Woodside Building for Technology and Design

The first Passivhaus building of its class in the Southern Hemisphere, the Woodside Building for Technology and Design is one of the most efficient and innovative teaching buildings of its type in the world. The five-storey, smart technology-enabled building, which uses solar power, was designed by Grimshaw architects for Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

It is home to the Faculties of Engineering and Information Technology and has more than 30 learning spaces for students and researchers to explore and develop new solutions in sustainable energy technology.

The university has implemented a Net Zero Initiative which aims for net zero carbon emissions on all campuses by 2030 to reduce the environmental impact of their operations and establish their campuses as exemplars of environmental best practice.

Inhabit provided specialist Passive House advice on the procurement of a façade that could meet the stringent Passive House requirements and on meeting the Passive House Performance Targets. The team’s design-led approach emphasized fundamental science over proprietary products. The result was a Passive House-compliant façade utilizing off-the-shelf components, with triple-glazing replaced with high-performance double glazing.

Awards:
. 2021 Australian Institute of Architects National Awards – The Sir Zelman Cowan Award for Public Architecture
. 2021 Australian Institute of Architects National Awards – The David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture
. 2021 Australian Institute of Architects Awards (Victoria) – The Victorian Architecture Medal
. 2021 Australian Institute of Architects Awards (Victoria) – The Melbourne Prize
. 2021 Australian Institute of Architects Awards (Victoria) – The Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture
. 2021 Australian Institute of Architects Awards (Victoria) – Architecture award, Sustainability
. 2021 Australian Institute of Architects Awards (Victoria) – Architecture award, Education