continuing education

The demand for student accommodation that sets a high standard of living, safety and amenity is growing.

Globally, universities are finding that the quality of on-campus accommodation provided is as much a consideration for students as are the courses offered.

Kinloch Lodge, situated at the Australian National University (ANU), is the newest addition to campus accommodation, and is already setting a benchmark for student residences, says architect Jeremy Bishop, director at nettletontribe.

"Student accommodation differs significantly to usual residential projects in that a lot of particular principles apply pastoral care, social interaction, security and ensuring that issues important to young people are addressed. These factors have to sit alongside other, more encompassing considerations, such as environmentally sustainable design principles."

"Kinloch Lodge has been operating only since 2009, but already it has received nationwide interest, with representatives from other universities visiting regularly to learn more about its design," says Bishop.

Designed by Bishop and the nettletontribe team, Kinloch Lodge comprises a central spine, with accommodation wings running across it, in what the architect terms bisecting accommodation fingers.

"The central spine is significant in that it allowed us to consolidate the bulk of the shared facilities in the one area, creating a very dynamic entry point. Whenever you enter Kinloch Lodge you are immediately aware of the activities going on around you this establishes a feeling of community right from the start.

"Locating the accommodation areas perpendicular to this means students aren't forced to walk for miles to get to their rooms, reinforcing the communal nature of the building. Yet there is enough demarcation for students to establish a sense of ownership, as it were, towards their own accommodation wing," Bishop says.

Security considerations are also consistent with the idea of community. There is only one major entrance and exit point to Kinloch Lodge, allowing for day-to-day interaction between students and front-desk staff. Cameras monitor activity around the building and select cameras, including one at the front door, are displayed over the TV network, allowing students to view the lounges and common areas from their rooms.

"This means the students themselves play a role in the safety of their fellow residents an important consideration in building relationships," says Bishop.

Other relationships too, needed to be addressed through the design of the building. Kinloch Lodge is located in the ANU Exchange precinct, which connects the university proper with Canberra's CBD.

"Because the building forms part of the public streetscape and was therefore subject to a wider formal approval process, we were especially mindful of the need for Kinloch Lodge to contribute to the surrounding buildings," says Bishop. "When it came to orienting the building on the site, we looked beyond the parameters of the boundaries and took our cue from the wider geography.

"While the building appears skewed to the site, the critical axes of the design have been established to reinstate the original pattern of Canberra itself, as designed by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin in the early 1900s."

This skewed placement means the building's central spine runs along a direct east-west axis and the accommodation fingers north-south.

"The result is a dynamic juxtaposition with the neighbouring buildings, while the scale retains a sympathetic context. The massing also provides for a north-facing courtyard, and maximum light and cross-ventilation," says Bishop.

The overall effect is one of vibrancy, augmented by the inclusion of the perforated screen on the northern facade and vertical sunscreens on the eastern and western faces, both of which provide an ever-changing play of light and shadow while mitigating solar gain.

Each apartment has also been double glazed and air conditioning supports natural ventilation.

Internally, Kinloch Lodge has been designed for full adaptability and flexibility, says Bishop.

"The building has a system of grids and modules, with each module comprising a standard studio unit and multiple variations thereof. The system allowed unit types to be interchanged easily with the grids during the design planning stage, while mix and feasibility were being determined. It's basically a micro-design to macro-design concept.

"Everything is very linear, very efficient. We've blurred the edges between spaces, allowing them to overlap. It is this approach that has garnered the most attention, and it allows for continuous updating and improvement student accommodation is an area where lessons are still being learned," Bishop says.

Story by: Trendsideas