Deakin University Waurn Ponds Campus’s commitment to a facility refresh program was the catalyst for the creation of Nyaal - a world class interactive learning space. The aim of the facilities refreshment was to re-engage the Arts and Education faculty and students, providing them with a new and exciting hub for learning. k20 Architecture, in partnership with Deakin University, transformed an out-of-date building into a precinct that embodies progressive learning with awe inspiring immersive technology, enabling students to be curious, creative, collaborative and innovative.

Utilising the existing building’s strengths, we created a light filled break out space, a double cylindrical extension housing the 360o projection space for specialist teaching, a Think Tank, a digital editing suite and a communal rooftop garden. These key spaces provide the university with a flexible facility, catering to various uses and diverse pedagogical approaches, made possible by its interactive and multipurpose nature.

Entering the precinct, you are met with a new breakout space filled with natural light and indoor greenery. Curved bench seating, study nooks and shared tables in this space can accommodate up to 60 students for informal study and collaborative learning.

A curved sloping walkway leads to the 360o projection space, and moving down this walkway gives the impression that you are ‘stepping into a different world’. This sense was created through the change of light, textures and acoustics. Within the projection space, you are immersed into a 360o sensory experience as a 9.7 metre curved projection screen wraps around the interior, allowing you to be virtually at any place, at any time. Distinctive in nature to the traditional lecture setting, teachers are now able to captivate students and deliver enriching curricula in exciting new ways.

Adjacent is the Think Tank, a flexible multipurpose classroom for collaborative teaching. The Think Tank provides students and teachers a space to discuss experiences from the virtual reality cylinder, supported by functional elements including a switchable curved glass whiteboard which overlooks a nearby lake.

Throughout the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, teachers utilised the flexible 360o projection technology for virtual lectures, projecting students across a single curved screen. The interaction and collaboration in this virtual classroom environment supported remote users. Nyaals’ world-class technology is being used across multiple faculties and has provided an opportunity to re-engage students and increase University brand value across courses where enrolments had previously been declining. Nyaal demonstrates how technology in a built space can challenge the boundaries of learning in a digital world.