Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University

Melbourne, Australia, 2012 / Unbuilt

The Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music serves as an iconic and dramatic new gateway to the Clayton campus. Facing Monash Walk, the primary internal pedestrian circulation through campus, the building’s façade opens up and allows view deep into the interior spaces.

The splayed curved forms of the recital hall and multipurpose room, clad in precast and stainless steel, announce the building to the community and campus.

An external amphitheater extends out from the School of Music to engage the academic campus, thereby drawing visitors into an immersive arts experience that posits the School as an integral component of campus life and activity.

The program includes a 500-seat recital hall with superior acoustics for performance, as well as a multipurpose hall with 100 seats for ensemble and chamber performances. With a focus on classical and jazz training, the facility also includes 40 individual practice rooms, a recording studio, a café/restaurant and jazz club space, as well as department offices and support spaces.

The acclaimed Monash University was founded in 1961 with an emphasis on research and technology but has grown to be the largest university in Australia and, with the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, is poised to become an institutional leader in the musical arts.

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