The west wing of the Forgan Smith Building at The University of Queensland's (UQ) St Lucia campus has been home to the TC Beirne School of Law since 1949. Originally two-storey, the school was extended to three in the 1990s when a library (designed by Robert Riddel) was introduced below a new vaulted roof. When the school's redevelopment was proposed in 2015, the library was initially excluded from the scope of works. Recognising its pivotal role both spatially and culturally, the team championed its holistic integration into the ambitious refurbishment project.

Over the school's lifetime, ad hoc additions and subtractions had eroded its functionality. Students reported a lack of belonging and echoey hallways compromised the quiet work of academic staff. The school’s vision to become ‘inspirational, inquiring and international’ called for a new spatial strategy that enabled contemporary modes of learning and research, as well as a new visual expression of its cultural ambitions. The heritage significance of the building also required expert knowledge and design sensitivity.

A new organisational rationale

The design team spatially unpacked and reorganised the school into three zones. These are dedicated to the library, learning and law, each assigned a distinct identity and a complementary role within the school’s ecosystem. To create a place of welcome and a memorable address, a three-storey arrival hall 

Previously scattered among cellular offices, new learning spaces, including lecture theatres and study areas, have been centralised around the arrival hall. At the western end, the library, once dedicated solely to housing a repository of books, has become a space where the student community can gather, share knowledge and engage in self-guided learning. At the eastern end, the academic spaces are home to PhD students and teaching staff. Each academic office accommodates an antechamber 

Light, materials and motifs

Spatial richness is achieved inside through the articulation of light and the expressive application of materials and motifs. In the library, a two-storey lantern illuminates the reading room, its translucent sheets 

custom carpets 

In step with its physical transformation, the TC Beirne School of Law and Walter Harrison Law Library emerge with a bold new expression of culture, history, and tradition. A place where learning and research are celebrated and the crossover of students, staff and the public is enabled, this refurbishment marks an exciting new era of engagement and internationalisation for the school.