The Road Warrior

Metropolitan Melbourne is rapidly changing. This is not a new thing but as urban growth on the edges of the city become slowly occupied the pressures on Melbourne’s existing urban fabric to rebuild itself becomes more visible.

As a result the livability in the world’s most livable city is under threat. Politics is calling for more highways, railways and new airports to accomodate existings and new flows through our urban landscape. Economics argue for relocations and allocations of future development sites. Social scientists are looking for more data and new techniques of engagement. Meanwhile developers are pushing a constricted model for our needs and desires.

What do we as architects have to offer?

This studio looks for new types of living and working in an urban environment that is constantly changing and under pressure by multiple disciplines. We will use design to investigate and propose alternative methods of achieving urban densities required to accommodate Melbourne’s future residents.

You will propose and test strategies that can be both pragmatic and visionairy. This will require teamwork, individual dilligence, analytical and projective abilities.

Site

The site sits between Docklands and Moonee Ponds Creek on the junction of many streams of 20th century mobility in what was formerly the West Melbourne Swamp. The site once used to be a gathering place for large groups of people and animals as space and food was considered abundant. For a short period after Batman’s arrival the site became a place for leisure and natural enjoyment for Melbournians weekend activities. Then came the waste of technological advancement...

You will search for other ways of analysing a site by drawing, diagramming, model making, reading and re-drawing.

Infrastructure

New infrastructure to support the CBD of Melbourne and its surrounding suburbs is planned and under construction in the site. The sprawling of its existing railyards and highway infrastructure make the site feel as an unloved piece of scrap-land that has no value for its direct neighbours.

You will question the ongoing and proposed activities on, and surrounding the site by proposal.

Collective plan

We will aim to design a collective response to the site’s pressures and propose an exhibited outcome that allows for new neighbourhoods to include the historical, natural, economic and social pressures of an ever expanding and changing Melbourne.

You will design across scales between the individual and the city. The designs will be presented in the final year exhibition.

Wed 9.30-16.30
2018/S2 _This studio will be delivered in combination with the Beyond Thunderdome studies unit.