Arts West Redevelopment, University of Melbourne

BACKGROUND: The Arts West Building by ARM and Architectus is the new arts building at the University of Melbourne. The 7-storey building provides the University's Arts Precinct with a dedicated, high-quality teaching and learning environment. It was specifically designed to accommodate and represent the concept of object-based learning (OBL). The façade features images of selected objects from the University's cultural collections, and was created using innovative virtual modelling adapted from gaming software. CONTRIBUTION: Arts West's spaces are tailored to project-based collaborative, interactive, seminar, discursive and didactic modes of teaching and learning. The innovative project directly influences the way the Bachelor of Arts is taught with an emphasis on informal learning spaces and the use of space as a catalyst for the creation of learning communities. This project contributes novel architectural thinking and design capable of accommodating new pedagogies in the future. University Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis said Arts West would transform the way humanities and socials sciences were taught at the university. SIGNIFICANCE: At the 10th Annual Excellence in Educational Facilities Awards in Singapore, Arts West won the top honour from a field of 72 entries across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The Awards were conferred by Learning Environments Australasia (LEA): the peak body advocating for quality and innovation in learning environments to enhance student outcomes. It also won the 2017 Architecture Award for Educational Architecture from the AIA (Victorian Chapter) and the 2017 Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture. Arts West demonstrates the significance of ARM's practice which, in 2016, was awarded the Gold Medal - the highest award of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) to recognise distinguished service by Australian architects. The project received reviews in Architecture Australia, Architect Victoria, Herald Sun and The Melbourne Newsroom, amongst others.

背景：由ARM与Architectus设计的西区艺术大楼（Arts West Building）是墨尔本大学（University of Melbourne）新建的专属艺术楼宇。该建筑共7层，为该校艺术专区打造了高品质的专属教学生态环境，其设计初衷为适配并彰显基于实物的学习（object-based learning, OBL）理念。建筑外立面采用源自游戏软件的创新虚拟建模技术打造，印有该校馆藏精选文物的影像。

项目贡献：西区艺术大楼的空间均为适配项目式协作、互动研讨、专题座谈、思辨讲授与传统授课等多元教与学模式量身定制。本创新项目直接革新了文学学士（Bachelor of Arts）课程的授课范式，重点打造非正式学习空间，并将空间作为构建学习共同体的核心催化剂。该项目提出了兼具创新性的建筑设计思路与方案，可适配未来新型教学法的应用需求。墨尔本大学校长格林·戴维斯（Glyn Davis）教授表示，西区艺术大楼将重塑该校人文与社会科学学科的教学格局。

项目意义：在新加坡举办的第十届年度优秀教育设施奖评选中，西区艺术大楼从澳大利亚、新西兰与新加坡三地的72份参赛作品中脱颖而出，斩获最高荣誉。该奖项由亚太学习环境协会（Learning Environments Australasia, LEA）颁发——该协会是致力于推广优质与创新学习环境、以提升学生学习成果的权威行业组织。此外，该项目还荣获澳大利亚建筑师协会（Australian Institute of Architects, AIA）维多利亚分会2017年度教育建筑奖，以及2017年度科乐邦钢结构建筑奖（Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture）。西区艺术大楼亦彰显了ARM建筑事务所的行业影响力：该事务所于2016年荣获澳大利亚建筑师协会金奖——这是澳大利亚建筑师协会授予澳大利亚建筑师的最高荣誉，以表彰其卓越的行业贡献。本项目曾获《澳大利亚建筑》《维多利亚建筑》《先驱太阳报》与《墨尔本新闻室》等媒体的专题报道。