It's not just technology that has changed tertiary education. Students today are also much more likely to multi-task and collaborate on projects – a learning approach that strongly influenced the design of the new library facilities for the Waikato Institute of Technology.

The Student Hub at the Wintec City Campus is an innovative response to the current demands of today’s tertiary education by the provision of spaces for learning and socialising simultaneously. It provides a real sense of community, and, as the name suggests, it is literally the heart of the institute – a place where students can come together to work and relax, almost like a home away from home.

The building is located at the top of the Anglesea Street wall in the heart of the city campus and forms the northern edge to the central courtyard, with a new entry created on the Anglesea Street face. A teaching space and seminar room in this location has also become a city events centre in the evening. A range of student support facilities are also accommodated within the building.

The Hub brings together all these learning support facilities, which were formerly spread out around the campus. The main building is a double height space with a library mezzanine floor connected by a freestanding in-situ concrete spiral stair. The information commons is located centrally forming a buffer between the food court and the library. Low level lights define spaces and create a sense of intimacy and place.

Providing an open layout was also a key consideration, as well as helping with passive surveillance, the open-plan design provides a visual transparency that enhances the community feel. For a similar reason, the mezzanine floor of the library features glazed study areas that are cantilevered over the information commons below.

For more information on this Chow:Hill project,
Email: brians@chowhill.co.nz