Flinders University City Campus integrates contemporary learning and teaching environments with academic workplaces to foster interaction among students and staff, enhancing collaboration and the campus experience.

Responding to the client brief, the design prioritises flexibility and connectivity, featuring multi-mode learning spaces, student-led study zones, a library, Moot Court, staff workplaces, event facilities, outdoor terraces, and professional development spaces. Drawing inspiration from the site as a Kaurna cultural meeting place and the historical significance of the Climbing Tree, the design incorporates timber forms and materials that resonate with the natural setting. Kaurna wooden pegs (Wadna), used by First Nations people to climb eucalyptus trees, are artistically reinterpreted at the main entry, and throughout the joinery solutions, showcasing local craftsmanship.

The interior fit out reflects the local native flora and riverscape, transitioning from earth tones on the lower levels to ochre and grey bark tones in the middle, culminating in leafy hues on the upper levels. This material palette not only delineates spaces but also aids in intuitive wayfinding. Emphasising its role as a ‘place of meeting,’ the layout encourages collaboration and circulation, seamlessly blending formal and informal zones for staff and students to engage and share ideas.

Photography: Shannon McGrath