Tasman Tomorrow

Overview - a ‘live’ project

The Tasman Tomorrow studio forms part of a live architectural design research project commissioned by the Tasman Council in partnership with Tasmanian Parks and  Wildlife. The project will investigate the future of nominated sites within the Tasman municipality of southern Tasmania.

The studio aims to develop a series of place specific design principles and demonstrate these through the design and visualisation of a series of architectural proposals in a number of towns and places throughout the municipality. The studio will particularly consider how to balance the desire to capitalise on a growing demand for tourism, with ongoing needs of local residents and necessity to respect and protect the natural environment. As part of the process towards this, the studio will delve into the complex deep and recent history of the Tasman Peninsula.

Collaboration

The studio will involve active collaboration with representatives from the Tasman Council and Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife whereby students will learn to listen and respond to community needs and desires. Two trips to the Tasman Peninsula will be undertaken for these engagements along with carrying out observation and documentation of existing urban conditions. The first trip will be at the beginning of semester to meet key Council and Parks representatives and visit the various towns and places being studied. The second, just before the mid semester break will be to present initial design ideas to obtain feedback ahead of completing the projects. At the conclusion of the studio, the design research will be compiled into a report and it is envisioned that it could be used by the Tasman Council and Parks to pursue funding for developing and implementing actual projects in the locations for which they have been designed.

Other interests + agendas

  • How architecture in regional places, whilst addressing practical issues can evoke, reveal and mark the unseen (such as history, ecological forces, celestial event),
  • How contemporary architecture can embody and reinterpret the built vernacular of a place,
  • Deploying architecture to re-frame and reveal the hidden or unseen,
  • Productively combining architecture with urban design, landscape, infrastructure and public art.
  • How to make architecture in regional and remote places.

Travel

The studio will involve two trips to the Tasman Peninsula. The first for 3 days in Week 3 to get the lay of the land, meet key stakeholders and document existing conditions. The second will be for a single da y around Week 6 to present initial design ideas to the community and stakeholders. This travel is partly funded so students will not need to pay for flights but will need to contribute a small amount towards accommodation and pay for all food while away.