Scheme part of £109m upgrade of Melbourne University’s Southbank campus

The new home of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music has opened its doors to staff and students.

Designed by Melbourne-based John Wardle Architects, the AUD$109m (£59m) Ian Potter Southbank Centre has been developed by the University of Melbourne

The project is at the heart of the university’s AUD$200m (£109m) overhaul of its Southbank campus and is a major part of Melbourne’s Arts Precinct.

The nine-storey, 9,400sq m project includes the Kenneth Myer Auditorium which can accommodate a 120-piece orchestra and 180 retractable seats. It has a six-metre-wide “oculus” window - one of the world’s largest - with a retractable remote-control shutter.

IMAGE 3_High res – The Ian Potter Southbank Centre – Kenneth Myer Auditorium_Credit – Trevor Mein

Source: Trevor Mein

Kenneth Myer Auditorium

The Hanson Dyer Hall, which is the venue’s main performance space, accommodates up to 40 musicians on stage, has a choral balcony for up to 60 singers and audience seating for 400 people.

The scheme, which employed 47 architects, 112 engineers and 1,152 builders, also used 66,000 circular Japanese-made tiles on its facade and internal walls.

While staff and students have been using the facility since the last week of March it will not have its official launch until June 1.