The Wade Institute is located on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations

Specifically designed for Masters of Entrepreneurship students, the design philosophy behind our approach is that if you are teaching people to create, make and innovate, the building should invite people to do so from the moment they walk in. Instead of walking into classrooms and offices, students find a kit of parts — walls, screens, lights and various parts of desks, etc. — from which spaces can be made as needed. Designed along Passive House principles, this building literally breaks new ground on a campus where architectural excellence is celebrated.

The only available part of the Ormond College site for the new building that avoided disturbing the heritage landscape, including tree roots, was the existing tennis court. The new structure was designed to fit this footprint exactly, including the gentle fall of the court. The structural armature of the building — stainless steel mesh columns supporting a post-tensioned concrete slab — are left exposed, unadorned. The lightness of the mesh makes the bulk of the building disappear while serving a pragmatic function as the net wall surrounding the activated roof, which is an event area and new tennis court.