The Ian Potter Southbank Centre

The new home of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music celebrates the activities of music rehearsal and practice – a green room for Melbourne's arts precinct. Outwardly focused and inviting, the building aims to balance the singular concentration required of students with the camaraderie of engaging with others. The building is a place to rub shoulders with fellow music students, and the artistic milieu of the wider campus and precinct. Multiple vantage points in the conservatorium allow for appreciating the inner workings of music education. The learning and rehearsal spaces, both small and large, are interspersed with bell-shaped portholes, hinged panels and disguised windows that generously exhibit the activity within. A large oculus window into the ground floor orchestral rehearsal space unlocks the traditional vault of music education to reveal its inner realm.