Distinctive design for new Building 2 revealed
May 2016
For the first time, UTS can reveal the proposed design for the revitalisation of Building 2, which envisages a 16-level building with a distinctive ‘twist’ and a tri-level, glass-fronted scholarly reading room overlooking Alumni Green.
Recently submitted as part of the UTS Central project development application (DA), this design – which proposes 14 new floors and retention of the two existing basement levels (1 and 2) – will renew the very heart of the UTS campus.
The proposed design for Building 2 from Alumni Green, by architects FJMT
Supporting the City Campus Master Plan concept of a ‘sticky campus’, it will become a drawcard for students, with a new state-of-the-art UTS Library (adjacent to the Library Retrieval System below Alumni Green), a wealth of informal and formal learning spaces, and a Student Services hub. In addition, multiple floors would be dedicated to additional, much-needed research space for the university.
Following a competitive public tender for the design of the building in 2014, architecture firm Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT) was appointed as the lead consultant for UTS Central. FJMT is working alongside architects Lacoste + Stevenson and Daryl Jackson Robin Dyke, who were joint winners of the design competition for the Buildings 1 and 2 Podium Extension held in 2010.
About the design
FJMT’s design gives Building 2 a distinctive new identity to rival UTS’s other recent new buildings, delivered in 2014–2015.
Key features include:
- A wide podium on levels 3–7, overlooking Broadway to the south and Alumni Green to the north, to house the bulk of the social, student-focused areas, including the UTS Library, scholarly reading room, learning commons, collaborative classrooms and theatres, and Student Services hub.
- A nine-level tower above the podium – accommodating additional research spaces – presenting a twisting, rotating external form as it reaches higher.
- Physical and visual connections to the surrounding campus, including a grand stairway and green spaces oriented towards Alumni Green.
According to architect Richard Francis-Jones, the new building “represents a character that is uniquely UTS, and respects and responds to the urban context of the existing campus infrastructure and the Broadway streetscape. The rotation and setback of Building 2’s form preserve the prominence and integrity of the adjacent UTS Tower, while the veil-like delicacy of Building 2’s façade serves as a juxtaposition to the existing brutalist form.
“The design particularly emphasises the visual and physical connection with Alumni Green, UTS’s social and green heart, via a grand stair that not only provides access between Building 2 but also acts as a forum for activities and engagement. A highly transparent multi-level reading room perched above the Alumni Green provides a dramatic space for scholarly study in close proximity to the campus heart. Additionally, sinuous winter gardens climbing the north facade of the tower and a generous roof terrace further enhance engagement between the Alumni Green and the tower.”
“On levels 3 and 4, a predominance of clear glazed facades create a sense of transparency and, importantly, connectivity through the building between Broadway, Jones Street, Alumni Green and out to the wider campus and community,” he said.
“The design particularly emphasises the visual and physical connection with Alumni Green, UTS’s social and green heart, via a grand stair that not only provides access between Building 2 but also acts as a forum for activities and engagement. A highly transparent multi-level reading room perched above the Alumni Green provides a dramatic space for scholarly study in close proximity to the campus heart. Additionally, sinuous winter gardens climbing the north facade of the tower and a generous roof terrace further enhance engagement between the Alumni Green and the tower.”
“On levels 3 and 4, a predominance of clear glazed facades create a sense of transparency and, importantly, connectivity through the building between Broadway, Jones Street, Alumni Green and out to the wider campus and community,” he said.
An artist illustration of the new Building 2 from Jones St
Patrick Woods, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Resources), said of the new building, “UTS’s location in Sydney’s urban heart offers us unique challenges and opportunities to ensure students and staff enjoy a vibrant campus experience.
“We push the boundaries in everything we do at UTS and this building is no exception. The proposed design represents who we are and where we’re going. The range of high-tech, collaborative spaces that will be made available by this new building will ensure we have even more impact in learning and research.”
What happens next?
Building 2 will close for preparation works at the end of June 2016, after the relocation of staff and equipment, which is currently in progress. Internal hoardings will then be installed between Buildings 1 and 2, and the building handed over to the contractors who will commence decommissioning and strip-out works.
Subject to planning approval, demolition and construction will follow, with the new Building 2 opening in 2019. Further information about the demolition and construction timetable will follow in due course.
More information
Staff can find information on Staff Connect. Or look out for the next edition of this newsletter for more details about this project.
