The wind tunnel at the Faculty of Architecture and Design is set to be removed.
The proposal for its removal has led to an outcry among Architecture and Design students,who see the wind tunnel as a “valuable pedagogical tool”, and claim there has been a lack of consultation.
“Isn’t that the only thing that distinguishes us from that other architecture school up north?” asked one student.
Indeed, according to Harriet Eberlien, President of STUDiO, Victoria is “one of the only Unis in the world to have one.”
Other students are more concerned with the detrimental effect its removal will have on their ability to learn. One second-year Architecture student told Salientthat “it would be a loss to the university, as the knowledge gained from wind tunnel testing … is invaluable.”
Computer technology cannot yet accurately replicate the effect of wind on buildings, so the removal of the wind tunnel would mean losing an important element of architects’ training.
Salient understands that the space is proposed to be redeveloped intoadditional studio facilities.