Client:
The University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau
Location:
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Completion:
2016
Size:
23,000m2
Project Value:
$160m
Contact:
Patrick Clifford
The University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau Science Centre (Building 302) provides accommodation for the Schools of Psychology, Chemistry and Environment in addition to staff spaces for the Faculty of Science itself. It is designed as the anchor of the University’s Science Precinct.
Located on the edge of the city campus, the project responds to a brief that sought to increase the University’s presence at a key gateway whilst bringing together new and existing facilities within the precinct.
Formally the project is organised to offer a generous “window into the life of the University” for passers-by and the city at large, whilst the provision of new sheltered edges to the street and ground plane linkages weave a connective network between the public realm and the campus community.
The building is based on an organisational strategy that promotes social and academic interaction. As with many previous Architectus projects, the arrangement of the spaces in section is key. Activities are organised around a series of staggered “rooms” and a connecting atrium, creating a flexible environment for research, learning and interdisciplinary communication.
