Andrew N. Liveris Building
The University of Queensland
This project, a collaboration with Lyons, is home to the University of Queensland’s School of Chemical Engineering, located proximal to the Great Court.

Built from local sandstone, The Great Court is the single greatest icon of the campus. Since it was built, myriad building styles and materials have been used, and the campus has become increasingly glassy. In many respects, this evolution is the result of the work of Chemical Engineers, with advances in material properties, and the commercial availability of high performance glass.
The idea of a Chemically Engineered Great Court, turning sand(stone) to glass is a tribute to both the School and the University, the next building in the ongoing contemporisation of the campus.
As with sandstone, pink and fuchsia veining appears at fluid pathways, where interactions and concentrated activity occurs.
 
Info
Client:
The University of Queensland
Location:
Land of Turrbal and Jagera peoples
St Lucia
Size:
22389 m²
Collaborators:
Lyons Architecture
Status:
completed
Typology:
Education, Lab, Urban
Quotes
From the start, we wanted this building to emulate what we, as chemical engineers, are able to do. We connect things. Complex problems become simpler problems – we break them down to become new, innovative solutions.
Professor Justin Cooper-White, Head of School, School of Chemical Engineering University of Queensland
A remarkable piece of architecture, the Andrew N. Liveris Building is recognised for the highest level of design excellence and thinking. Far beyond a well-considered learning environment, this landmark development represents values of environment, society, and governance, and establishes a legacy of learning and hope for the future. The building brings together conceptual and pragmatic approaches in poetic ways that truly enliven the spirits of both students and teaching staff.
AIA Jury Citation
The Liveris Building provides the School and the wider Engineering Faculty with a building that integrates research, learning and external engagement. This presents an environment where the undergraduate, post-graduate and experienced research communities work alongside one another, within collaborative spaces looking onto the central atrium, increasing connectivity between learning and research.
Stephen Coombs, School Manager
Cited
Awards:

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: State Award  – Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture : Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: State Award  – Karl Langer Award for Urban Design : Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: State Award  – Interior Architecture: Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: Regional Award (Brisbane) – John Dalton Building of the Year: Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: Regional Commendation (Brisbane) – Interior Architecture: Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: Regional Commendation (Brisbane) – Urban Design Architecture: Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: Regional Commendation (Brisbane) – Educational Architecture: Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

2022 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards: Queensland Medallion : Andrew N. Liveris Building (with Lyons)

The principles of the Great Court also penetrate the interior. Its shape has been compacted and extruded to form a vertical cloister surrounding an engineered landscape.
Working spaces are many and immensely varied – undergrad spaces, labs, research facilities and industry spaces hug the window edges.
Like the Great Court, the ‘landscape’ draws people together, offers counterpoint to the working spaces that surround them, and flows down and out to connect to the campus beyond.