Group Design for ESD & Industrial Design Schools

After combining all the ideas generated from the different groups of the class, we zoomed in on our section and were given the chance to design the Industrial and Environmental Schools of design for the DDI. We tidied up a few loose concepts from the week before, and worked hard throughout the week to produce plans, sections and conceptual perspectives of how we thought the spaces might feel. Below is the ground floor plan for our proposal, drawn by Joe.







Our design points for our proposal include:



Our initial concept was to have the ESD school as the backbone to the other schools. The bender serves as a connection between the ESD and Industrial faculties and has been used to connect both schools as it interacts with the public.


Junction (crossroad)… Serves as a core through the centre and axis of the two buildings and allows students to pass through both buildings.


Interaction between existing Deakin… A link is made between both buildings through a cafeteria on level 2 (above Brougham St). It allows students to pass from the A+B studio on the 3rd level of the existing waterfront campus through to the ESD campus with the provision of a communal space. Pathways are created between the two buildings also that stem from studio to studio on a number of levels to allow transition for students.


Public spaces… Large open areas are provided for spaces of high activity. The spaces include the studio, for example, and the studio is situated below mezzanine levels and an atrium space to encourage interaction through views of the spaces below.


Conference Hall… Isolated, easily accessed by all four schools. Situated next to the library, it serves as a central hub, a communal area, and is easily accessed from Brougham and Clare streets)


Integration between Fashion school Nooks and intimate spaces created by the angled form of the building. Distinguished access – ‘the bender’ (addressing it…we know high activity occurs here, therefore we’ve drawn people into space from high, private and public use areas)


Configuration: was designed with intention of how spaces (frequent use) determined and the locality of it


Connectivity between different faculties & stemmed spaces from the bender… ‘the bender’ acts as a divider between the schools has been utilized and acts as a pathways which encourages social interaction. This is achieved through public spaces and avenues such as the galleries and retail areas. Retail areas to be used by the public and encourage social activity in the area; public open spaces provided to allow students, customers, and people passing through the bender to stop and interact with the building.


Integrating the natural sloping grade of the site… Working with ‘the bender’ as a central hub to the two schools, it is entered at ground floor from Gheringhap St and follows through to Cunningham pier. The slope of the site allows for different floor levels to be created between the different areas of the faculty (ie. the conference hall/ auditorium).


Softened & activated edges… Achieved through positioning shops on street front; galleries displaying students’ work; the basic form of the building and materiality (ESD-driven); green wedges & vertical landscaping to create that connection.


ESD-driven principles… - Garden terraces (energy efficiency, public space away from work space, maximising bay views) - Solar access & energy efficiency: potentially areas where the will be students and teachers, natural light, perform much better (comfort factor – ESD natural light) - Vertical landscaping - Louvres - Passive heating & cooling - Ventilation


For the next individual design stage, I have chosen to work on the bottom right corner of the masterplan which is a building housing offices, lecture theatres, and tutorial rooms for the Industrial design school as well as shared computer labs for both it and the ESD school.