Houses & Lives 7

Paired studio structure

This semester, Studio 6 & Studio 7 will be paired. These are two distinct studios, running at different times, with two different studio leaders; however, while the studios share tasks, themes, and focuses developed by both leaders, there are important variations. This structure addresses the breadth of issues under consideration within the semester.

Studio 6, led by James Bowman Fletcher with the final design project sited in Carlton, will run from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM face-to-face.

Studio 7, led by James Harbard with the final design project sited in Cremorne, will run from 6:00 - 9:00 PM face-to-face.

Studio introduction

This studio will explore houses, their lives, our lives, and the relationship between them. The ‘house’ will be framed, analysed, and designed in a way that asks: who could live together, how could we live, and what are some possible transformations of living over time?

Early in the semester, we will analyse a curated set of examples of housing that begin to address these questions. Four categories will guide the analysis: (1) spatial-material arrangement, (2) site, (3) ownership, and (4) labour-material supply chains. The studio’s collective analysis will then be presented as a research catalogue, alongside a range of physical models, priming our approach for the next phase of the semester.

In small groups and guided by the four analytical categories, the final brief is to design an experimental cooperative housing in Melbourne represented at two stages in the building’s life. The member-owner-inhabitants of this ‘house’ will not be typical clients in several respects; they will not be interested in living—in the most expansive sense—in a ‘normal’ way.

Studio leader introduction

James Harbard is a practicing Architect and founder of JDH.A, a small architectural practice specialising in housing, commercial feasibility and research into experimental modes of development. James was previously an Associate Director at Elenberg Fraser and was the Project Architect of Realm Adelaide, Adelaide’s tallest building, from conception to completion. James was part of the first graduating class of Monash Architecture in 2012 and has taught as part of the Master of Architecture and Master of Urban Planning and Design courses at Monash.