The Deakin University Thermal Upgrade project consisted of upgrading 5 multi-storey buildings at the Burwood Campus in order to improve their thermal performance. When constructed, these buildings had been designed to be naturally ventilated with only basic heating, resulting in significantly poor occupant comfort for students and staff alike. Brand Architects were engaged by Cundall engineers, to design architectural solutions in conjunction with the new mechanical service.
A large service duct carrying chilled and heated water and electrical cables was required to run between two of the buildings. Going overhead was favoured compared to the complexity and cost of going underground. The route was through a stand of Australian eucalypts, so we turned it into a feature as an large Australian King Brown snake! The snake’s scales are represented clearly using a graphic arrangement of perforations in aluminium cladding.
The vertical mechanical duct on another building also disguised a heavy duty CHW riser, and turned into a feature using a custom aluminium composite panel, designed to echo the adjacent textured concrete wall cladding.