A living learning building to inspire next generation of designers, launched today

The University of Melbourne's newest building, Melbourne School of Design, to house the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning has been launched today. The building has been constructed with the latest design innovations and cutting edge technology, with features including a structural timber roof supporting three levels of suspended studios, a Japanese Room and Garden on the top level, a rainwater collection system and flexible teaching spaces. Professor Tom Kvan, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, said the building showcases innovative elements that are at the global forefront of the design industry. "The building is the embodiment of the architectural and design principles explored at the Melbourne School of Design," Professor Kvan said. "This building practices what we teach. It's a building dedicated to pushing design frontiers and approaching challenges with innovative solutions." The completed building has left various features carefully exposed so, as students walk around it, they can see examples of how heritage can be integrated, how materials can work in different ways and how innovative structural solutions enable great spaces. "The layout of the studios, workspaces, galleries and offices are interwoven, bringing the disciplines of architecture, urbanism, construction and landscape architecture into, as people pass through these spaces and cross-pollinate ideas," said Professor Kvan.