Brave New World

QUT Peter Coaldrake Education Precinct Building, Brisbane by Wilson Architects and Henning Larsen

Photography

Education is a gateway to unlocking potential, developing life skills and entering the workforce. Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Peter Coaldrake Education Precinct Building, designed by Brisbane practice Wilson Architects and Danish firm Henning Larsen, is a gateway in both the physical and figurative sense. The building itself is a major feature of QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus and a facilitator of students preparing to become teachers.

“The building is pivotal to QUT in terms of location as it brings together the education faculty, the existing library and a major pedestrian spine that connects the busway to the campus heart,” says John Thong, director of Wilson Architects. “It also provides a memorable, inviting place that enhances student engagement and offers teaching and learning spaces that support contemporary pedagogy and technology.”

QUT’s educational approach emphasises real-world learning experiences that reflect the physical and digital nature of the present and the adaptability required for the future. As in the contemporary workplace, technology and agility play an important role in contemporary pedagogy. Technology needs to inspire, prepare and equip students to become teachers; agile spaces need to support teaching and learning, empowering students to thrive.

Wilson Architects and Henning Larsen incorporated these technological and agile working requirements into the design of the building to help students and teachers achieve the best possible outcomes, and to create an engaging environment that serves as a entrance to the campus. The building incorporates formal teaching areas and social learning spaces that all QUT students can access, offering a hub for students who may not cross paths otherwise.

The Education Precinct is located on the main path through the campus, just a short walk from the busway. Zigzag sunshading on the exterior of the building provides a distinctive appearance and helps modulate natural light and solar gain. The six-storey building is articulated into three volumes on glass podiums that rise progressively to allow the sense of the external landscape to flow