STEMM Building

This unbuilt $200 million infrastructure project was designed with the input of local Indigenous People and Indigenous Stakeholders. Situated on the Callaghan Campus, the STEMM building was set to replace the University’s iconic McMillan building as part of the University’s Campus re-development plan. Designed to be highly sustainable with the aim to achieve a six-star Green Building Council of Australia rating, features included engineered timber structure and high-performance double glazing to reduce energy requirements for cooling and heating.

The project incorporated many stakeholders with deep technical requirements of the building. Pre-dating the 2020 release of the Connecting with Country draft framework, this project incorporated design elements that reflected the local Indigenous Knowledges of Country and place. The approach aimed to reduce the impacts on the natural environment, value and respect the local Indigenous Cultural history and knowledge and support a co-design approach. This design resolution and Community consultation demonstrated foresight and development of Cultural protocols from the project team well before the designing with Country framework was ratified.

Image courtesy of Lyons Architecture