A new hub for the Business School at UniSA’s City West Campus, with a focus on immersive student education through the integration of contemporary industry facilities
Client
University of South Australia
Location
Yungondi Building, UniSA City West Campus
Completion
August 2017
Procurement
Managing Contractor
Awards
DIA Gold Award – Built Environment, Education
The project created a new hub and a home on campus for the Business School, which promotes UniSA as a global leader in business education. It consists of a variety of functions including; spaces for collaboration between students and industry professionals, ‘live’ teaching trading room, external training facilities, student-directed study areas and staff accommodation.
Stripping back the existing building to its structural frame enabled new connections, both visually and physically, with the broader campus and with the North Terrace frontage. Along with a refined and considered material palette showcases and reflects the spirit of the Business School. The existing atrium was transformed from a low height transition space with minimal connection to adjacent rooms, into a voluminous and habitable connection point. Its capability for reconfiguration to suit multiple uses now forms the core of the Hub.
The functional requirements for high levels of AV and IT were approached as design opportunities, allowing their innovative use as key elements throughout the Hub. A digital ticker tape acts as a wayfinding element to lead people into the atrium, as well as providing updates on the stock exchange. The Hub also features the first stock trading room in Australia for education and training, designed to simulate real-world practice for a realistic and immersive student learning experience.