For a building to become a producer for the campus, operational efficiency must be optimised to reduce energy consumption. This will allow for onsite energy production to not only supply the needs of the building but to the entire campus. Covid has also now presented more issues and requirements of what educational buildings need to achieve, while we need to promote energy efficiency and net zero, how can we also make the spaces feel comfortable and welcoming to the students and staff post covid. Can a retrofitted & redesigned older building become a provider of both.
Exterior View Showing Solar Canopy
The redesigned and retrofitted Education building is a new place to gather for the Monash Clayton campus and it also provides a visible commitment to renewable energy through the Solar Canopy, it acts as a provider of clean energy to the campus and also as a shading device to the north facing façade.
Front View of Building
The old education building was very closed off to the public, it was an older mainly brick cladded building which did not allow for light penetration and also acted as a visual barrier. Increasing the amount of light was important for the users of the building. The building retains the main structural elements.
Interior Canopy View
The Solar canopy allows for internal spaces to be shaded by the solar panels and also locations to allow for natural light to still penetrate through. This creates spaces which are semi opened and permeable allowing for natural ventilation.
Design Principles
The key design principles are the basis of the design decisions behind the project. Making sure that decisions were always tied back into these principles. The main provider of clean energy would be generated on-site by the solar canopy. This would act as the carbon offset to the new materials that would be required for the redesign of the building.
Diversity of Spaces - Post Covid
There needed to be a diversity of spaces. Spaces would operate differently to allow for students and staff to use spaces that they would feel more comfortable with. Individual spaces would be more temperature controlled and closed off and progressively as the spaces got larger more natural ventilation would be introduced and more temperature variance would be allowed.
Henry Huynh, Exterior View Showing Solar Canopy
Henry Huynh, Front View of Building
Henry Huynh, Interior Canopy View
Henry Huynh, Design Principles
Henry Huynh, Diversity of Spaces - Post Covid
