Australian Timber Design Awards
30 November 2009

The Faculty of Law, Library and Teaching Complex was twice honoured at last night’s Australian Timber Design Awards. The project won the national Interior Fitout and Best Use of Decorative Wood Veneers categories.

The project’s distinctive use of timber products made it a prime contender for the awards. Its most prominent feature is the occupant-controlled timber louvres on the east and west façades. These louvres are part of a triple-layered system that provides thermal control through a combination of high performance glass, automated stack effect natural ventilation and automated sun-shading louvers. The system allows individual offices to choose passively tempered natural ventilation, mixed mode air conditioning, degree of sun penetration, views and natural light and provides acoustic screening.

Throughout the complex’s interiors are other innovative uses of timber veneers. Key areas include the 300-seat lecture theatre, which features folded timber walls, and the Law Library, where the curved profile timber ceiling adds a warm dynamic to the subterranean volume. All timber products were sustainably sourced and certified.