After three decades in their previous premises in the heart of Little Bourke Street, Leo Cussen Centre for Law relocated to their new home at 15 William Street, Melbourne in December 2018.
Situated on the edge of Melbourne’s legal precinct the new headquarters takes advantage of stunning river views and the surrounding CBD outlook.
Gray Puksand worked collaboratively with Leo Cussen Centre for Law’s executive team to develop a design approach that respected the values, tradition, and culture of the organisation while strengthening their presence as the provider of choice within the Law Fraternity.
Jennifer Lyons, Associate at Gray Puksand, said design engagement commenced in January 2018 with an intense series of briefing workshops undertaken over a period of three months.
The outcomes forming the design language that is welcoming, professional, sophisticated and inclusive. Leo Cussen Centre for Law also wanted to provide a sense of community, enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst their staff, student cohort and the Law Fraternity.
Spanning 4,400 sqm across two levels, the large floor plates and inter-connecting stair facilitate the connection between the student learning spaces on level 15 and the professional workspaces and conference facilities on level 16.
This deeply considered merging of workplace and education facilities contributes to the potential for informal learning and offers students an appreciation for their future placement in a professional work setting.
The planning is designed to minimise hierarchy and to elevate the student mindset with opportunities to mingle and network both with fellow students and practicing lawyers at varying stages of their career.
With 160 students onsite on a daily basis the planning for Level 15 has been carefully considered to provide a variety of spaces to facilitate opportunities for formal and informal training, collaboration and knowledge sharing, social interaction and areas for focus and contemplation.
Project Details
Project size – 4,400 m2
Completion date – 2019
Building levels – 2
Project Team
Architecture
Gray Puksand
Gray Puksand is a leading Australian architecture and integrated design practice with studios in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. They create places of integrity designed to improve the way people work, learn and live.
Photography
Tatjana Plitt
Tatjana is an award-winning artist and architecture/interiors photographer based in Melbourne. She completed her Bachelor of Media Arts at RMIT University and has exhibited her work throughout Australia and internationally. Inspired by the power of architecture to shape how we feel, think and behave, Tatjana creates images that capture the mood and emotion of spaces.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Gray Puksand. All Rights Reserved. | Images © 2020 Tatjana Plitt. All Rights Reserved.
Other Education Projects
VCA Elisabeth Murdoch Building, VCA Grant Street Theatre, LCI Melbourne, Deakin Uni Optometry Clinic.
The Builtworks Quest
At Builtworks, we’re on a multi-year quest to document, showcase, and spotlight the best of Australia’s built environment.
That’s why we’re creating this comprehensive online archive and educational resource that showcases a diverse and eclectic range of project types and scales.
Together with showcasing older exemplars of enduring merit, we spotlight and celebrate the very best new and recent additions to Australia’s built environment.