Charles Sturt University National Life Sciences Hub

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The National Life Sciences Hub (NaLSH) at Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga Campus, plays a pivotal part in reshaping the campus’s Science Precinct. The new design addresses lack of quality outdoor space and development density by creating a precinct which encourages pedestrian activity, and shared areas that enable multi-disciplinary interaction.

Project Details

Architects
BVN Donovan Hill

Address
Charles Sturt University Boorooma St North Wagga , NSW Australia

Submitter
Abbie Galvin

Cost
38.4 M

Photographer
John Gollings

Project Overview

The National Life Sciences Hub (NaLSH) at the Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga Campus, will play a pivotal part in reshaping the campus’s Science Precinct.
Initial precinct analysis identified a paucity of quality outdoor space, and a lack of development density which was discouraging a culture of pedestrian activity. By diverting Nathan Cobb Drive to the eastern edge of the precinct, the new Life Sciences Building is sited to enclose and terminate a new landscaped avenue, capable of connecting many of the existing buildings and making visible student and academic movements.


New facilities associated with the project include teaching labs, research labs (PC2 and Quarantine) , two glasshouses, a phytotron head house and shared support facilities including office space for researchers. The new masterplan and buildings aim to link students, academics, researchers and technical staff both within the University, and externally with industry.


The project’s four functional strands – research laboratories, teaching laboratories, support spaces and write-up – can be read in the articulated roof form. Roof heights modulate to allow linear roof top plant and skylight along the length of the building elements. At the entry the roof is raised to form a verandah, its consistent height linking internal and external spaces. Importantly, this element is scaled both to the building and to the wider science precinct.


As a single storey building the Life Sciences Building has a long low presence in this landscape. Rather than sitting light and detached, the building’s form and scale suggest a materiality anchored to the earth.