UQ plant research facility wins national architecture award
A $65 million UQ facility for climate research won a national architecture award. The unusual brief required no windows.
The original brief was odd: design a giant box with no windows. Inside, researchers can adjust temperature, humidity, light and carbon dioxide.
Researchers can copy growing conditions from the Gold Coast hinterlands to Far North Queensland. Researchers study how plants adapt to climate change.
The Plant Futures Facility at the University of Queensland is $65 million. It won a national architecture award announced in Brisbane on Thursday.
Architect Michael Christensen said the problem was making the strange brief work for labs and people. The team added mirror panels and coloured lights in hallways.
Scientists would see changing light, just like the plants. The outside is a map of Queensland's soil made from local clay bricks.
- 65 million dollars
- Building cost
- M3 Architecture
- Architect firm
- Brisbane
- Award announcement location
Why it mattersThe facility gives Australian researchers a top tool. They can develop crops that handle climate stress. This helps ensure future food security.
AustraliaQueensland gets a one-of-a-kind research hub that could help Australian agriculture adapt as the climate changes.
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