a geometric 'petal' façade clads HASSELL's new student hub for university in australia

international design practice, HASSELL, has completed the ‘EZONE’ student hub for the university of western australia’s (UWA) faculty of engineering and mathematical sciences (EMS). forming part of the crawley campus in perth, the new building serves as a shared precinct for the EMS community and their partners while providing a new western gateway into the university. 

all images by douglas mark black

the program comprises three engineering labs, higher degree workspaces, and 14 flexible learning studios. these functions are supported by a large ‘learning steps’ meeting place, a café and beautiful outdoor spaces for both learning and socializing. with space for students, alumni, researchers, and industry partners to come together and thrive, EZONE is designed by HASSELL for the connection of people and the exchange of ideas. 

extending the relationship that the campus has with its celebrated landscape setting, EZONE brings planting up and into the building while showcasing cutting edge internal research activities to the wider community. the design team has blurred the traditional boundaries between building and garden, inside and outside, for a learning environment that encourages interaction and collaboration.

innovative sustainability measures are integral to the design, including PV cell glass skylights, a wind turbine, and the ‘veil’ façade that both contains and reveals the new ‘living building’ – mitigating glare, heat, and filtering sunlight with petals fixed at different angles to suit their orientation. the veil creates a unique identity for EZONE’s exterior, designed to represent a six pointed sun symbol – one of UWA’s ‘100 treasures’, cast into many of the concrete buildings on campus. the geometric, repeating nature of the veil creates a striking elevation with a nod to mathematics and engineering while filtering views into surrounding tree canopies.

not one to let a learning opportunity pass by, UWA encouraged and facilitated student involvement during the build. a viewing platform was installed and site tours were coordinated to give students and staff the opportunity to learn about the project’s journey.

HASSELL principal, david gulland, said that working on the EZONE hub was a rewarding experience for the whole design team. ‘many of us graduated from UWA, so there is definitely a connection to the buildings and landscape that informed the design process,’ gulland said.

‘it was important that the building itself could be a tool for learning and research – for example, access to transparent, ‘real’ plant room spaces, and informal breakout spaces linked to specialist laboratories and learning studios. the combination of the garden campus setting and the university as a place to meet, challenge and exchange ideas feels as if it has coalesced into an outward looking, international facility with a strong local identity,’ gulland continued.

project info:

project name: university of western australia EZONE

location: university of western australia, perth, australia

architect: HASSELL

photography: douglas mark black

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edited by: lynne myers | designboom