Page 2259 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 4 August 2021
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The Woden town centre has a reputation for being a bit of a concrete jungle with cold and hard lines, and this requires a thoughtful architectural response. We are keen to avoid the replication of challenges arising from previous generations of development in the area. With the CIT building there is an opportunity to strongly differentiate the campus from nearby buildings, both built and planned.
The new CIT campus provides an opportunity to usher in the new chapter of Woden’s story, bringing a different look and feel through innovation in its design, and introducing warm and soft building elements in the design as a response to the challenging environment. Adding new services and amenities and creating inviting new spaces throughout the campus that people will want to spend time in will be a key feature of the design.
The government has also made it clear that our desire is to create a people-friendly space that enhances the Woden town centre as a safe, attractive and interesting place to live, work, learn and visit. For example, the government has a strong desire to deliver an east-west boulevard as a space that can be used comfortably to dwell in throughout Canberra’s seasons; as a place where students, staff and members of the community alike genuinely enjoy spending time because it offers a sense of connection, welcome and sense of liveliness.
Another key focus of the campus is that it is well integrated with its environment, the new public transport interchange and the broader town centre. This integration is at the heart of the design principles for CIT and the Woden interchange project.
Whilst this project is being delivered across three packages in Woden, all of the packages are being designed to deliver a single vision for the Woden town centre that is integrated and works together across transport connectivity, landscaping and sustainability, and public amenities. The next 12 months will be the busiest yet for the Woden CIT project. During this time the procurement of a delivery partner for the campus itself will be finalised and detailed design will get underway.
Consultation continues to inform the project to deliver a new CIT campus and transport and interchange for Woden. As part of package three—that is, the new CIT campus, a reference design has been developed to guide tenderers for the design and construction contract. Hundreds of hours of consultation have taken place up to this point with CIT staff, students, key stakeholders, members of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community including Ngunnawal elders, and the wider community.
From these and many other meetings, our designers have gathered information relating to people’s aspirations for the campus, their community, their learning and professional needs, and the ways in which they will use its spaces, all of which are informing the design and layout of the campus. Subject-specific details, such as private meeting spaces, breakout rooms and maker spaces, teaching and learning spaces and storage spaces have all come from workshops and input from the people who will occupy the new campus. This feedback will continue to inform the development of the designs.
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