Monash Multipurpose Centre

The original aerobics room was located within a 1960’s structure that lacked insulation altogether and had ageing and inadequate HVAC systems, resulting in very poor user amenity both in terms of temperature control and acoustic attenuation. One of the most highly utilised rooms on campus, it needed high levels of flexibility to enable all types of activity from traditional high and low-level activity group exercise, dance, yoga, meditation, as well as lectures and a venue for exams.

Sprung floors and programmable HVAC and ITC infrastructure enables the environment to be tailored accordingly. All elements of the building envelope (roof, walls, floor, glazing) were substantially upgraded, as well as the services infrastructure required to support multiple functions and varying levels of occupation. This project is one in a series of interventions undertaken by Kosloff Architecture for Monash Sports, developing an architectural language aligned with the Monash Sports identity. The highly internalised nature of the space afforded an opportunity to test how this language could be used to create a backdrop for an unusually diverse range of activities.

Inheriting a 1960’s envelope the project involved the repurposing of all elements of the building envelop, including a new roof and services to dramatically improve ESD performance and internal amenity, both thermal and acoustic. The internalised nature of the space, with only a very small area of existing glazing represented a significant challenge, but also afforded an opportunity to create backdrop for an unusually diverse range of activities, ranging from high intensity through to the more passive including campus events and student exams.

We worked closely with WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff on the ESD benchmarking, services integration and acoustic modelling from the outset of the project which ensured all of these aspects were fully integrated into the design. ESD modelling was used to determine the hierarchy of investment in the refurbishment, as well as the functional requirements of the brief, and the selection of materials that could perform multiple functions (insulation, acoustic attenuation, and integration of services) ensured the best value outcome for the client. The improvement from the baseline condition of the existing structure was significant, with a reduction in the both the annual heating and cooling load of over 70%.