Chisholm Institute Frankston Redevelopment Project Stage 2

As a complement to the previously completed Stage 1 facility, the building was required to be a genuine campus hub – as such many whole of campus functional areas were included in the project. Critically, from the outset, the initial master planning and feasibility determined that a commercially sound, future proofed asset would be required to serve the campus over the long term, with consideration of more appropriate working environments for staff, more student amenity and spaces for informal learning, alongside a desire to ensure all formal learning spaces were planned to respond to both specific curriculum programmes, but also as whole campus assets. The concept design adopted a future focused outlook, ensuring the base building spatial and functional attributes were readily able to support a range of uses and configurations over time. This aligned with the institutes acknowledgement that skills training programmes would continue to evolve, and the spaces were required to be somewhat “agnostic” in nature to avoid limited utilisation by specific programmes.

As a major new piece of campus infrastructure, the project was required to accommodate and navigate a wide range of campus elements through its design, siting, operation and scope. With removal of several existing buildings, numerous in ground services assets were required to be decommissioned, relocated or upgraded. These were required to not only support the new building, but to provide the institute with an outcome that prevented further relocation or upgrades in the future.

These were also considered in the context of the broader multistage campus redevelopment, to ensure their location and capacity avoided future redundancy. These were also considered in light of the strategic development plan aiming to rationalise a range of outdated buildings and assets, to realise and release areas for landscaping and outdoor activities. The completed precinct integrates a wide range of new spaces for student services, informal and social learning areas, spaces for gathering and recreation, both indoors and out, along with a substantial contribution to development of a campus “green spine”, through purposeful outdoor study, gathering and social spaces. It is an example of design response that sought to address all elements of the spatial and functional brief, but to add value to these when contextualised with the greater campus environment and need to enhance the overall on campus, student experience.

As vocational skills training requirements continue to evolve in response to local and regional economies and employer needs, it is critical that planning and design of new skills training environments focus on balancing current spatial and functional needs, with initiatives able to support and encourage future learning opportunities. The Stage 2 redevelopment was an opportunity to harvest and incorporate a wide range of spatial and functional desires, that sought to create a genuine learning hub on the campus, and provide both staff, students and industry with a higher quality of access, amenity and experience than what is traditionally offered on a TAFE campus.