The Deakin University Law School building in Australia, designed by Woods Berg, stands as a sculptural landmark nestled in a corner of the Burwood campus in Melbourne. It serves as a “lighthouse” and gateway to the Elgar Road Precinct, acting as a prominent landmark and wayfinding point for both the city and the campus. This enhances the overall spatial experience and cohesion of the fragmented campus.
The building’s striking geometric form is inspired by the innovative integration of internal learning spaces, each designed based on emerging teaching methods. As a result, the lecture halls depart from traditional layouts to better support new educational approaches.
The building includes five versatile multimedia learning spaces that combine formal and informal areas, enabling students to easily transition between different learning modes. These spaces feature technology desks, group discussion pods, personal study areas, and more—promoting communication, collaboration, and individual learning.
Two entire levels are dedicated to student support services, including health and mental wellness, along with meditation and contemplation spaces accessible to the whole campus. Between the Law School building and Gardiners Creek Reserve lies the Recreation Garden, featuring native plants, natural rock formations, meandering streams, and tiered seating.
The fifth-floor winter garden offers a serene retreat above the treetops, complete with vertical green walls and floor-to-ceiling glass blinds. The building also houses three expansive “cutting-edge learning spaces” that challenge conventional classroom designs: a spacious stepped lecture hall that supports both presentations and collaboration, and a large team workspace adaptable for formal or informal learning depending on the schedule.
The “Frontier Learning Space” contrasts with the building’s main linear teaching areas. Featuring zinc cladding and an organic, winding block form, it showcases dynamic volumetric changes and contrasts. The architecture responds to the site’s sloping landscape, allowing students to move energetically through the space. The building itself ascends in a gradual spiral, creating a distinctive landmark within the area.
Situated at the northwest edge of the Burwood campus, the law school is separated from most other campus buildings by a river. To improve connectivity, a new bridge linking the building to the Elgar Road area was added during construction. Woods Berg embraced this “constraint” as an opportunity to create a contemplative hub for the campus, forming an organizational framework for public spaces and integrating infrastructure with existing parklands.
The building’s eye-catching form and shimmering materials establish it as a campus landmark, guiding students across the new bridge and enhancing the campus’s openness and visual connections like never before.
Woods Berg has delivered a new iconic learning landmark for Deakin University. As the first major general learning and teaching facility added to the campus in the past decade, this law school building reflects the university’s response to evolving teaching methods.
Serving as a catalyst and focal point for the Elgar Road precinct, its influence extends beyond the building itself, shaping the entire campus and surrounding urban environment.
Project Drawings
△ Plan View
Project Information
Architectural Design: Woods Berg
Area: 18,350 m²
Project Year: 2020
Photographer: Peter Bennett
Manufacturers: Interface, Autex, Axona Aichi, Ihreborn, JSB, Jardan, Knauf, Kvadrat, Laminex, Light Project, Lotus, LuxFX, Maharam, Swiss Design, Tacchini, Thinking Works, This Weber, VMZINC, Versalux, Walter Knoll
Location: Australia
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