Medical Sciences 2 Building, University of Tasmania

BACKGROUND The Medical Sciences 2 (MS2) building by Lyons Architecture - where Carey Lyon is a principal architect - is a major research and education building in the University of Tasmania's Medical Science Precinct. The $62 million building is a joint project of the Menzies Research Institute, the Faculty of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), via the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH), to build an integrated health research facility in Hobart. CONTRIBUTION At the core of the MS2 building design is the creation of a new teaching, learning and research culture that is reinforced in the building's image and its social and functional planning. The project provides new generation teaching spaces developed around a student-focused campus hub as the centrepiece of the campus. This project builds on Lyon's expertise in designing educational buildings that encourage collaborative learning, work that Nigel Westbrook describes as 'essential to understanding Australia's architectural culture'. SIGNIFICANCE The MS2 project plays a role in creating a vibrant medical precinct in the centre of Hobart. Its significance was recognised at the 2014 Tasmanian Architecture Awards from the Australian Institute of Architects, where it won the award for Public Architecture, and received a Commendation in the Interior Architecture category. AIA awards are the most prestigious in the design and construction industry in Australia, vital to public and peer recognition of outstanding contributions in architecture and the built environment. The project was featured in Australian Design Review, Design Chronicle, A As Architecture.