Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science

Cox Architecture designed the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science at Scotch College in Melbourne around the school's motto, 'engaging curious minds', shaping a building for year 7 to 12 students that puts theoretical and practical learning side by side. The centre brings together 21 general science and specialist laboratories, student-led research spaces, prep rooms, staff facilities, collaborative areas and an auditorium, supporting group, independent and tutor-supported study across the pedagogical programme.

A contemporary yet sympathetic addition to the campus, the building reads as a series of sandstone-clad pods that float on a limestone plinth and are linked by glazed facades. Vertical stone louvres carry a sine-curve profile, while a central void draws daylight down into the floor plate. The brief called for a building designed to last 100 years, and the completed centre was shortlisted at the 2017 World Architecture Festival.

Architect: Cox Architecture. Photography: John Gollings.