Our design utilises natural timber cladding to humanise the car park experience for all end users. Fire-treated Siberian larch louvers are used both vertically and horizontally throughout the building. Vertical timbers are arranged around the curvature of both ramps and are unfinished ‘off-the-saw’ aesthetic. In contrast, smooth-finished horizontal timber blades are inserted on the other three elevations in a galvanised steel carrier system and are staggered and rotated to create a dynamic effect in the sunlight.

Sandstone walls protect the ground floor of the main structure as a strong plinth. It responds to the existing context and provides a visually pleasant yet robust surface at the point of contact with the external skin of the building.

The stairs became major features of the design. Their simple form and transparency contrasts the fretted detail and texture of the louvers and mesh-panelled facades. Frameless structural glazing is used on the outer walls of the stair towers to allow both daylight to flood in; and clear views out. These towers become beacons of light at night and establish a distinct visual identity within the campus.