University of Canberra Building 1 Courtyard

Place Logic’s landscape team created the winning entry for UC’s Our Forgotten Courtyards design competition. The brief called for a landscape design response that would reinvigorate and give new life to the underused, underwhelming Building 1 Courtyard; a large, mostly hardscaped space adjacent to various internal functions including the medical centre, a cafe and Student services that currently houses some exceptional and highly valued tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica).

The design builds on the courtyard’s existing tree ferns to create a peaceful, inviting space that evokes a sense of refuge and tranquility; a sanctuary that celebrates Australian biomes, promotes biophilic design, celebrates the arts and culture, and promotes tenets of UC’s masterplan vision.

The existing features, circulation, interfaces, internal functions, and solar conditions all informed the design outcome, and the proposal includes a planting palette consisting of several plants with traditional uses in Ngunnawal culture. The competition entry also included the opportunity for a layered/suspended artwork with light filtering properties reminiscent of the tree fern fronds, reinforcing the idea of a canopy and biophilia.

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