A Dynamic Stage – Moot Court Learning Precinct by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects

Encompassing an ardent learning environment where courtroom meets classroom, Moot Court Learning Precinct by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects presents a refined redevelopment that enriches Monash University’s Clayton Campus. Registering a contemporary perspective that is informed by both the histories of law and the original building it stemmed from, the student hub offers a dynamic stage for academic ideation.

Assuredly rising from the floorplate of the existing 1960s-era School of Law Building, Moot Court’s current form retains the skeleton of its predecessor. Once a weighty assemblage of exposed block and brickwork that endured beyond its prime – in both aesthetic engagement and functional planning for a current-day cohort – the setting welcomed a comprehensive overhaul. Collaboration between Jackson Clements Burrows Architects and Monash’s Law Faculty brought to light an intricate brief that championed flexible learning, a dedicated space authentic to the best principles of courtroom design and the faculty’s progressive values woven into a modern spatial profile.

Permeating the precinct’s ample offering of dedicated teaching areas, collaborative study spaces and purposeful amenities is a genuine understanding of the modern student experience.

A compelling and defining feature of Moot Court’s anatomy is the original exposed waffle slab soffit. Having been stripped back to barebones, only the roof, the whole roof and nothing but the roof remains as an observable keepsake of the building’s heritage architecture. Informing the contemporary iteration of its past shell, the succession of sunken grids presents an intriguing expression overhead. Embedded with lighting, the ceiling abundantly illuminates Moot Court while guiding its layout and inspiring the articulation of timber detailing seen in wall treatments and the judge’s bench. Layered with a balanced mingling of classic and contemporary materials, Moot Court’s cumulation of Victorian mountain ash, terrazzo tiling, warm brass trims, bright plush upholstery and acoustic linings elicits a sophisticated palette that is mindful of the building’s legacy.

Permeating the precinct’s ample offering of dedicated teaching areas, collaborative study spaces and purposeful amenities is a genuine understanding of the modern student experience. Responding acutely to the acknowledgement that next-generation learning (a framework that suggests a more personalised educational approach) provides a unique model to engage with and foster pupils’ progress, Moot Court exists as a series of flexible and interactive zones. The space stands animated yet pragmatic, beckoning its students to stretch out across sofas, pore over slews of paper in study nooks or choose a seat among the musing assembly of mock jurors in the courtroom.

The space stands animated yet pragmatic, beckoning its students to stretch out across sofas, pore over slews of paper in study nooks or choose a seat among the musing assembly of mock jurors in the courtroom.

With its breadth of innovative facilities anchored by a poised and functional design language, the verdict is in: Moot Court’s triumph lies in its ability to foster intellectual inspiration in a setting of open ease. Crowned by its judiciously crafted courtroom that plays host to mooting competitions, tutorials, conferences and ceremonial events, the immersive learning environment allows itself to unfurl, grow and transform with the needs of its flourishing contemporaries.