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The striking Ngoolark (Building 34) is a $72 million development on Edith Cowan University’s Joondalup Campus. The five storey building houses the main student services and creates a vibrant central hub on the Joondalup Campus with new undercover and outdoor areas.
The Ngoolark building is wrapped in an audacious golden exterior and is designed to draw in natural light, connect with outdoor areas and engage with the existing campus buildings. The building is designed to meet the equivalent of a five star energy efficiency rating.
Arup designed the façade’s sun shading to reduce the energy costs associated with heating and lighting the building. This ensures the building doesn’t get too hot during Perth’s approximate 260 sunny days each year, whilst still letting in enough natural light to reduce the need for artificial sources inside.
The final façade design comprises over 1,200 sun shade pieces, each three meters long and covering 2,500sqm, all of which have their own set place within the façade. The individual pieces that make up the gold wrap are perforated aluminium and were designed to mimic the plumage of the building’s namesake – the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo.
A full height (five storey) glazed atrium wall connects each level of the building within the main entry atrium. The patterned glass pays similar homage to the local bird life in harmony with the outer sun shading.
To create a unique pattern on the buildings pavement, Arup modelled the dynamic flow of water to create an image which the architect then incorporated into the pavement design. The end result is a striking geometric effect, which reflects the natural flow of water around the structure of the suspended terrace above.
The building was officially opened by ECU Chancellor the Hon. Hendy Cowan AO and Kurongkurl Katitjin Elder-in-Residence, Dr Noel Nannup, on 4 May 2015.
