Staff and students of Monash University’s Caulfield Campus can now engage in a dynamic outdoor environment following the opening of their new Campus Green designed by Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL).
In a media release announcing the official opening, TCL notes that their landscape architecture challenges the traditional concepts of university landscapes by creating a space that fosters meaningful engagement, conversation and participation.
The Green features promenades, lawns and deck terraces presenting many unique ways to study, socialise or ruminate. Building upon the distinctively intimate feel of the campus, the landscape design encourages a fertile ground for the exchange of ideas as well as for socialising, reflection and recreation, nurturing both mind and body.
TCL’s design highlights include a new slightly sunken lawn functioning as a platform for organised events throughout the year as well as providing a green respite from the busy road network beyond the campus doors; an elegant deck terrace with a northerly aspect featuring cafe tables and chairs offering opportunities for passive outdoor activity; jacaranda trees within the decking area providing dappled shade and a distinct identity for the campus; and a striking artwork that provides a blueprint for future development programs on the campus.
The landscape design project at Monash University’s Caulfield Campus has transformed a once confusing road and carpark into a generous promenade and water feature providing a real sense of arrival to the campus. The central water spine acts as a stormwater treatment and harvesting system, telling the story of Monash University’s pioneering research on water sensitive cities and referencing the original wetlands that occupied the area.
Executed over 1 hectare of space, the Monash University Caulfield Campus Green project was completed in October 2015.
Image: Monash University’s Caulfield Campus - Photographers: Andrew Lloyd and John Gollings
