University Accommodation

St Paul’s College University of Sydney

Urban Design and Architectural Design Report

PERSPECTIVE (OVAL)

Prepared by Cox Richardson Architects and Planners

September 2012
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
2 St Paul’s College
Contents

St Paul’s College – Urban Design and Architectural Design Report

Background
History of the Site and St Paul’s
Graduate College Benchmarking Study
The need for Graduate and Undergraduate Accommodation

Urban Design
Master Plan Overview
Master Plan Principles:
Immediate Context – The Interface between St Paul’s and the Australian Institute of Nanoscience (AIN)
Design Structure
Access/ Connections
Landscape and Open Space
Car Parking
Heritage
View Corridors/ Vistas

Architectural Design
Design Principles
Accommodation Brief
Built Form/ Height
Amenity
Staging
Architectural Expression and Materials
Ecologically Sustainable Design

Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 3

Background

History of the Site and St Paul’s

St Paul’s College is Australia’s oldest residential
college. It is an independent Anglican college,
located within the University of Sydney campus,
adjacent to City Road. One of Australia’s pre eminent
residential colleges, St Paul’s was established in
1856. It is also the oldest original college structure
still in use. The first buildings are of exceptional
architectural significance and still sit within a strong
landscape curtilage. The integration of landscape and
architecture is a defining characteristic of this place.

The plan of Grose farm Land in 1857 shows only the

Main Quadrangle and St Paul’s College existing at
that time. Both buildings were designed by Edmund
Blackett on high points on the campus in a strong but
romantic picturesque relationship to each other.

As the campus has developed and intensified in built

form over the past 150 years, further layers of campus
design including the more classical planning by
Wilkinson have added a complex layering of places
and relationships within the university. This includes
the Wilkinson Axis that orders places between
St Paul’s College, the Physics Building, Lawn and
buildings further north.

Prior to the planning of the new works proposed for

St Paul’s College, a heritage and landscape analysis of
the College was carried out by Clive Lucas Stapleton,
the College’s heritage and landscape architects. This
analysis identified constraints to future developments,
highlighting both the important elements such as the
relationship to the Main Quadrangle buildings and
the Wilkinson axis noted above.

The proposed development of St Paul’s seeks to

acknowledge and build on both the architectural and
landscape qualities of the College. The following
design description addresses both urban design and
architectural considerations. CONTEXT PLAN; WILKINSON AXIS AND MAIN QUADRANGLE RELATIONSHIPS

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 VIEW OF THE ORIGINAL
BLACKETT BUILDING

PLAN OF GROSE FARM LAND, 1857 CHARLES BAYLISS, 1880’S

Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 5

Background

ST PAUL’S COLLEGE

The Need for Graduate

and Undergraduate Housing
The University of Sydney’s White Paper 2011 – 2015
has identified a need for additional student housing,
especially for graduates. In particular the White
Paper noted the diversification of its student cohort
including the trend for an increase in the proportion
of graduate students, as key changes that would
significantly expand the universities need for student
accommodation.

St Paul’s College, while independent from the

University, provides collegiate accommodation for
the University’s students. This accommodation, as
well as responding to the broader university needs,
also provides housing for students consistent with
its values and philosophical approach to creating a
community within the university.

The master plan provides a medium and long term

framework to both provide addition accommodation
as well as maintaining the very significant qualities of
the college, both physical and cultural.

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Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 7
Background

HERITAGE OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS

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Graduate College
Benchmarking Study
In December 2011 the College and its design
team carried out a review of high quality graduate
colleges and some apartments in the United
Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. The
objective of the study was to identify exemplary
examples as well as the key elements of successful
contemporary graduate housing. Elements included
architectural, functional and operational as well as
the various colleges’ philosophical principles of what
truly constitutes a collegiate graduate community.

The report found that there are both a number of

graduate colleges such as Massey College at the
University of Toronto that are exemplary as well
as relevant to St Paul’s College in all areas, as well
as other examples where one or more aspects are
highly relevant.

The report concluded that there is a strong case

for creating graduate accommodation that is
collegiate, where graduates come to become
part of a community, complimenting the current
undergraduate community.

In particular, the report finds that successful

graduate communities value in particular:

– A strong sense of place and identity – beautiful,

intimate comfortable spaces and places
– The opportunity to eat together and on occasion
cook together
– The opportunity to engage with other disciplines
– The opportunity to engage with and connect to
the broader life of the university. May successful
colleges run senior fellow programs as a ‘bridge’
between college and campus
– A secure environment with defined levels of
access rather than being ‘gated’

Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 9

Background
Massey College, University of Toronto

 Dining Hall Common Room

 Robertson Davies Library  Lower Library  St. Catherine’s Chapel  Ondaatje Hall
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Sidney Pacific Graduate Residence, MIT Boston Graduate Studies Centre, University of Pennsylvania

Common Kitchen Cafe and Lounge area

 From left Laundry, Gym, Music Room, Multi-function space

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Urban Design
EXISTING ST PAUL’S COLLEGE BUILDINGS
Master Plan Overview
The St Paul’s College campus master plan on the
land owned by St Paul’s College is a key part of a
long term strategy for additional accommodation
and associated facilities as well as the identification
of the campus boundaries with regards to its
neighbours.

The strategy developed in liaison with the College

Council and committees as well as Clive Lucas
Stapleton and Partners, the College heritage and
landscape architect, contemplates new buildings
and places that will more strongly define the edges
of the College, while actively engaging with its
neighbours, supporting broader campus wide
linkages and connections.

More specifically new accommodation will more PROPOSED NORTHERN

PRECINCT EXTENSION
strongly define the northern edge of the site,
as well future accommodation on land south
of the existing oval, towards City Road. This
application also includes learning and other support
facilities including a new multipurpose venue to
accommodate common rooms, study areas and
library, sports, functions, cafe/ bar, and meeting hall
to complement the additional accommodation. PROPOSED CITY ROAD
PRECINCT ENVELOPES

The master plan provides a significant opportunity

for the college campus development as well as the
adjacent Australian Institute of Nanoscience (AIN)
by allowing for an internal boundary adjustment
between the College and University lands within
the larger campus. This will achieve a more efficient
use of land as well as resolving the challenge
presented by topography. The objectives and
principles identified in this SSD Application for
St Paul’s College will integrate with the separate
development proposed for the new Nanoscience
complex.

ST PAUL’S MASTER PLAN

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Master Plan Principles
1. Reinforce original Wilkinson Axis

2. Review extent of oval to optimum size and

create land for development

3. Identify areas for potential land swap to

accommodate Physics/Medicine expansion

4. Identify areas for potential future student

accommodation

5. Investigate option of new road address/access

for college

6. Improve interface between St Paul’s and

adjacent woman’s college

7. Review car parking

8. Protect solar access and views to and from new

and existing college buildings

9. Create a new place between St. Paul’s College,

the Women’s College and St Andrew’s

10. Recreation facilities - Review options for tennis

and basketball courts
5.
11. Retain and improve existing student access
through college to the university

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Urban Design
Immediate Context – The Interface between
St Paul’s and the Australian Institute of Nanoscience (AIN)
The master plan creates a new east west campus link
from Physics Road west to Wesley College and the
sports ovals. The northern edge of the new college
buildings include active uses that address this link.

Extensive consultation with the University and the

designers of the proposed new AIN facility have
taken place during design to integrate the two
projects and ensure that both are good neighbours
and that both projects respond appropriately to the
existing heritage buildings on both sites, being the
existing Blackett buildings at St Paul’s as well, as the
Wilkinson buildings adjoining.

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St Paul’s Master Plan
Design Structure
The master plan for St Paul’s creates a series of
places around the central oval as well as creating
a new quadrangle. A new campus connection is
proposed between St Paul’s and the proposed AIN.
Each place is structured as follows:

– Graduate House and Library Building – This

place is quadrangular in form, arranged as north
south wings directly north of the existing main
quadrangle. The Library Building immediately
east of Graduate House addresses the oval. The
form respects the Wilkinson axis with a lower
east west building on the north of the new
quadrangle.
– Academic House – This is located east of
Graduate House and also defines the north edge
of the oval and St Paul’s site and interface with
the proposed AIN.
– The Propylaea – An east west colonnaded link
running along the northern boundary connects
the lower levels of Academic House and
Graduate House as well as providing a new
public cross campus connection
– The Southern Precincts
o Arnott Wing Additions are designed as an
extension of the existing building, creating
a small courtyard to the rear. The existing
buildings are also to be refurbished with a
new external skin added.
o City Road edge – two new buildings are
proposed on the City Road edge

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Urban Design

NORTH COLONNADE

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NORTH ELEVATION PROPYLAEA

CAMPUS LINK LEVEL

Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 17
Urban Design

SOUTH ELEVATION (OVAL)

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Access / Connections
– Pedestrian access to the College will be
maintained / enhanced as follows:
o An improved north south connection from
the existing St Paul’s oval to the Physics lawn
area to the north and Physics Road
o A new east west connection between Fisher
Road/ the main campus to the east and
Western Avenue and associated ovals to the
west.
o A relocated entry on City Road

– Vehicle access to the College is to be maintained

and or enhanced as follows:
o A reestablished vehicle entry from Carillon
Avenue that is currently closed off
o Maintain the vehicle entry from Western
Avenue
o Relocated entry drive from City Road that
provides a front door to the College and
potential future buildings that is more in
keeping with the heritage character of the
site

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Urban Design

Landscape and Open Space

The existing St Paul’s College precinct is
significant from a landscape as well as architectural
perspective. A landscape master plan has therefore
been developed to maintain and reinforce the
landscape character of the site.

The existing oval will be reconfigured and relocated

north to accommodate the proposed college
extension to the south of the oval, as well as the
relocated entrance on City Road. The levels and
edges of the oval will be lifted to re establish the
original less structured and pastoral character of the
college curtilage.

Trees identified as significant have been either

retained or replaced as described on the landscape
master plan drawing. A number of less significant
trees that currently obscure the original Blackett
wing are proposed to be removed.

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Car Parking
A precinct car parking strategy has been developed
that provides both basement and at grade parking.
At grade parking has been rationalised to better
integrate with the master plan and is removed from
the front of the Blackett wing.

The plan improves parking near well connected

access points and reconfigures car parking near
poorly connected access points or where there is
pedestrian conflict.

All additional spaces are located below grade.

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Urban Design

Heritage
A Conservation Management Plan (CMP) was
prepared in July 2012. The CMP addresses the
buildings and landscape within the precinct. The
Plan highlights significant fabric, spaces, views and
vegetation.

The master plan and buildings have been designed

to respond positively to the identified elements of
significance.

The heritage architects have prepared a Statement

of Heritage Impact that is included in this
application.

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View Corridors/ Vistas
The CMP has identified the significant visual and
spatial relationships:

– The visual connection between the Tower and

Main Quadrangle
– The spatial alignment of the Old Quad with the
Physics and Chemistry buildings
The design of the new buildings responds positively
to the above constraints

VISTA PLAN SHOWING VISUAL CONNECTIONS

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Architectural Design
Design Principles
The architecture of the existing St Paul’s College
buildings is highly distinguished and of significant
architectural merit.
Some of its key characteristics include:
– A strong domestically scaled Gothic architecture
of stone walls with pronounced gables, steeply
pitched slate roofs, punctuated by tall and
slender chimneys
– A strong quadrangular form of development over
time, combined with a picturesque landscape
setting
– A skilful combination of civic presence and
domestic scale
– Careful attention to proportion
– A core designed by Edmund Blackett, with
additions by the Blackett brothers, Fowell
Mansfield Jarvis and Maclurcan, Stephenson
Turner, and Clive Lucas Stapleton and Partners
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The architecture of the new graduate college
develops a contemporary response to the
architecture of Blackett, restricting the palette to
simple masonry stucco walls and gables, strong roof
forms, punctuated by vertical ventilation stacks.
To create a contemporary standard of amenity
including daylight and ventilation, openings are
organised into steel frames and glazed bay windows
and thin slot windows to maintain a strong vertical
proportion as well as leaving simple and large areas
of masonry wall.
The detailing of all elements is contemporary and
elegant, expressing the materials used.
The buildings are scaled to respond to the scale of
the existing college, the oval, the Madsen Building
as well as Wilkinson’s Physics buildings.
In section the building address the upper oval level
to the south as well as north to the future AIN and
Physics Building to the north. The north elevation
is tied together by the Propylaea at the lower level
that faces onto the new campus link. This device
creates an active edge to the new link engaging the
college with the university.
Accommodation Brief The following functions are included:
The brief has been developed in conjunction Graduate House and the Library Building
with the College and has been informed by an
179 beds (GH) and 46 beds (LB)
international benchmarking study of graduate
colleges in the US, UK, and Canada. It is critical Common room
that St Paul’s maintains its collegiate social structure Common lounges
and that it be developed to cater specifically to Graduate library
graduate students. The brief therefore includes Multipurpose room
accommodation in a range of formats, shared Study area
dining, common rooms, learning spaces, as well as
conference/ function areas. Accommodation has
been designed to suit visiting academics also. Academic House
161 beds
Multipurpose halls – upper and lower
Meeting room
Common room
Bar/cafe and kitchen
Basement parking
Garnsey
New dining hall
New common room
Future Arnott Extension (envelop only)
50 beds approximately
Other facilities to be determined
Future City Road Accommodation (envelop only)
120 beds approximately
Other facilities to be determined
Outdoor Facilities
2 Tennis court/ basketball courts
NORTH ELEVATION CONCEPT

SOUTH ELEVATION CONCEPT

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Architectural Design

Built Form/ Height Details of height are set out below:

The buildings have been scaled to respond to

Graduate House
both the scale of the existing St Paul’s buildings
as well as to other significant buildings within the 5 storeys to the through site link
campus. Graduate House which is in the closest (excluding mezzanines)
proximity to the existing college has been designed 4 storeys to the oval
in a quadrangular configuration. The north south
ACADEMIC HOUSE BUILDING E
wings are similar in height to the existing college Academic House SOUTH ELEVATION
buildings, while the east west building is a single 5 – 7 storeys to the through site link
storey pavilion, acknowledging the Wilkinson Axis (excluding mezzanines)
identified in the CLSP advices.
3 – 5 storeys to the oval
Academic House varies in height in response to the 6 storeys to Fisher Road
existing St Paul’s College buildings, the oval, as well
as the Madsen Building located on the eastern side Garnsey
of Fisher Road. No change to the external envelope
(apart from the verandah/ terrace)
Envelopes have been developed for future buildings
on the southern part of the site towards City Road.
These buildings are scaled to relate to the oval and Future Arnott Extension (envelope only)
the existing college buildings. 3 – 4 storeys

Future City Road Accommodation (envelope only)

3 storeys (excluding the loft)

PERSPECTIVE (OVAL)
26 St Paul’s College
VIEW FROM PHYSICS LAWN
Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 27
Architectural Design

Amenity
The new graduate facility will be developed as part
of St Paul’s College. It will include all the elements
that support a collegiate environment where
accommodation, dining, socialising, learning, and
recreation are supported. This includes buildings
and open spaces as well as the programs that
support the residents.
The accommodation has been designed specifically
for graduate students. The provisions of the
Residential Flat Design Code (RFDC) as well as the
principles set out in SEPP 65 have been achieved
where appropriate for this form of housing. Details
of compliance with these are attached.

AERIAL VIEW TO NORTH

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VIEW FROM FISHER ROAD

Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 29

Architectural Design

VIEW FROM THE COLLEGE OVAL

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GRADUATE COMMON ROOM ACADEMIC HOUSE MAIN HALL

Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 31

Architectural Design

Staging
The project has been designed so that it can
be constructed in stages. The buildings can be
staged in a number of ways depending on funding
availability or other factors such as timing of the
GRADUATE
adjacent AIN building. HOUSE

The current expectation is that Graduate House

will be the first facility to be constructed. If funding
permits, the entire facility would be built as one
stage. Graduate House is designed as a series of
buildings which allows for sub stages if required.

Academic House would follow Graduate House.

The southern part of the site will be developed last
and for this reason envelop approval only is sought ARNOTT WING
ADDITIONS
at this stage.

CITY ROAD PRECINCT

ACADEMIC
HOUSE

32 St Paul’s College
 RENDERED MASONRY WALLS STONE BASE AND CAPPING/ DETAIL ZINC OR PREFINISHED WIDE PAN ROOF METAL FRAMED GLAZED BAY WINDOWS
SHEETING

Architectural Expression and Materials

A sensitively scaled domestic contemporary
architecture is proposed for the new buildings
proposed for St Paul’s College. The architecture of
the existing buildings at
St Paul’s, especially those designed by Edmund
Blackett comprise relatively plain masonry walls with
minimal openings with capped by strongly pitched
roofs. Within this discipline, variation is achieved
with variations in plan as well as building height.
The buildings are remarkable for both their
simplicity and diversity.

The design strategy for the new buildings is to

use strong roof forms and simple wall massing,
building with contemporary materials and detailing.
To achieve a high level of amenity, yet maintain the
strong wall mass, openings are generally organised
into bay windows to achieve sufficient width and
still maintain a strong vertical proportion. Like the
original buildings the new buildings will provide
accommodation within the roof. This will create a
diversity of room types within a relatively simple
building form. Contemporary detailing of elements
such as the bay windows and their sun shading is
fundamental to achieving a successful outcome.

Proposed materials include:

– Rendered masonry walls
– Zinc or prefinished wide pan roof sheeting
– Stone base and capping/ detail
– Metal framed glazed bay windows

Urban Design & Architectural Design Report 33

Architectural Design

Ecologically Sustainable Design

An ESD strategy for the proposed project has been
developed by the design team, and supported by
technical expertise.

The areas that have been considered at this stage

include:
– Site planning and building configuration
– Use of passive systems within the residential
components of the project
– Compliance with BASIX with regards to water
and energy efficiency
A detailed description of each of the above areas
is set out in the Ecologically Sustainable Design
Statement prepared by JHA Consulting Engineers
and the SEPP 65 – RFDC Compliance table and
SEPP 65 Design principles Statements prepared by
Cox Richardson. In summary the following initiatives
are proposed:
– Site planning and building configuration
The residential buildings where possible are
orientated in a north south alignment to maximise
the number of rooms receiving either morning or
afternoon sun as well as minimising south facing
rooms

34 St Paul’s College
The buildings are massed and configured to
optimise solar access to the quadrangle space within
Graduate House.
– Use of passive systems within the residential
components of the project

The residential component is designed to achieve

a comfortable environment without the need for
air conditioning. This is achieved by large shaded
openings combined with relief risers to facilitate
natural ventilation even though the major room type
is the single sided studio.
– Compliance with BASIX with regards to water
and energy efficiency
Key initiatives will address water efficiency, thermal
comfort, and energy efficiency as follows:
– Rainwater capture and re use
– Water efficient fittings throughout
– Insulation that meets or exceeds standards
– Performance glazing
– Solar gas boosted water heating
– Relief ventilation

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