Digital

Universe

Within the heart of the Education Building a five-metre LED sphere hangs suspended across two floors, offering students new opportunities to engage and interact with visualisation technology.

through. Glazed walls and stone flooring minimise the transition from outside to inside, where a terraced garden flourishes beneath the atrium skylights. The planting provides a respite from the South East Queensland climate, and the biophilic design aids wellbeing by helping to reduce stress, foster relaxation and improve productivity and creativity.

The terrace garden also negotiates the level difference between the Education Precinct Building and the adjoining library. New openings in the library building connect the two learning hubs, enabling direct circulation, and timber fins disguise the existing façade.

A variety of social learning spaces, from amphitheatre seating to lounges, benches and individual and communal tables, provide students with opportunities for collaborative and individual work, creating an academic space that supports life beyond the classroom. “We wanted to create an environment that supports many different ways to learn. Flexibility was key, and we planned for a variety of learning situations and new teaching methods,” says Jakob Kurek, partner at Henning Larsen.

A giant, digital LED sphere hovers over the ground floor and is a showpiece of QUT’s commitment to applying technology to enhance the student experience. Developed with Pro AV Solutions and Leyard, the sphere can serve as a dynamic learning and teaching tool, providing a digital surface for streaming student and teacher content. It is complemented by an interactive digital LED video wall on level one, and a drop-down screen and high-resolution data projector above the amphitheatre seating.