Building Extension of RMIT University - Located at District 7, Ho Chi Minh City

Introduction 

The second academic building is being developed on the the Saigon Campus to extend the capacity of the campus and support the growth demands of the campus.

The building forms part of the campus masterplan, integrating with the first academic building. A mixture of general teaching spaces, staff accommodation and specialist facilities are catered for in the facility.

It is intended that AB2 will primarily provide a series of teaching and learning spaces for all disciplines currently catered for in Vietnam. However the building also must provide a series of specialist learning spaces, mainly focussed around digital design/media and communication.

This project will return almost 10,000m2 of Usable Floor Area (excluding basement) to facilitate growth in academic programmes within Vietnam. The variety of academic models can be supported within the learning space configurations. The academic planning and arrangement of the building responds to the local environment with a parity to the educational offering and quality delivered in current RMIT projects.

The project integrates and compliments the existing facilities within the Saigon Campus.

Masterplan 
Level 1 - Basement

The Campus Pedestrian Spine

The Spine ( Bird eye )

Pedestrian circulation on ground level

 

Perspective of the spine

 

Section through the spine

Building Organisation

Level 1 - Basement

Level 2 - Ground

Containing a number of facilities and functions that support the campus environment, Level 2 has been repositioned to provide the main entry for the campus. The front of AB2 is ideally placed to demonstrate itself as the logical “front door” of the campus. In doing so it also removes attention from the eastern end of AB1 which is primarily is a plant and services zone. A series of assets located on the ground level directly engaging with the main internal pedestrian axis of the campus. Some of these include the Café and outdoor eating, exposure to the Media Hub, Honours Consulting Space and Auditorium breakout space.

Level 3

This level is the first that represents the “typical’ floor arrangement. Divided into three clear portions divided by the two amenity breezeways running north/south, this level houses varying arrangements of teaching and learning spaces. The Learning Axis demonstrates the learning core of the building with an activated vertical connecting stairway delineating structured and collaborative learning spaces. The ends to the building demonstrate a variance enabling potentially customised learning environments for specific disciplines.

Level 4

Continuing the “typical” floor approach, this floor consolidates the teaching environment, particularly surrounding the vertical “Learning Axis”. Demonstrating the flexibility of the building office accommodation has been incorporated into the eastern end affording a views over Tu Dinh Creek.

Level 5 & 6

Dedicated to an office/administration function, Level 5 nevertheless employs similar aspects to the floors below. The two breezeways split the floor, creating smaller enclaves of office communities/departments. The central zones is split by the light well that invigorates the lower academic floors, but also creates additional natural light amenity through the central portion of the floorplate.  For both smoke and acoustic reasons the void is enclosed by glazed partitions to the office floor. 

Building Cross Section

Design Concepts and Materials

The materials utilised and the construction methodology is sympathetic to both the harsh environmental conditions and local approaches of construction

Exterior View 1

 

Exterior View 2

Interior Material

View looking west along the “Learning Axis”

View looking east along the “Learning Axis”

View looking west along the “Learning Axis”

Conclusion

The design development outcome for AB2 is the result of considerable research into the materials and construction details and at the same time maintaining the concept from schematic design stage.
“A distinctive and flexible design that embraces state of the art technology within an economically rational construction framework”