives context to the facility by showcasing the intersection between disciplines encouraged by the Tech School programs.
The ExoTec panels, which can be cut and painted onsite, are pre-sealed and pre-primed for minimal paint preparation. In this installation, the facade panels provide a robust and crisp aesthetic, adding to the architecture of the building.
