Brookfield Multiplex appointed to construct The University of Melbourne’s $100 million Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning Building

Brookfield Multiplex has been appointed to design and construct The University of Melbourne’s (UOM) $100 million Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning Building (FABP) in Parkville.

Spanning six levels and 17,488 square metres, construction of the FABP building will commence in May this year to be completed in time for the 2015 academic year.

John Wardle Architects in Melbourne and NADAAA from Boston were the successful winners of a design competition for the building which received more than 130 submissions from 15 countries.

Brookfield Multiplex will work to create a Living Lab in the building which will enable students to learn about building and architecture on site while the FABP is being constructed.

"We have a successful model established from our work at UNSW, RMIT and the Melbourne Brain Centre and will implement similar strategies on this site," said Graham Milford-Cottam, the regional managing director of Brookfield Multiplex Victoria.

Its heritage listed facade, originally from the old Bank of NSW built on Collins Street in 1856 and relocated to the University Of Melbourne in 1932, will be incorporated in the new building.

The building will also feature a suspended studio that will hang from the atrium.

There will be a Japanese room with cladding that alludes to traditional Japanese construction. Another element of the building will be an underground library with glazed skylights that will open into the building.

"The project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Faculty, including the Melbourne School of Design, to articulate its strategic objectives, demonstrating a commitment to innovation through the design and delivery of an outstanding centrally located campus building," said Tom Kvan, Dean of FABP, University of Melbourne.