Article first appeared in Architecture AU Jackson Clements Burrows Architects has designed two student accommodation buildings for La Trobe University in Melbourne that will be made of mass timber. The two buildings, to be constructed at a cost of $100 million, will hold 624 beds in one, four, five and six bed apartments, with common spaces joining the two buildings together.
The project is thought to be the largest mass timber project in Victoria.
Graham Burrows, JCB Architects director, said, “The design of the new buildings is very much inspired by the extraordinary landscape in which they sit.
“As the largest mass timber project in Victoria, the buildings will not only offer huge environmental benefits, but they will also provide calm and beautiful spaces in and around which both resident students and the wider La Trobe community can interact.”
Ross Snowball, director of developer Multiplex, said the project would make use of a number of emerging sustainable design and construction techniques, including the prefabrication of most of the structure.
“We are particularly passionate about emerging design technologies which respond to environmental and sustainability needs, and we love working with universities – so this project perfectly marries the two and I’m really looking forward to seeing the outcome next year.”The building is part of La Trobe University’s 10-year, $5 billion “University City of the Future” campus redevelopment plan.