Deakin University, Waratah Place

The Burwood student accommodation project for 577 beds is set in the landscape across three wings. The building is designed to link two earlier accommodation buildings into a cohesive residential precinct on campus. The design features communal uses on the ground plane focusing around two vertical voids linking these spaces to a vertical community and with the wider surrounding precinct. Gaps in the built form reinforces visual linkages and permeability. A series of robust and textured concrete picture frames contain built form which is punctuated by a network of walkways, viewing platforms and green spaces that aid and encourage student interaction. Red fins that provide colour and texture to the facade is drawn from the local flora whilst reflective mirrored finishes reflect the surrounding landscape.