Designed by H20 Architects, the pale pink egg-like sphere is the university's "Factory of the Future".

"There were numerous comments by students placed on Facebook all asking the question, 'What on earth is it'?" says architect Mark O'Dwyer, a director of the practice, who worked with H20's associate director, Cameron Clifford.

Appearing to be compressed between the concrete floors and the rafters, the egg-shaped form is pivotal to the empty shell that H20 Architects was given by Jacobs and Wilkinson Eyre.

"Our brief was to design a fit-out that would make those passing by question what is actually going on inside," O'Dwyer says.

However, as paramount in the architects' brief was to create a new approach to manufacturing, both now and well into the future, within the 700-square-metre space featuring almost seven-metre-high ceilings.

"The idea was to allow students to learn new ways of exploring manufacturing, as well as forming a link to those working at the forefront of industry and manufacturing," he says.

The Factory of the Future has been loosely delineated into two main areas: one primarily used for the design process, and on the side of the "egg" for fabrication.

And as technology keeps shifting, most of the furniture and fittings are on wheels.

"The space had to be flexible to allow for new developments in manufacturing," O'Dwyer says, pointing out the steel-and-black-covered totems that support many of the services running through the building.

"We wanted to keep the ceiling and void as minimal as possible," he says.

While the space surrounding the egg is functional, it's the exquisite form of the central pod that draws in collaborators. About 15 metres in diameter, and nearly seven metres in height, the egg is made from 180 pieces of plywood and stained a pale pink, the colour of a hen's egg.

"When you're working with 180 curved pieces of plywood, there's no room for error, even the slightest millimetre," O'Dwyer says.

At ground level are a cafe and trestle-style computer tables, with an enclosed meeting room behind.

"We deliberately wanted to democratise this space to allow for collaboration," he says.

On the first floor, accessed from a bridge from the main foyer, is a meeting room. Rather than conceal the structure, H20 Architects exposed the plywood beams supporting the dome. And with a halo-like ring of lights circling the board table, there's a sense of being in another world.

"There is a slightly aeronautical feel sitting under the dome. But it also has a strong tactile presence, quite warm rather than hard-edged," O'Dwyer says.

"Some people have said it feels like being in a cubby house."

However, unlike most cubby houses, the first floor of this structure includes a pop-out glass window that forms a balcony when left open. Those working in manufacturing can then observe some of the innovations made by students below, whether exploring new ideas for the medical, automotive or aeronautical industries or other innovations that will improve the quality of lives.

And while the "egg" appears to have been laid within the shopfront, a side elevation reveals a "crack" in the shell, forming a helmet-like structure.

"This form can read as anything from the street, but most people return to the scene, pressing their nose against the glass windows," O'Dwyer says.