Initiatives > Integrated Design Studio > IDS-11
IDS-11: WCC Ribbonwood Community Centre
About the project
This project is one of a series of Integrated Design Studios (IDS’s) to be carried out under i-Hub. This studio will use the Wollongong City Council Ribbonwood Community Centre as a case study.
Integrated design aims to empower architecture with engineering and technical performance, to produce ‘towards zero energy’ facilities that will reduce operating costs and assist to combat climate change.
The IDS’s will generate improvements in integrated design processes as well as yielding design ideas for the building typologies they are concerned with. Renewable energy technologies will be a key focus.
| Project title | Integrated Design Studio IDS-11 WCC Ribbonwood Community Centre |
| Project number | IDS-11 |
| Project location | Wollongong |
| Lead partner | University of Wollongong |
| Project partners | – |
| Project participants | Wollongong City Council, Stantec, MIEngineers, COX, ARUP |
| Start date | 02/2021 |
| End date | 11/2021 |
| ARENA/i-Hub funding | $72,693 |
| Total project cost | $201,777 |
Need
Wollongong City Council (WCC) has an organisational commitment to move to absolute net zero emissions by 2030. Numerous councils and community centres alike are now making net zero emissions targets and are facing many challenges along this journey.
Not least is the reliance on natural gas and the need for increased levels of thermal comfort whilst reducing energy consumption. This community centre IDS will produce innovative design concepts that will be a crucial part of WCC achieving its ambitious target with possibilities of applying these strategies to the wider councils and community sector.
Action
The Integrated Design Studios (of which this is one), will be carried out at a number of universities (UoM, QUT, and University of Wollongong), they provide an environment where integrated design processes can be tested and refined on different building typologies.
The IDSs bring together academics, industry consultants, and clients assisted by undergraduate and masters level students to explore integrated design.
Output will include findings on how to best enable integrated design as well as student produced collateral on design ideas for community centres.
Outcome
This project is expected to contribute to the development of a robust integrated design process able to be extended to industry to change the way design traditionally occurs on projects improving carbon performance.
It will also produce design ideas specific to community centres that may be adopted by the client, project participants, or the wider councils and community sector. The use of renewables technologies will be a key focus.
Additional impact
Integrated Design by its nature is an inclusive process that will produce designs that better serve society as a whole. As well as improved technical (energy) performance, design outcomes are expected to also provide increased community and societal benefits.
Project reports
Evaluation Framework
All sub-projects within i-Hub are evaluated as part of the ongoing i-Hub project management process. Evaluation is completed by the project manager and reviewed by the Activity Leaders Group and i-Hub Steering Committee.