UQ Brisbane City

Client: The University of Queensland

Australia

The public realm connecting the various suites is rich in texture, colour and delight, and provides settings that promote conversations and knowledge sharing.

A floor-based servicing strategy was adopted to minimise intervention with the heritage fabric, and an associative approach to material selections celebrates the stories of the buildings.

Contemporary metalwork insertions throughout provide conditioned air, AV, power, data, whiteboards, and lighting. The insertions are bronze & brass, making reference to the highly significant and identifiable dome. Bronze elements are structural, hardworking, and functional, while more decorative, ornate, and tactile elements are brass, just as in the dome. Floor inlays, bespoke furniture pieces and rug patterning are also informed by the dome's geometry and Maltese Cross motifs.

Historically, Araucaria Cunninghamii, or ‘Hoop Pine’, were said to "tower into the sky" on this site. The cones became prompts for the design of custom lighting, with reference made through perforated shrouds of streetlights, lamps, and pendants. These feature lights are supported by purpose designed task lighting and ample natural light which floods into the rooms through large windows and glazed facades.