The UTAS Glass house is located in the Lifesciences Precinct at the University of Tasmania’s Sandy Bay campus.
The facility is a PC2/QC2 (Physical Containment Level 2 / Quarantine Containment Level 2) glasshouse facility complete with a lab and growth chambers.
The building is a unique, highly technical research facility that required project architects Preston Lane Architects to coordinate a large number of specialist consultants.
The form of the building enabled a bulkhead to run along the length of the corridor space to conceal servicing and limit the number of penetrations into the PC2/QC2 space.
Positive air pressures were maintained with airlocks incorporated to ensure the materials within are physically maintained.
The existing infrastructure onsite was cramped and in poor condition and laboratories were located some distance away from the existing glasshouse.
General access and DDA access around the site were also a problem.
The new works overcame these access issues without adding to the existing spatial inadequacies of the site.
Following Preston Lane Architects’ spatial analysis of the site, a new location for the project was proposed.
The facility was instead located atop a roof deck on a building within the Life Sciences Precinct.
This placed the glasshouse facility adjacent to a newly constructed PC2 lab.
The new location ensured a larger and more flexible greenhouse facility was achieved with access to the new state-of-the-art lab and good circulation paths between both academic and workspaces.
The Preston Lane Architects proposal also overcame long-time water ingress issues from the roof deck into the spaces below.
The glasshouse sits on the western side of the building and significant solar modeling and analysis were undertaken during the design process.
The form of the building is simple and maximizes light and volume in the space.
A simple, modulated superstructure was proposed and arrayed along with the building – enabling the structure to have a fineness and allowed for the glazing to be easily integrated.
The sizing of structure and glazing adaptors were considered in the design and documentation process to enable neat cleanable surfaces within and to maintain the project budget parameters.
A modulated superstructure was proposed and arrayed throughout the building – enabling the structure to have a fineness to it and allowing for the glazing to be easily integrated.
The PC2/QC2 facility required rigorous attention to detail to achieve certification.
Due to the nature of the facility, finishes throughout the internal spaces were carefully considered to ensure that all surfaces were robust and easy to clean so that research material (genetically modified organisms) could not sit and gather.
Benches and moveable plant trolleys were designed to enable equipment to be washed down and easily moved around the space.
Consideration of silicone/material types was required to ensure the phthalate used did not affect the life cycle of the plants.
Project Details
Completion date – 2018
Building levels – 1
Project Team
Architecture
Preston Lane Architects
Preston Lane Architects is an award-winning architectural practice focused on providing innovative and successful design solutions that are responsive to both their client’s needs and the environment. They have an appetite for design and strongly believe that high-quality design outcomes add value.
Structural Engineering
Gandy and Roberts
From humble beginnings in 1985, Gandy and Roberts have grown to 35 staff including 31 engineers, designers, and drafters across three engineering disciplines.
Services Engineering
ASC Engineers
ASC Engineers provides professional consulting Engineering in the area of Building Services Design with a special emphasis on energy assessments, health care, commercial and recreational facilities.
Photography
Adam Gibson
Adam combines careful composition with light-footed spontaneity to uncover the human truth.
With an eye for dramatic tension, his work reflects a life spent roaming within and beyond the wild Tasmanian landscape, responding to diverse creative briefs.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Preston Lane Architects. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Adam Gibson. All Rights Reserved.
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