UTS Great Hall

The Great Hall and Balcony Room at UTS provide a dramatic new architectural identity for the most important ceremonial space on campus. The signature element of the space is ‘The Mantle’ - a fluid skin of perforated metal comprising more than 1000 unique facets.

Integrated expression
The Mantle envelops the Great Hall, lining the ceiling and walls in a singular dramatic expression. Designed with the help of Rhino and Grasshopper software, the surface seamlessly integrates audio-visual, lighting, fire, acoustic and mechanical services in a cohesive geometric solution.

Elegant performance
Perforations provide acoustic attenuation across the surface of The Mantle. Two perforation sizes fluctuate through various fields of intensity and across panels to create a soft, organic, surface patination. Chevron shaped lighting elements are nested within the rhythm of peaks and valleys.

Reflected ceiling plan

Sections

Beyond the essential
Beyond the initial brief for the Great Hall we proposed ‘The Balcony Room’ - a soaring reception space annexed to the Hall that capitalises on a commanding view across the future Alumni Green. Our clients were taken with the idea and quickly added it to our commission.

The Balcony Room adapts a previously underused terrace, enclosing it to provide a link between the main building foyer and the rich, warm interior. The Balcony Room, sits at the base of Michael Dysart’s iconic Brutalist tower, providing a bold new identity for the Great Hall in the podium facade and breathing new life into the campus.

Natural light is drawn in through new openings in the roof structure. These roof lanterns reveal changes in light over the course of a day and reduce dependency on artificial lighting.

Responsive architecture
The Balcony Room, sits at the base of an iconic Brutalist tower, providing a bold new identity for the Great Hall and breathing new life into the campus. Our design for the Balcony Room adapts a previously underused terrace, enclosing it to provide a processional link between the main building foyer and the rich, warm interior.

Glass ‘pleats’ in the eleven meter high facade open up diagonal views across Alumni Green. The pleats are also self-shading in the heat of the day. Some elements of the facade are operable designed to operate in natural ventilation or mixed-mode for most of the year.

Emerging technology
An LED media wall compliments other lighting allowing the mood of the space to be transformed to suit various modes of use including; graduations, lectures, exams, banquets and the annual student Fashion show.

Ceremonial moments
The lofty, light-filled Balcony Room overlooks Alumni Green, the University’s primary landscaped area. A sculptural light fitting (designed by us) uses off-the-shelf light battens to animate the wall surface.

Building fabric
Parts of the Balcony Room cantilever two metres beyond the existing structure, creating intimate gathering spaces within the main volume. The self-shading “Pleats” frame oblique views of the landscape beyond. Of an evening the facade becomes more transparent exposing the life of the building and its occupants.

The project also includes a new commercial kitchen and multifunction space and involved complete new mechanical and electrical services. The project is part of the University’s multi-million dollar Master Plan which includes buildings designed by Gehry and Partners, Lacoste & Stevenson, PTW, Denton Corker Marshall and Durbach Block Jaggers.

Project: UTS Great Hall and Balcony Room
Type: Public
Description: Refurbishment of existing Great Hall and addition of new Balcony Room
Location: Broadway, NSW
Client: University of Technology, Sydney
Year: 2011
Area: 1,985 sqm gross floor area
Services: Architecture - Design Competition, Sketch Design, Design Development, Contract Documentation, Tender and Construction Advice
Team: A DRAW project - Adam Russell (as Principal at DRAW), John de Manincor, Fransisco Layson, Chris Steinbach, Lorraine Yip, Zana Wright, Raffaello Rosselli, Nick Sargent, Leisa Tough
Collaborators: Kann Finch Group (Collaborating Architects), AR-MA, Steensen Varming (Environment / Mechanical / Electrical /Lighting) ARUP(Acoustics / Structure), MBM (Cost Advice), Audio Systems Logic (Acoustics), Simpson Design Associates (Structure), Warren Smith and Partners (Hydraulics/Fire), Blackett Maguire + Goldsmith (BCA), Aquenta (Cost Planner), Philip Chun (Fire Engineering), The Mack Group (Commercial Kitchen)
Builder: Lipman Construction
Photography: © Brett Boardman (all rights reserved)
Project code: 1007