6 March 2020 |
Jim-Baa-Yer (JBY) is a student resource centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
It is located in the Mary Glowery building at 115 Victoria Parade, Melbourne.
In 2019, the Australian Catholic University (ACU) selected Hatz to redesign the existing JBY centre. The purpose of the upgrade is to help improve student engagement and increase its visibility.
The functional brief for this project was to refurbish the existing foyer space and extend the Centre. The aim was to create a centre that facilitated individual and collaborative study, student and tutor meetings, and a meeting space equipped with teleconferencing equipment and technology.
The conceptual brief called for a visually strong entry to the new centre. An entry which identified with the Indigenous culture, showcased their artifacts and connected the new centre to its existing environment.
Hatz used the symbolism of the Wurundjeri peoples as a way to pay respect to the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways.
Through many discussions with the user-group, the ‘river/waterflow’ symbol of Aboriginal storytelling became the design concept that connected the diverse requirements.
The river flow element is evident the timber work and sculptural slump-glass artwork. The slump-glass artwork was manufactured by Wathaurong Glass and Arts and features a translation of ACU’s First People Logo.
Hatz worked closely with ACU’s project management team , engineering and building contractor to design, document and help deliver the project.
