Dr Chau Chak Wing Building Uts University Of Technology

By Francesco Pagliari - 21 April 2015

An architectural landmark for Sydney’s University of Technology (UTS), the building named after philanthropist Dr Chau Chak Wing is home to post-graduate study and research in business and economics. A first for Frank Gehry in Australia, the building’s multi-facetted façades are architectural expressions of the innovative thinking going on inside.
The key concept underpinning the programme is a fluid, dynamic “organism” where interiors, functions and architectural features weave together, reflecting - and promoting - creative teaching and research.
At the same time, this intricately meshed interior is taken outside, creating a composite assembly of different-height volumes and contrasting façades. The result is a remarkable architecture and landmark for the whole City Campus.
The geometry and materials of the elevations are set in deliberate counterpoint to each other. On the east side, undulating surfaces of corbelled brick follow the curves and dents of the perimeter walls. This dense, exuberant fluidity is countered by more linear expanses of brickwork. The horizontal courses of corbelled bricks - whose sandstone colour references Sydney’s urban fabric - lend a stereometric dimension to the volumes as walls expand, shrink or fold at sharp angles. The overall effect is a building under constant mutation. Windows projecting at various degrees from the elevations further enhance the sense of an assembly of different volumes.
Inside, large timber fixtures, frames and panelling - also on walls and ceilings - partition space into striking geometries. The hallmark, however, is spatial integration. Lecture halls, quiet study areas, offices and more formal areas flow into each other. Social spaces adjacent to lecture and seminar spaces encourage individual and group exchange. Physical integration mirrors the integration of ideas. Stairways are another key architectural feature. On the lower levels...