The $60 million redevelopment of Bendigo TAFE is complete and the city campus is ready to welcome students in 2022.
Designed by Architectus with Six Degrees Architects and landscape architecture firm SBLA Studio, the project has delivered a new learning hub, a “one-stop-shop” for student training and job support and an Indigenous education centre. There are also a range of specialized learning environments for students studying hands-on subjects including hair and beauty, hospitality and creative industries.
Architectus associate Jayden Peacock said the design was based on ideas of self-paced learning.
“The revitalized Bendigo TAFE City Campus empowers students to become agents in their education, training and careers by expanding choices around how, when and where they learn,” he said. “The design team has created a range of stimulating new spaces that cater to all kinds of learners – from hands-on practical environments, to high energy collaborative settings, and quiet zones.”
Bendigo TAFE’s redeveloped city campus by Architectus with Six Degrees Architects and SBLA Studio.
Image:
Trevor Mein
Artworks by Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illam Wurrung artist Mandy Nicholson are prominent on campus. On the facade of the building, filigreed metal shades depict Waa and Bunjil, the two primary moieties in Dja Dja Wurrung culture, and on entering the building students will be greeted by a giant mural of the “wise crow” Waa.
Bendigo TAFE chief executive Sally Curtain said the refreshed campus embraced the history of the city.
“This campus has been a vibrant feature in the heart of Bendigo city for 167 years,” she said. “We are proud to deliver an improved educational precinct that continues to embrace its strong heritage in Bendigo city, while providing state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose facilities to train the workforce of tomorrow.”
Peacock, who led the project for Architectus “from conception to completion,” has strong connections to the TAFE.
“Having lived in Bendigo for most of my life and as an alumnus of Bendigo TAFE, I’m excited for students and staff to experience the new uplifting and energizing education environments at the revitalized city campus,” he said. “It has been enormously rewarding to lead the design of a project that is both knitted into the historic fabric of Bendigo and firmly focused on the future of the region and its people.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
