MONASH UNIVERSITY MATHS TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTRE
Traditional Owners and Ongoing Custodians - Bunurong Country
Location – Monash University Clayton Campus VIC
Status – Completed 2018
Architects – Kennedy Nolan Architecture
Photography – Tom Ross
The landscape design of the Maths Teaching and Learning Centre at the Monash University Clayton Campus creates an environment that performs beyond the brief.
As an outdoor extension of the learning environment, it puts the learning on display and integrates formal and informal learning spaces. The geometrically and geologically inspired design draws inspiration from plate tectonics, expressed in the stacking and tessellation of hardscaping elements. It is also a carefully curated beacon of biodiversity that shapes a welcoming point of arrival and foregrounds the University’s bush campus experience.
With consideration of the overall campus masterplan guidelines, the design integrates Universal Access, establishing a new opening link from the central axis of Rainforest Walk into the building whilst negotiating a change in levels. Application of a geological interpretation of a standardised paving system shapes the orientation and flow of pedestrian access through the landscape.
The landscape builds upon the existing tree canopy to improve outdoor shading and reduce heat gain within the building, adapting an open grassy woodland condition to the public realm.
The planting approach features species of key plant communities from the local bioregion of the Gippsland Plains, aligning with a key axis of the campus the interface of Rainforest Walk features local temperate rainforest species.
The planting design is directly informed by an analysis of solar and shadow movements across the site. This resulted in a zoned design which enabled a greater diversity of planting spanning rainforest and open grassy woodlands, featuring local species such as wildflowers and flowering grasses that service local pollinators and provide habitat value for local invertebrate species.
This project has delivered an inviting, green interface between the building and key circulation arterials, establishing a welcoming and engaging point of arrival to the Monash Campus, providing diverse learning zones, and shaping a warm welcome to students and visitors alike.