peckvonhartel was engaged by the Melbourne Business School (MBS) to provide architectural and interior design services for their campus amalgamation project. Working closely with project managers, Sandrick, this project represents the first phase of development which will revitalise the campus with new learning and teaching spaces, staff offices, and student and staff common areas.
The client’s brief was to create the physical and symbolic sense of “One School” from a series of disconnected buildings that compose the campus. The design creates a connection between the individual buildings by re-orientating all teaching and learning spaces to focus around the central courtyard. Staff will be centralised in one building, but both staff and students will share a Central Hub for informal meetings, dining and social activities. The hub will improve on existing facilities, create a permeable connection with the central courtyard and enhance communication between students and staff.
peckvonhartel worked closely with the Change Management team to implement a more agile workplace strategy and experimental teaching practices. For the latter, we proposed a staged implementation of the six new teaching spaces, with the first being used as a prototype for the res, all within the period of eight months from commencement to completion.
In addition to a tight timeframe and budget, the project contained many challenges, with design and documentation running concurrently in some cases. Significant modifications were required to parts of the base building, with construction undertaken in phases, to ensure minimal disruption to students and staff.