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<\/a><\/p>\nProfessor Datta says the students were challenged to build the structures with ethically sourced recycled materials, which abide by the school\u2019s focus on environmentally friendly sustainable design.<\/p>\n
\u201cA large part of the brief was to understand means-oriented design, to use recycled things. To turn trash into value,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had sponsors from local companies such as Little Creatures, to people donating pallets and even coffee houses giving up their coffee bean sacks. So there\u2019s a whole range of the community who are part of the project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reading room project is part of an initiative within the School of Architecture that focuses on integrating design research with teaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re merging the researchers and PhD students with undergraduate students. It works because [the researchers} are very specialised in specific areas including design, computing, fabrication, modelling, so they pass on their knowledge,\u201d says Professor Datta.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students are not only learning from us but from the research lab and their peers, so it\u2019s a new way of learning, it\u2019s a very transformative experience for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got another project infourth year that\u2019s similar. There are eight student-built ceilings around the architecture building. They are also quite dramatic,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The reading room project will be offered to students for the next three years. The school plans on developing the project yearly by introducing new challenges for students that will also benefit the campus.<\/p>\n \u201cThe next stage is using them as living laboratories; we want to find out how people use these spaces,\u201d Professor Datta says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping with smart sensors and visualisation in the HIVE, we could get more data so we could inform the planning and design of the Greater Curtin project, so our campus becomes more active and more effective.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the critical things we\u2019re going to do next year is get robotics and machine intelligence incorporated into means oriented design. We want to do things like take aluminium cans and unfold them, and turn them into building material,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n The reading rooms will be auctioned to interested bidders over the final week of November to recover the costs. The School of Built Environment will showcase the successful projects along with collections of student work in the end-of-year architecture exhibition in Building 201 and announce the winners of the auction on November 28.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n