University of Melbourne’s Arts and Cultural Building VICTORIA
Lighting Design: Schuler Shook Builder: Kane Constructions
Photography: Stephanie Rooney
The University of Melbourne’s Arts and Cultural Building is a vibrant cultural hub and the new home of the iconic Union and Guild Theatres.
The new building includes 7,147m2 of new floor space, a 400-seat state-of-the-art main theatre with a fly tower, and an additional small flexible theatre with 100 retractable seats, overhead gantries and a control room.
Buckford Illumination Group supplied Coolon Lighting’s Aria RGBW floodlight, which sits above the multi-faceted façade, made of an aluminium mesh scrim. Coolon’s Aria RGBW is a high-power linear AC RGBW floodlight luminaire designed for creative wall washing and grazing applications. The RGBW luminaire is powerful, robust and available in multiple length options which allow for greater design flexibility. It also features an integral power supply and DMX driver. Here, the ARIA floodlight delivers colour-changing lighting to promote theatre shows within the building and celebrate connectedness through arts, culture, and music.
The lighting supports the Arts and Cultural Building’s purpose of fostering inclusion and delivering a truly welcoming experience for all.
The University of Melbourne’s Student Precinct Project has received recognition with four awards at the 2023 Victorian Architecture Awards, and the building is on track to achieve a 6-Star Green Star building accreditation.