Highly commended: Housing project of the year 2021. Australian studio Jackson Clements Burrows has designed a student accommodation with two sweeping buildings at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Victoria.

La Trobe University's twin building student accommodation development brings 624 new student beds to the eastern residential precinct.

While creating a warm and human-centric solution, this twin building student living is the largest mass timber project in Victoria, Australia by volume, utilising 4,500 cubic metres of Cross Laminated and GluLam timber.

The design aims to foster residential life and campus communities by reducing large-scale development into finer grain experiences. The buildings form two sweeping arcs, creating a large central private courtyard space.

Inside, a central core balances two equally loaded wings on a typical floor plate, promoting chance encounters. Floors are connected by a dramatic vertical street where circulation and socialising interact in a wonderfully chaotic, unplanned way.

Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows Architects
Project: La Trobe University Student Accommodation