Monash University Logan Hall

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: Logan Hall is a 7-level building by McBride Charles Ryan (MCR) that delivers 250 student accommodation units for Monash University. It incorporates both living and communal areas designed to increase communication and exchanges with other tenants. The building occupies an important corner in the design of the Clayton campus, and has contributed to a new sense of urban legibility for the broader University. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: To the north and east, Logan Hall has a generous colonnade which aligns with the natural pedestrian desire lines of the campus. The colonnade provides a sheltered space between the cafes and the northern landscaped forecourt. To the east, the split masses of the building reinforce the civic quality of Scenic Boulevard. To the north, the modularity of the student units has been utilized to provide an unlikely and expressive form the recalls the distinct modernist origins of the Monash Clayton Campus. Emulating the city, the building acknowledges mixed-use ground-level occupation, which includes a café and supermarket. Above these 'urban' ground levels, the residential floors follow a planning strategy for defining student community. Logan Hall demonstrates MCR's ongoing practice of creating civic narratives, and connecting the community together, and with its urban context, through their design. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The project has received multiple awards: for Residential - Multiple Housing at the 2016 Australian Institute of Australia (AIA) National Awards; the Best Overend Award for Residential Architecture (Multiple Housing) at the 2016 AIA Vic Chapter Awards; Multi-Residential Exterior at the 2016 Dulux Colour Awards; and Special Purpose Living Award at the 2016 Urban Development Institute of Australia Awards. It was also a Finalist at the 2016 Premier's Design Awards (Architectural Design). The project was published in Architecture Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Domain and Green Magazine, amongst others.