UNSW The Place

The PLACE at the UNSW Business School represents the first example in Australia of tertiary learning spaces designed explicitly for ‘flipped learning ‘ – whereby students engage with instructional content online in their own time (instead of in lectures) and undertake project work in class (instead of in their own time). There was no design precedence for the ‘flipped classroom ‘ so Woods Bagot, UNSW and Professor Peter Jamieson consulted with academics to identify the types of learning activities, behaviours and experiences they wanted their students to have.

The resultant brief invited a completely different approach to classroom design, inverting the institutional convention of students facing the teacher at the front of the room, dull furniture and bland colour schemes. The new classroom typology emerged as an expression of movement, energy, engagement and excitement with bright colours, texture, mood lighting, natural light and multiple technology options. The precinct incorporates four classrooms and two informal learning spaces located on the ground floor of the existing Business School building.

School narrative:
The UNSW Business School ‘s shift to Flipped Learning has resulted in a transformation of teaching and learning practices that has exceeded our expectations. The combination of enthusiastic academic staff and a new physical learning precinct designed by Woods Bagot, has culminated in a vibrant and engaging learning experience for our staff and students.

The UNSW Business School sought to and has delivered a new typology of learning space that would;
a) promote student-centred learning;
b) incorporate a technology-rich learning experience; and
c) enable best-practice teaching and learning relevant to a new generation of students.

The brief was to create a unique identity for The PLACE (Peer Learning and Creative Exchange) with diverse and transformable spaces, enriched with technology. To create spaces that are playful, bloggable and attractive to the next generation of students.

“It ‘s much more entertaining and interesting. And I find that the knowledge sticks a bit easier compared to sitting through a two hour lecture and then going home and having to do the tutorial and having to essentially re-learn the content because you weren ‘t paying attention in the lecture. This is a much more efficient approach. ” (Male student)