Product

Eco Cert Hoop Pine FSC, Crown Cut, Bookmatched

Architect

FJMT

Project

Faculty of Law, University of Sydney

Photography

Irenaeus Herok

Builder

Baulderstone (Lend Lease)

Joinery

Decor Systems

The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Law building is conceived as a new civic threshold between campus and city, where public space, architecture and learning are layered through a podium and suspended superstructures. Beneath a sequence of lawns, terraces and plazas along Eastern Avenue, teaching spaces and the library are housed within a naturally lit podium, while slender timber‑screened forms above frame views and filter light.

More than 3,000m² of engineered timber panelling is integrated throughout the building’s interior, including the main auditorium, library, lecture theatres, moot court and feature walls and ceilings. A coordinated combination of solid and acoustic panels are used across walls and ceilings to deliver both architectural expression and acoustic performance.

In the library, curved and wave‑profile panels are installed across multiple planes, shaping sound while reinforcing the layered architectural language of the building. Within the auditorium, acoustic ceiling panels work in tandem with solid deflector wall elements to reduce reverberation and enhance speech clarity, while fabric‑faced acoustic panels provide comfort in smaller lecture rooms.

Approximately 2,500m² of wall and ceiling panels feature Hoop Pine Crown Cut natural timber veneer, selected for colour consistency and finished with a clear, low‑VOC coating to maintain the timber’s light, natural character.

The panelling was delivered as a fully resolved system, incorporating returns, backing, insulation and fixing elements, supported by detailed shop drawings and coordinated installation. Manufactured using E0 and FSC‑certified substrates, the timber system aligns acoustic performance, material quality and sustainability within a landmark educational setting.