ANU Birch Building Refurbishment by Hassell

Built on the land of the Ngunnawal people Acton, Australian Capital Territory

Jury citation Eggleston, MacDonald and Secomb’s design intent for the interiors of the ANU Birch Building has been updated and amplified in the exemplary refurbishment work by Hassell. The creation of flexible and contemporary learning spaces for highly serviced needs in a thermally improved building envelope has been achieved with great sensitivity to the original building’s internal spaces.

Original furniture, fittings and fixtures have been retained where appropriate, and updated or supplemented where necessary in a meticulously respectful manner. The original materials, textures and colours have been retained, inspiring the designers in their selections for the new work. Where a different approach was required, it is referential and clearly expressed.

The quiet, dignified approach of the original interiors, along with the thoughtful renewal by Hassell, ensures that the Birch Building continues to support the people who occupy it and the work they undertake.

Architect Hassell; Project team Mark Roehrs, Emma Ludwig, Ben Wilson, Madeleine Reyes, Chris Chen, Pete Hastings, Troy King, Sophie Kebbell, Mike Thomas, Sammy Barry, Tarek Barclay, Michael Copeland; Builder Hindmarsh Construction; Access consultant, building surveyor CBS; Acoustic, AV, communications, electrical, ESD, fire (dry) services, lighting, lift, mechanical and security consultant WSP; Hazardous goods and zones CETEC; Facade and structural engineer, civil consultant TTW; Fire safety engineer Warrington Fire; Heritage consultant Lovell Chen; Hydraulic consultant and fire (wet) Rimmington and Associates; Planning Purdon Planning; Quantity surveyor RLB; Landscape consultant Hassell; Photographer Mark Syke

“Many presentations [to the jury] highlighted the relationship of the building to its community rather than the architecture.”

Tony Giannone, Jury Chair, 2022 National Architecture Awards