Home

The Student Precinct will be a place where students can get away from everything academic… a place that’s inspiring and calming. A place where you can do or just be. Student response in the Co-creation process

The New Student Precinct will make a significant contribution to the transformation of the on-campus student experience at Parkville by delivering a world-class student hub for the whole campus community.

It will be a vibrant centre of activity that will co-locate student services and activities closer to the new heart of the campus, and to primary transport links.

Co-creation will be the cornerstone of this initiative with over 5500 students partnering with the Project to date as active contributors and decision-makers.

Works commenced on site in January 2018 with a completion scheduled for 2021–2022.

Learn more about the project

Events and Activations

Past events

All current events

Current Opportunities to Get Involved

Past co-creation initiatives

All current opportunities

Got questions? We've got answers

Read our FAQs

Co-creating a project like the student precinct is incredibly important... Students are best placed to know what could improve their experience and that of future generations. Student Ambassador, New Student Precinct project

The New Student Precinct Project was conceived with the core belief that the Precinct should be created, used and owned by students. This led to the development of the Projects 2 founding pillars which infiltrate and inform all aspects of the Project, from conception to design to governance:

Project Pillars

Why Build a New Student Precinct?

The University is evolving and growing, with over 40% of students now studying south of Grattan Street, representing a significant southerly shift in the physical center of the campus. With near-even numbers of undergraduate and graduate, international and domestic students, student's requirements have also changed. While Union House has served the University well over the last century, it no longer reflects the contemporary needs of the student body.
To support this contemporary student landscape, the University is set to re-imagine the student experience at Parkville with a new precinct where students can connect, study, innovate and unwind.
Our Campus 21 Commitments

Our Campus in the 21st century (OC21) was developed by the University community in a series of workshops that explored the qualities wanted across all campuses and precincts. It is the formal response to the University of Melbourne’s strategic plan Growing Esteem and is integral to how the University will plan for the future, and to developing high-quality campus-based experiences for diverse communities.
The Student Precinct Project will support our campus in the 21st century through the following:
Technology and Tradition
World-class facilities will complement existing heritage buildings, while mobile and digital technology – tailored to student’s needs – will be integrated into the Precinct space.
Synergy and Innovation
The new Student Precinct location was carefully thought through to ensure that the student experience will be optimised. The Precinct will be flanked by Carlton Connect and the Science Gallery, the Metro Rail and existing University services like Stop 1. In addition to this, University services, clubs, associations and societies will call the Precinct home.
Quality Experiences
The Student Precinct will boast food and beverage facilities that students can enjoy at their own convenience. Communal spaces and a suite of activities, events and initiatives will encourage interaction and provide an outlet for student wellbeing.
A Culture of Inclusion
A key feature of the Precinct will be simplifying the way students navigate the space. Navigating easily through the Precinct to access services and facilities will be a key design feature. In addition to its primary audience the Precinct will invite the community in; providing cultural events, experiences and interactions.
Spaces and Places
Outdoor and green spaces will be central to the design of the new Student Precinct, responding to both OC21 commitments and students aspirations for the space. Co-creating these spaces with students from faculties including Horticulture, Architecture and Urban Design will be central to the planning process. The refurbishment of existing buildings to better cater to today’s students needs will also be a core aspect of the Student Precinct Project.

There is a space for everyone. If you need to relax and disconnect, there will be a space for that. If you want to socialise and have fun, you can find a space for that too. Nobody is in control of what you do in those spaces. Student response to the co-creation process

The New Student Precinct (the Precinct) offers a once in a generation opportunity to transform the campus-based student experience and provide benefits and quality outcomes for University students and staff. Co-creation underpins all aspects of the design and development of the New Student Precinct, as a future hub for dynamic student-focused spaces and amenities.

A co-creation framework was established in early 2016, alongside a program of co-creation initiatives that have supported and informed the ongoing development of the Project. Through this framework,students identified key design principles that will guide the overall design and development of the Precinct.

Design Principles

What will the Precinct deliver?

CO-LOCATION OF STUDENT SERVICES
University of Melbourne Student Union and the Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development, Murrup Barak, currently located in Union House and Old Physics respectively, are two student organisations that will be relocated to the Precinct. These services will form part of a co-located student precinct alongside existing services provided by the Graduate Student Association, Stop 1, the Co-op Bookshop and the Eastern Resource Centre.

CONVENIENT ACCESS TO TRANSPORT
The Precinct will be conveniently located close to public transport links, including the new Melbourne Metro Rail Station on Grattan Street and the Swanston Street super tram stop, making it convenient for the whole campus community and visitors.

NEW ARTS AND CULTURAL FACILITIES
Arts and cultural programing will have a new home at the Parkville campus, with the Precinct housing a new arts and cultural facilities that will replace the current offering in Union House, as well as, a new gallery space and cinema.
These facilities, along with various programable outdoor events spaces, will support vibrant cultural activities and events that emphasise student engagement, social inclusion and diversity, connecting students to their peers and the broader Melbourne community.
The Precinct will become a key part of the cultural spine along Swanston Street, together with the Ian Potter Museum of Art, the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, Science Gallery Melbourne, State Library of Victoria, the NGV and the University’s own Victorian College of the Arts (VCA).

OUTDOOR PROGRAMMABLE SPACE
At the heart of the Precinct, the new amphitheatre will provide increased programable outdoor spaces with state-of-the-art amenities, and a place for students to relax outdoors. Beginning at the highest point of the site just behind Alice Hoy Building and flowing down towards Frank Tate Building, the amphitheatre will support the lowering of the Precinct’s ground plane, which will allow enhanced accessibility into and throughout the site.

Indicative illustration

STUDY SPACES
The Precinct will provide new and improved contemporary study and informal spaces, including 24/7 co-working spaces. With an increase in the amount of international and interstate students living near campus, and more students travelling from suburban or rural Victoria, the Precinct will meet the needs of students who require more study spaces between classes, after hours and on weekends.
The Design Team

In early 2018, The University of Melbourne appointed a team of architects and designers, led by Lyons Architecture, to design the $229 million New Student Precinct on the Parkville Campus:
Lyons Architecture is an architectural and urban design practice based in Melbourne and the Principal Architects for the New Student Precinct. The firm designs projects which are responsive to and expressive of a contemporary experience of local and global culture - a world of ideas, new media, technologies and rapidly changing urbanism. Lyons work is committed to and interested in the history and culture of ideas and how ideas can be used to create meaningful contemporary architecture.
Lyons’ design reputation is evidenced through numerous awards for its work, including the Victorian Architecture Medal, numerous national and international sustainability awards, representation at the Australian National Pavilion at the Venice Architectural Biennale and other national awards for architectural design.
Meet the Lyons Team
James Wilson
Bachelor of Architecture (1st Class Hons and Faculty Dux), University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Property and Construction (1st Class Hons), University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Planning and Design, University of Melbourne
Member, Future Focus Group, Committee for Melbourne
Project Role: James will be the overall Project Director on the New Student Precinct and lead the stakeholder inputs for the design and project delivery.
Professional Background: James is a Director of Lyons Architecture and has a wide-ranging experience in future directions of pedagogical design for higher education learning buildings across Australia. James brings leading environmental design knowledge to the Project and has lectured and taught at the University of Melbourne and at RMIT University.
Carey Lyon
Bachelor of Architecture (1st Class Hons) University of Melbourne
Master of Architecture, RMIT University
Life Fellow, Australian Institute of Architects
Honorary Member, American Institute of Architects
Honorary Fellow, New Zealand Institute of Architects
Honorary Fellow, Royal Institute of Canadian Architects
Project Role: Carey will be the Co-Design Director (with all other team design collaborators) with the principle role of leading and coordinating the multi-practice design work across all aspects of the Project.
Professional Background: As one of Lyons Founding Directors, Carey Lyon is one of Australia’s leading design architects. In recognition of his design leadership work, Carey was elected National President of the Australian Institute of Architects in 2006, and was awarded the Presidential Medal from the American Institute of Architects. Carey has recognised specialist expertise in learning design focused around student experience, together with leadership expertise in urban design and sustainability.
Sam Hunter
Bachelor of Architecture, RMIT University
Master of Architecture, RMIT University
Project Role: Sam will lead the design management of the overall project, including working with collaborating practices to ensure an integrated design approach
Professional Background: Sam is one of Lyons’ senior design architects who thinks conceptually and laterally through complex design challenges. Sam brings a diverse set of skills to the Project including front-end design, client and user briefings, and documentation. These skills were honed working on diverse projects ranging from culturally significant community facilities to large-scale teaching and research buildings.
Tess O'Meara
Bachelor of Architecture, RMIT University
Master of Architecture, RMIT University
Project Role: Tess will assist in design management of the New Student Precinct, including working with collaborating practices to ensure an integrated design approach.
Professional Background: Tess is a graduate of architecture from RMIT University receiving the Peter Corrigan Memorial Medal for her design thesis proposal in 2017. During her studies, Tess worked for 3 years at a large design practice and gained experience in large scale public design, including higher education teaching & learning buildings and theatre master planning.
Founded by University of Melbourne alumni, Julie Eizenberg and Hank Koning, Koning Eizenberg Architects are a team of observers and thinkers that mine the commonplace to engage people and context. The firm’s collaborative process draws on the pragmatic and strategic to unravel convention and find opportunity hiding in plain sight. The Team’s well-known body of work has been published extensively both in the US and abroad, and has earned over 130 awards for design, sustainability and historic preservation.
Meet the Koning Eizenberg Team
Julie Eizenberg
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Melbourne
Master of Architecture II, University of California, Los Angeles
Fellow, American Institute of Architects
Project Role: Julie will be a key co-design Director in relation to all architectural aspects of the Project. She will have aa ‘whole of project’ design role as well as leading the design work on specific elements of the precinct to be designed by Koning Eizenberg Architects.
Professional Background: Julie is a Founding Principle of Koning Eizenberg and brings design vision, leadership and a unique way of thinking about conventional building typologies.  Julie uses her expertise in working with cities, non-profit organisations, institutions and private developers to generate inventive master plans and public places. Her focus on user experience from the individual to the community level, brings an empathetic perspective that translates seemingly mundane programs into places of ease and generosity.
Lily McBride-Stephens
Bachelor of Architectural Design, RMIT University
Master of Architecture, RMIT University
Project Role: Lily will be project designer/manager on the project. She will be involved in all aspects of the design and coordination of the project.
Professional Background: Lily is a designer at Koning Eizenberg Architecture with over 10 years’ experience working in Australia and the US. Lily is interested in tackling design problems in a rigorous, complex and playful way that leads to creative outcomes that greatly heighten the relationship between the built environment and its users, putting the city and the community at the forefront of the design. Lily will draw on her experience in working on large scale cultural projects as well as small bespoke projects to bring the higher level ideas through concept to completion, ensuring that the building reads holistically and is delivered with a high level of detail and care.
Nathan Bishop
Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Northeastern University
Master of Architecture (Dist), Harvard University
LEED AP Certified, U.S. Green Building Council
Project Role: Nathan will provide the overall detailed design co-ordination of Koning Eizenberg Architects contribution to the Project, including all design and documentation work
Professional Background: Nathan is a Principle of Koning Eizenberg Architecture, focussing on conceptual design and entitlement phases requiring synthesis of client, city and community stakeholder objectives to optimise design and development potential. Combining experience with a broad range of high-profile projects, he draws on exceptional visualization and communication skills to quickly extract the unrecognized potential of complex urban contexts. He also leads the firm’s effort in digital fabrication and new technologies. Nathan teaches and lectures in design, architectural history and theory, and cultural studies in universities across America.
Breathe Architecture is a sustainably focused architectural practice that proudly contributes to the local community and architectural landscape in a sustainable, contextual and culturally responsive way. The firm’s design approach reflects the current ecological and economic climate regardless of budget or typology. Perhaps best known for instigating the Nightingale Housing movement, after trialing a new model for delivering housing through the award-winning project of sustainable apartments called The Commons, the Breathe Team are driven by the belief that architects can drive real positive change in our ever-changing cities through collaboration.
Meet the Breathe Team
Jeremy McLeod
Bachelor of Environmental Design, University of Tasmania
Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), University of Tasmania
Project Role: Jeremy will lead the interface between design and sustainability across the whole project as well as lead Breathe Architectures design work for specific elements of the precinct.
Professional Background: Jeremy is the Founding Director of Breathe Architecture and is dedicated to delivering high-quality design and sustainable architecture for projects of all scales.  Jeremy’s work focuses on sustainable urbanisation and exploring how to deliver more affordable urban housing in Melbourne. He was the instigator of The Commons housing project and is collaborating with several Melbourne architecture firms to deliver the Nightingale Model.
NMBW Architecture Studio is an architectural practice with an emphasis on urban engagement and culturally-specific design. The Firm specialise in an analytical, collaborative and, research-based approach, linking site-specific actions to larger urban and landscape concerns, particular site conditions and various local traditions. NMBW’s projects have been published in leading national and international journals, and awarded across a range of categories, including urban design, sustainable architecture, interior architecture, public architecture and residential architecture. NMBW projects have also been recognised for their broader contributions to Melbourne’s public realm, and to rural and regional Victoria.
Meet the NMBW Team
Marika Neustuphy
Master of Architecture, Tokyo Institute of Technology
PhD Candidate, University of Queensland
Project Role: Marika brings her expertise in creative adaptive reuse to work on the refurbishment of existing buildings within the Precinct. She will lead NMBW Architecture’s design and documentation inputs to the Project.
Professional Background: One of the Founding Directors of NMBW Architecture Studio, Marika has taught in design and urban research at RMIT University and currently sits on the Course Advisory Panel for the RMIT Architecture Program. Through her projects and research, Marika has developed a strong understanding of the social and cultural rituals of urban life, brought to bear in her work on the Box Hill Gardens Multi-Purpose Area, leading NMBWs collaboration with landscape architects, ASPECT Studios.
Nigel Bertram
Master of Architecture, Tokyo Institute of Technology
PhD Candidate, University of Queensland
Project Role: Nigel and Marika will be working closely together on the refurbishment of existing buildings within the Precinct with a particular focus on heritage listed buildings such as the 1888 and Frank Tate Buildings.
Professional Background: Nigel Bertram is a founding Director of NMBW and Practice Professor in Architecture at Monash University. Nigel has taught at Monash and RMIT Universities for over 20 years, and is currently a Design Review Panel member for the Office of the Victorian Government Architect. Nigel has a range of experience working with government and university bodies at different scales on NMBWs urban and institutional projects.
Established by University of Melbourne alumni, Albert Mo and Eid Goh, Architects EAT is a Melbourne based architecture and interior design practice with projects spanning small-scale private homes and apartments to high-rise residential developments, retail, local government and hospitality sectors. Known for a sensitive approach, sensory elements and tactile quality, Architects EAT take pride in creating uniquely detailed projects that avoid reproducing similar designs, resulting in spaces intimately connected to their client, function and individual context. The Firm’s work is highly acclaimed, garnering numerous prizes and commendations including; "Best Residential Interior " in 2016, “The Belle Apartment of the Year Award” in 2007, “Best Hospitality Interior” in 2008, and “The Australian Institute of Architects Award for Residential Architecture” in 2010.
Meet the EAT Team
Albert Mo
Bachelor of Planning and Design, University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), University of Melbourne
A+ Member, Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Chapter Councillor (2004 – 2008), Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Project Role: Albert will provide leadership at the interface between students and the precinct food and retail amenities design and development, co-ordinating these strategies and undertaking the resulting design work on the food and retail facilities.
Professional Background: As one of the Founding Directors of Architects EAT, Albert is driven to deliver phenomenological architecture, which imparts feeling rather than glitz. His experiences growing up in Hong Kong and Singapore bring an alternate perspective to his designs, evoking calm and sensitivity in response to the occupant. Albert holds teaching and guest critic positions at the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne School of Design (MSD).
Eid Goh
Bachelor of Planning and Design, University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Melbourne
A+ Member, Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Project Role: Eid will be leading a team of food and retail strategist to generate a framework and masterplan for the retail mix, aspects on sustainability in the retail world and place making.
Professional Background: As one of the Founding Directors of P.O.P Agency, Eid believes in enriching society with a better way of delivery retail experiences to the growing demands. Having grown up in the concrete jungles of Singapore and country Victoria, he understands that balance is always necessary in life. Eid has also completed over 300 retail and commercial projects within his 17 years of practice as a commercial architect, working for private and corporate clientele. He understands the rigours and the face pace of the commercial world and he thoroughly enjoys it.
Thomas Davies
Bachelor of Environments, University of Melbourne
Master of Architecture, University of Melbourne
Project Role: As part of Architects EAT, Tom will be working closely with the Design Team to curate food and retail spaces within the New Student Precinct to compliment the Precinct as a whole and provide a well-rounded experience for all students and staff. Tom looks forward to working with the entire University community and other professionals to deliver an amazing retail experience.
Professional Background: Having just recently graduated from the University of Melbourne, Tom's knowledge of campus life will be key in helping to interpret how students will use retail and dining spaces within the Precinct. This, coupled with his knowledge in retail architecture, will help create spaces essential to student life and wellbeing and promote the importance of the student experience.
Headed by the first Indigenous Architect to be registered in Victoria and University of Melbourne alumni, Jefa Greenaway, Greenaway Architects is a Melbourne-based, award-winning architecture and interior design firm with an accumulative experience of over 50 years in both residential and commercial sectors. The Firm’s work ranges from small scale private homes and extensions to multi-unit development, office fit-out, retail and cultural projects, committed to innovative design and quality outcomes that meet the needs and aspirations of all clients.
Meet the Greenaway Team
Jefa Greenaway
Diploma of Architectural Drafting, La Trobe University
Bachelor of Planning and Design, University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), University of Melbourne
Honorary Senior Fellow, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning University of Melbourne
Project Role: Jefa will bring Indigenous knowledge and cultural exchange into all aspects of the landscape, urban and architectural design of the Project.
Professional Background: After working for several significant architectural practices, Jefa established his own architectural firm in 2003. The practice, which was to become known as Greenaway Architects in 2010, seeks to build upon its reputation as an innovative and professional design firm. Jefa is a prominent member of the arts, design and cultural community of Melbourne as a member and Chair of numerous boards, committees, panels and advisory groups. Jefa holds teaching and guest critic positions at the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne School of Design (MSD) and plays a key role in disseminating Indigenous knowledge into design courses.
ASPECT Studios is a design firm specialising in Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Wayfinding and Urban Strategy. Adopting a human-centred and ecologically responsive approach to Landscape Architecture, the Firm’s core design philosophy is to design places of delight where people want to be and places that contribute to the resilience and diversity of the environment.  In creating cities for people ASPECT’s design process is focussed on bringing together and expressing the essential qualities of place, the landscape, its history, social rituals and cultural significance. To this end, the Team have received numerous awards recognising both the projects they design and, more importantly, for the way they think about design.
Meet the ASPECT Team
Kirsten Bauer
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Hons), RMIT University
Master of Architecture (Landscape Architecture) by Design, RMIT University
Fellow, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects
Project Role: Kirsten will be a key Co-design Director on the overall Precinct design (with Julie Eisenberg and Carey Lyon), with a focus on all aspects of the Precinct landscape design. She will also be the key point of contact for collaboration with Site Office Landscape Architecture.
Professional Background: Kirsten is an urban designer and landscape architect. Over the course of her career she has led award winning public realm projects including Halpin Way and Settlers Square, Box Hill Gardens, Stonnington Public Realm Strategy and Victoria Harbour. As a former University of Melbourne lecturer (awarded the University of Melbourne, School of Design – Dean’s Honours Awards, Excellence in Teaching, 2010 – 2011) and member of the Landscape Architecture Advisory Committee, Kirsten is very familiar with the University’s unique design and cultural contact.
Tim Fowler
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Hons), University of New South Wales
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, RMIT
Registered Landscape Architect, AILA
Project Role: Tim is the Project’s lead landscape architect for ASPECT Studios and will work closely with GLAS Landscape Architecture to design the Precincts outdoor spaces.
Professional Background: Tim is an experienced Landscape Architect, designing at all scales and overseeing projects across the living, educational, health, institutional, cultural, leisure and public realms. Tim has been involved in large urban infrastructure and public realm projects such as Sydney Light Rail and is currently a sessional academic at the University of Technology Sydney.
Erwin Taal
Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture), University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Architecture (Hons.), University of Melbourne
Masters of Landscape Architecture, University of Melbourne
Graduate Diploma of Landscape Architecture, University of Melbourne
Registered Landscape Architect, AILA, GBCA Green Star Associate
Project Role: Erwin provides urban and landscape design input on the overall Precinct design with a focus on sustainability, accessibility and functionality of the Precinct landscape design.
Professional Background: Over the course of his career as an urban designer and landscape architect, Erwin has built a solid reputation for holistic, innovative design that incorporates leading ESD principles, Green infrastructure and Living Architecture. Amongst others, Erwin was responsible for the design delivery of the multi-award winning Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 717 Bourke Street and Victoria Harbour implementation projects. As a University of Melbourne alumni and recent design tutor and lecturer at the MSD, Erwin is very familiar with the University’s unique design and cultural context.
Through collaboration, research and teaching, Glas Urban is a design studio committed to innovations in landscape architecture, with recent projects including investigations into creating new biodiverse suburbs and developing external comfort through landscape microclimate design.  Having previously worked on the Carlton Connect Gardens and Rooftop Terrace, the Glas Urban Team are well-placed to develop site-specific ideas in response to the University of Melbourne context. The Firm has been recognised nationally and internationally for their diverse urban and community spaces, each celebrating the past fabric and heritage of the site while allowing communities to reconnect to each other and their environment.
Meet the Glas Team
Mark Gillingham
Master of Landscape Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art
Project Role: Mark will work closely with ASPECT Studios to develop the ‘intimate’ landscapes in the Precinct, bringing his unique sensibility around landscape ecologies to the Project.
Professional Background: Director of Glas Urban, Mark has over 15 years’ experience in designing public open spaces in Victoria and internationally. He has led several projects for the University of Melbourne and runs the Materials and Technology subject for the landscape Architecture Department at the Melbourne School of Design (MSD).
The Site

The New Student Precinct will be located on the corner of Grattan and Swanston Street, and is defined by Monash Road to the North, and Melbourne School of Engineering Precinct to the west. The site is at the center of the University's traditional and new student accommodation hubs, making it an ideal platform for our 60,000 students to connect. it will also neighbor the University's innovation precinct, the Carlton Connect Initiative, and is conveniently located to public transport links, including the new Melbourne Metro Rail station on Grattan Street.
The Precinct incorporates nine University buildings. Much of the development will see the adaptive reuse of these existing buildings, including extensive refurbishments and facade treatments, while respecting the history and heritage of the site.
A Brief History of the Site
Staff can find more information on the progress of Early Enabling Works via Staff Hub.

I really enjoyed being part of the Project Team...I like to talk to the students and bring their ideas back to the team...I have lots of fun! Student response in the Co-creation process

The New Student Precinct is being created for students by students. A diverse student input is essential to ensuring the precinct meets the needs, expectations and aspirations of all students. There are a number of opportunities for you to join our project team:

Current Co-creation Opportunities

Opportunities to get involved are always emerging. Never miss an update by signing up to our enews.

Join our mailing list

More of a visual person? Follow us on Pinterest for updates on the design and co-creation process.

Got an idea, question or opportunity we haven't thought of yet? We want to hear from you.

Contact the Project Team

Events and Activations

Current Opportunities to Get Involved

Project Pillars

Technology and Tradition

Synergy and Innovation

Quality Experiences

A Culture of Inclusion

Spaces and Places

Design Principles

James Wilson

Carey Lyon

Sam Hunter

Tess O'Meara

Julie Eizenberg

Lily McBride-Stephens

Nathan Bishop

Jeremy McLeod

Marika Neustuphy

Nigel Bertram

Albert Mo

Eid Goh

Thomas Davies

Jefa Greenaway

Kirsten Bauer

Tim Fowler

Erwin Taal

Mark Gillingham

Current Co-creation Opportunities