REIMAGINED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES
Functionality and practicality take precedence in the new architectural studio for the School of Architecture, Building and Design at Taylor’s University. The space is designed to be creative, cotemporary and innovative to cater to the preferences of Gen-Y students. The utilisation of space stems from the need to accommodate a range of functions, including personal workspace, collaborative space, and public event space. To fulfil the individual requirements of each of these distinct yet connected parcels, a simplistic design strategy was adopted to stimulate studio culture within an open plan layout.
Located in a former food-court, the space was transformed into a workable architectural studio that responded to the design brief. Going back to basics with the belief that less is more, the spatial layout is designed with a pragmatic approach as every area is fully optimised to create a collaborative yet comfortable and personal space for students who have a tendency to spend long hours in the faculty. For this purpose, the design firm engages a range of subtle yet innovative spatial solutions to provide a robust yet inspirational platform for students to seek explorative ideas in their projects.
Each parcel is transformative and allow for easy reconfiguration for diverse functions. Personal workspaces line the sides of the building to offer ample privacy, while flexible utility spaces and discussion rooms are sectioned off at the centre for students and lecturers to come together to collaborate. Modular partitioning is used to manage acoustics and transform small tutorial rooms into larger rooms. A breakout zone at the corner offers an alternative space for informal discussions and collaboration within a relaxed setting. A multi-tiered seating platform is introduce in the core space for purpose of invited guest presentation and also used for student design crits and brainstorming. The seating platform is designed with metal structure and expanded metal mesh, looking like a battle cage in a MMA fight to illustrate the idea that this is the battle ground for the students during crit session to showcase the skills and defend their ideas.
Negating common perceptions that a faculty should be a mundane and unimaginative space, a blend of materials and elements are applied to introduce a touch of personality and originality, while effectively brightening up the space. All previously fixed MEP services from the old food court were kept and intentionally coloured to be part of the interior setting and true to its original form, very much inspired by the Pompidou Centre by renowned architects, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, along with Gianfranco Franchini. While decorative elements are kept to a minimum, each area features a vibrant colour play to complement and bring warmth through the implementation of industrial-inspired materials and open ceiling. Also lining on most walls are materials such as cork board for pin-up, glass panels for writing and hot-rolled galvanized metal plate for magnetic pin-up.
The resulting design demonstrates a clever use of space and colour to inject life into a pragmatic space, creatively fulfilling its spatial needs in simplistic manner.