Victoria University Lecture Theatre

Victoria University Building - Building Information

Architect: Michael McKenna Pty Ltd / Morgan McKenna Pty. Ltd.
Client: Victoria University of Technology, Werribee Campus
Date of Design: 1997 – 2000
Structural Engineer: Ove Arup & Partners
Services Engineer: Umow Lai & Associates
Acoustic Engineer: Watson Moss Growcott
Landscape Architect: Rush Wright Associates
Quantity Surveyor: Wilde Wollard Pty. Ltd.
Floor Area: 450 sq m
Structural System: Steel Frame
Principal materials: Mixture of external metal claddings; Rheinzinc; Alucabond &; Colorbond;
Interiors linings of Plywood, Plaster and Carpet with Sebel theatre seating;
Budget: $AUS1.75M (1999)

Although a small building this is a powerful architecture for this young university campus providing a value added teaching venue with; tiered seating; flexible (flat floor) teaching area; excellent sight lines; ideal acoustics; blackout environment; computer based audio-visual and video projection; a comfortable environment and; has convenient disability access. The 222-seat auditorium is first stage of a teaching/conference facility and future remote learning.

The architecture emphasises the building’s prominence in the small burgeoning campus. Adopting a ‘play tall’ strategy the design provides a symbolic and civic value.

The flying wing form generated three dimensionally by crease and folding of a “shoe box” auditorium to proportion perspective and evolve the interior acoustics. The flying wing recalls a fragment from Melnikov’s seminal modernist theatre for the Rusakov Factory Worker’s Club, Moscow (c1927) and is a modernist form for the lecture hall. Wrapped in banded zinc panels the surface articulation contrasts scales; large format panels; and small envelope provides a durable and tactile finish.

A lean-too’ foyer and forecourt provide a small civic space for the university community. The foyer extrudes the ground plane up into a canopy over a glazed entry with opaque surfaces finished in banded (orange) alucobond panels with a smooth automotive paint finish. The colourful motif provides a ‘pop’ treatment to contrast the campus colours.

The auditorium is air-conditioned and energy sustainability is factored into the design. A naturally aspirated foyer is an air-lock transition space. A high performance (lightweight) building envelope with extensive insulation has R 4 - thermal and STC 42 - acoustic values. Concrete floor systems provide thermal mass. All services are on an automatic shut down operation and have automatic start-up triggered by motion sensors.