{"id":17914,"date":"2025-06-03T13:03:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T03:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=17914"},"modified":"2025-06-03T13:03:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T03:03:38","slug":"its-light-and-quick-how-timber-brought-this-law-school-back-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/its-light-and-quick-how-timber-brought-this-law-school-back-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Light and Quick \u2014 How Timber Brought This Law School Back to Life!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Macquarie University’s law school, named after Michael Kirkby, is the People’s Choice for Australia’s best timber project, beating out hundreds of projects nationwide. Crowned at the View last year, one of Sydney’s most iconic venues, the four-storey building is anchored by a lightweight cross-laminated timber system and has quite the story to tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The building\u2014which has three storeys of cross-laminated timber built over a concrete floor\u2014was designed by Hassell and built by FDC Construction. It is named in honour of the Honourable Dr Michael Kirby AC CMG, Australia’s longest-serving judge, who served as the University’s Chancellor from 1984 until 1993. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Click here to register for this year’s Timber Design Awards<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dr Kirby was also the first justice to come out as a gay man, and one of the lecture theatres is named after Johan van Vloten, Kirby’s husband and partner of more than 50 years:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Naming it after them celebrates their contributions to society and the diversity of our university,” according to Professor Lise Barry, Dean of the Macquarie Law School, who opened the building in Match. “It’s a great recognition of their partnership and what they achieved, and we’re very proud of that.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Connections and collaborations: Dean of Macquarie Law School Professor Lise Barry says the new building facilitates broad community opportunities across the faculties and provides innovative teaching spaces.<\/em> (Photo Credit: Macquarie University)
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According to Albert Atkin, Macquarie’s Deputy Dean of Education and Employability at the Faculty of Arts, the building’s open-plan design is helping to drive interdisciplinary research\u00a0across the\u00a0University: “Collaboration and innovation are central to the design of the Michael Kirby Building. The Michael Kirby Building is a space to inspire, energise and excite us about the future of the arts, humanities and social sciences.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There’s an amazing sense of light and being connected to nature,” Professor Barry added, “That’s fitting since we’ve got the oldest centre for environmental law in Australia. It creates this sense of calm and peace.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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