If some of the other buildings on the campus are statements in form, the complex by CRAB studio, with Sir Peter Cook, is a declaration in colour. The buildings rise in tiers of increasing size, each distinguished by a different hue. The colour palette begins with dark orange at the bottom level, changing to paler orange, then to darker and then lighter yellow.
To add to the distinctive appearance, a “filter layer” of rough timber slats of Austrian larch have been mounted on brackets along the external walls. These provide some shading and refer to the nearby Prater woods. The interiors, too, have been rendered in strong colours.
The facility is made up of two main elements. The first building houses the university’s main administration department, and is a three-pronged linear form with its main components running parallel to the central pedestrian path. The second building contains the Law and other research departments, as well as the Law library, and forms the southern boundary of the campus, sited along the top of Prater Park. The building comprises three curved sections (containing the various Law departments) and a larger curving section (the research department) that wraps around the central volume of the Law library. The library sits in the embrace of the research building with a staggered roof that has been made into a series of planted terraces criss-crossed with ramps. Special study rooms rise up out of the library structure and look onto the terraces. In alignment with the key component of the master plan, which calls for maximum public space and integration, there are a number of terraces passage ways, atrium spaces and other “pockets” for informal meetings. These give the appearance and feel of a micro campus within the larger context.
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