The Kangan Institute Automotive Centre of Excellence in Melbourne’s Docklands is stage 2 of an innovative centre that houses skills training, education, research and display facilities for the automotive industry in Australia. The landscape design is influenced strongly by the bold geometries of the building as well as seeking to provide more intimate and human scale spaces.
Roof Gardens Interview from ASPECT Studios on Vimeo.
Sustainability was a key driver in the design and construction of this precinct, with the stage 2 building and public realm gaining a 5 Star Green Star rating, an exceptional rating for a training facility. A living (green) roof and water sensitive urban design treatments, a strong emphasis on recycled elements, low embodied energy and sustainable materials, and indigenous plantings all contribute to the excellence in environmental design that the 5 Star Green Star rating represents.
The design and overall precinct masterplan extend public streetscapes to anchor Kangan Institute within Melbourne’s new urban extension of Docklands, and to create dynamic linkages into the campus core from the rapidly developing surrounding precincts. A centralised campus courtyard provides for staff and student learning opportunities and passive relaxation, and the living roof creates a space for staff amenity while maximising the space’s environmental performance.
Façade screening, and stylised concrete and timber seating, anchor the building and edge the raised podium. Durable pavements and timber decking allow for the demands of intensive use.
The design’s deliberate expression of industrial and automotive processes is clearly seen in surface finishes and furniture details – nuts and bolts from car fixings are embedded into feature paving; road safety ‘cat-eyes’ enhance chevron pavement patternation and demarcate vehicle loading areas; checker plate detailing is incorporated into precast seat units that extend from the building façade; and bucket seat and armrest units surround the central raised podium.
Kangan Institute Automotive Centre of Excellence | Melbourne Australia | ASPECT Studios
Location | Docklands, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Client | Kangan Institute
Team |
ASPECT Studios | Landscape Architecture
Gray Puksand | Architecture (lead consultant)
Coffey Projects | Project Managers
Proactive Consulting Engineers | Services
Robert Bird | Civil
Sustainable Built Environments | ESD
Pro Build Constructions
Fytogreen
2Construct Pro Build Constructions | Builder
Year | 2011
Budget | AUD $1 million
Area size | Ground floor area – 1975 m², level 3 green roof – 320 m²
Photography | Andrew Lloyd, ASPECT Studios
