Hassell Architects engaged John as their Education Advisor to provide current best practice on teaching and learning environments and how to create good interactive spaces between the different disciplines occupying this multidisciplinary research centre. John specifically advised on the new undergraduate ‘super lab’ that can accommodate up to 180 students at one time, as well
John lead the development of the detailed design brief for the new building for the Australian Institute of Nanoscience. This building accommodates teaching and learning facilities, workspace for research staff as well as a variety of teaching and research laboratories, including an ultra stable research environment for research at the nano level.
John, in his role as Education Planner, introduced the concept of the SuperLab, as borrowed from the original SuperLab at London Metropolitan University, in order to respond to the requirement to be spatially efficient and deliver pedagogical best practice. The X-Lab represents a 30% reduction in total area devoted to teaching laboratory space while still
John, was project director for the scoping and briefing of UTS’s Thomas St Laboratory building, which included teaching laboratories. The laboratory scope of this project both enabled a lab of significant scale and the use of technology to create a true blended learning environment.