Under-Arching

The arches of UQ’s Great Court hold a special place in students’ memories; being awed by their beauty on Open Day, rushing through the colonnade between classes, having lunch with friends on the lawn, queuing for a late afternoon coffee from Merlo, or taking photos beneath the arches upon graduation. The Great Court’s arches celebrate the university’s stories and achievements, similarly to the ritual of graduation.

This project aims to convey these notations by gathering all of UQ’s students under one voluminous arch and recalling those once-in-a-lifetime memories. The arch geometry is translated to have a central role both structurally and architecturally. The exterior form reflects its arched interior, allowing the building to stand distinctively to its neighbours and emphasise its significance. The Forgan Smith Building is respected with a generous yet intentionally framed view corridor upon arrival. Event-specific spaces are elevated, such that the ground plane provides an expanse of shaded, outdoor areas surrounded by lush, native vegetation for daily use and smaller functions. The project also accommodates sufficient and fair accessibility by providing entirely ramped access both through the building and into the university.

Under-arching serves as a point of arrival and departure, literally through intentional placement, and symbolically as a graduation hall.