The Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre is a collaboration of four of Australia’s leading research organisations working in and around the Indian Ocean – the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), CSIRO, the Department of Fisheries (WA) and the University of Western Australia’s Oceans Institute. 

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The long east-west axis provided the opportunity to design sunshading that would minimise east and west sun penetration into the building. The relatively small site and the requirement for ground floor access to many of the facilities within the building meant that laboratories and offices were accommodated in a five level structure on the Crawley campus of The University of Western Australia. The building also accommodates the Centrifuge Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems.

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The Crawley campus of The University provides important contextual clues for material selection for buildings on campus and this building maintains the continuity set by earlier buildings in its use of limestone-coloured precast concrete wall panels and an aluminium coloured curtain walling system.