Collaborative Design Space, University of Canberra

The marks of students past adorn the walls of the new Collaborative Design Space by Philip Leeson Architects at the University of Canberra.

What was a ramshackle series of dark computer labs is now a bright, lively and versatile complement of spaces suitable for group work, lab work, lectures, exhibitions and collaboration. The brief called for distinct but visually connected areas, dynamic workspaces, passive surveillance, acoustic treatment, a student showcase space, a secure office, plenty of pin-up space, audiovisual, and a complex integration with the building's HVAC system also known as the ‘Dalek’.

The works also involved the restoration and removal of unsympathetic paintwork over the raw concrete, in doing so revealing student graffiti, some of which could be dated to the earliest days of the building. The Collaborate Design Space is on Level C of Building 7, a brutalist building built in the 1970s and designed by architect Roger Johnson.