This project looks to align existing library facilities with international best practice
and integrate them into the new Hub to create a heart for the Victoria University of
Wellington Kelburn Campus in New Zealand.
and integrate them into the new Hub to create a heart for the Victoria University of
Wellington Kelburn Campus in New Zealand.
The Campus Hub and Library Upgrade project responds to the changing pedagogical environment of today, new trends for maintaining and disseminating knowledge, as well as students’ increased expectations of social and recreational amenities on campus. Learning and social functions are no longer separate and as such the project seeks to shift the boundaries between secure and non-secure elements of the library and create a greater overlap with the social learning and recreational functions of the Hub.
Integral to the overall project is the provision of upgraded library facilities, social, teaching and study spaces, improved retail facilities, student social / health care and recreational facilities, as well as a central indoor and outdoor space of high quality.
Within the wider context the project addresses the need for a ‘front door’ and improved campus interface with Kelburn Parade and a more legible circulation network within the overall campus.
Key responsibilities of the design team led by Athfield / Architectus have been to:
Develop an Urban Design strategy that addressed key campus-wide design goals identified in the existing ‘Campus Development Frame Work’ and ‘Master Strategy Report’.
Establish a Briefing Document including analysis of functional requirements against International Library Space Planning Standards and selected NZ University Statistics.
Develop and deliver a design concept for the Campus Hub and Library Upgrade including the central outdoor space.
