Room for development

The best ideas are usually not born at a desk, but at the weirdest places: on top of a mountain, under the shower or on the dancefloor of a nightclub. But even freshly hatched ideas have to grow and develop if they are going to become something big – and for that they need space. Macquarie University has created such a space on its campus in the Australian town of North Ryde, north of Sydney: the Macquarie University Incubator. This is where ideas grow.

Light, Air And A Sense Of Ease

Building what the future needs: that is what Macquaire University has managed with its incubator. An open space for students, researchers and young entrepreneurs. For all those with the spark of an idea, which they want to turn into a wildfire. All those who are still at the start of possibly something big and are looking for the right space and the necessary infrastructure to make it reality. All those who do not want to brood alone in a quiet corner, but prefer to do it in an open, sharing atmosphere – in a large incubator indeed. What is needed for this: plenty of light, air and a sense of ease. This is also precisely how Luke Johnson and Nick Elias from the Australian architectural firm, Architectus, built the Macquaire University Incubator.

Wooden Geometry

A flat building, which is sheltered by the high trees on the campus. It looks as alive and wise as them, as it is made of the same material: wood. Geometric shapes combined with this organic material, which gives the building its sense of ease. V-shaped beams made of the particularly hard Australian ash support the flat roof, from whose supports the triangular shape is repeated, just as it is on the flat facade elements made of European spruce. These are interrupted by large glass elements, which provide all the light needed by the bright minds inside.

The concept, which is fully based on wood and geometric clarity, also continues inside: with a ceiling, wall panels and flooring made of spruce too. Everything thus combines to make a unified whole: the wide, open office area, the meeting pods and the cloakroom.

Living And Long-Lasting

Wood, inside and out, has many benefits: indoor climate, atmosphere, environmentally friendliness, architecture, which is almost landscape design. But the living material also means a challenge, if you like, that it retains its natural beauty over the long term. Especially in the exteme Australian climate, the strong UV radiation causes the light-coloured wood to grey quickly outside and soon turn yellow inside. This fate does not threaten the incubator, however, as it is not only designed for bright minds, but was also built by such:

The architect and timber construction company, Strongbuild, rely on protective coatings from the ADLER Lignovit range. Because there may be no kangaroos in Austria, but ADLER is definitely found in Australia: even at the other end of the world, Lignovit Protect provides protection outside and Lignovit Interior inside for what is living and beautiful: wood.