Australia's Leading Range of Thermally Broken Aluminium Windows and Doors
Australia's Leading Range of Thermally Broken Aluminium Windows and Doors
Everything old is new again on the streets of downtown Hobart, with the official opening of the freshly refurbished campus of the University of Tasmania’s School of Nursing & Midwifery. Combining all the charm of early 20th century architecture with the comforts and energy-efficiency of 21st century design and technology, the building is now an epicentre of learning for a whole new generation of future nursing professionals.
“In the last few years there’s been a push to bring the university back into the city and so they [the University of Tasmania] decided to bring functions like the School of Nursing & Midwifery and also health functions to this site.” But there were a number of challenges, the first being adapting a heritage building to accommodate new demands.
Part of the brief involved connecting the school with an adjacent building via a link, the provision of a lift and, because of the steepness of the site, ramps for accessibility.
Local heritage architect, Graeme Corney, was commissioned to do an assessment of the buildings, and provide Locke and the builders with appropriate redevelopment guidelines. Says Locke, “We came up with three or four major design approaches. We wanted to restore the original features like the old timber ceilings. The spaces themselves, we wanted to leave them as they were and enhance the existing features.”
With an eye to ensuring the grand old building lost none of its character, the team decided to keep the old lecture tables, complete with WWII graffiti, along with the grand staircase in the main entrance. The original features are complemented by a more streamlined interior within which all services, including mechanicals and electrical, are concealed, while modern architectural additions have been sympathetically combined with the existing buildings.
Architect: Brian Locke
Filmed By: SRH Communications
