Murdoch University Student Hub (Hames Sharley Architects)

The new Student Hub on Bush Court will be a dynamic, flexible space at the centre of the South Street campus. It is where students will meet, eat, socialise, study informally and gain access to important support services.

Murdoch Student Hub – Photos Credit: Robert Frith

The Student Hub is the largest investment made by Murdoch University to improve the student experience delivered on campus in its 40 year history. This strategic project revolutionises the university’s student facilities and provides a standard of amenity not seen elsewhere in Western Australia. It draws together a number of functions into one cohesive space and becomes a home away from home for students on the South Street campus.

The return of the Student Guild to Bush Court will reactivate and refresh the Guild’s relevancy and visibility on campus by being within the Centre for Student Life. The Guild’s integration into the new Student Hub was key to gain student buy-in and have students feel that the Hub is truly a student centric place.

The Hub spaces are flexible, shared and multi-purpose, and allow indoor and outdoor spaces to be better utilised for longer periods. Outdoor spaces of varying sizes that encourage a ‘work/study anywhere’ concept ensure staff and students stay longer and enjoy their time. This is aided by the creation of microclimates externally to provide respite and a point of difference to internal spaces. The blurring of the edges between indoor and outdoor assists in fully utilising all spaces.

How is the project unique?

The wonderful landscape with mature trees has been preserved, while the steep topography has been transformed from a barrier into an attractive usable place.

New places and connections have been made that support fun and play, encourage increased visitation, build community and provide numerous positive effects on the mental and physical health of users to meet the social and emotional needs of the people who study and work on campus.

To some extent, the ‘concourse-like’ condition of the building façades collectively turned their back on the key public space. A redesigned edge condition facilitates stopping and interacting within the space and the functions within the buildings.