MIXOLOGY

‘Public House’ studio intersects suburban densification, the accomodation of an aging, changing population, and the interogation of how Architecture can affect quality of life. Middle-ring suburbs are densifying around public amenities, however, developments are rarely to the benefit of both residents and the wider community. In these same suburbs, an aging demographic are experiencing a change in living circumstances. We’ll be investigating how their next stage can be accommodated (prior to the necessity of Aged Care) through deliberative, social and shared living models.

Relocation into poorly designed Retirement Villages, or prohibitively early entry into Aged Care results in poor mental health and quality of life - while communities miss out on the wholesale participation of this demographic. The reciprocity of sharing benefits all. Focusing on numerous sites along Centre Rd Bentleigh, we explore the possibilities that Architecture has to bring people together and the ways it can do so.

Architecture, in practice, involves successful collaboration within and between teams, and as such, we will be working in numerous small groups throughout semester. Collaborating collectively as a studio, students will develop a series of site drawings, analysis and site research.

Students will visit site to interrogate and investigate site characteristics. We will work as a collective to produce site context plans and street elevations. Groups will research site histories, demographics etc, then use this information to inform our designs. We will investigate, examine, and diagram current and speculative models of shared and alternative living alongside planning/ urbanism concepts that support these. Students will analyse precedent projects and then transpose key concepts and successes onto their project site, to their project brief, conglomerating previous exercises into multifaceted outcomes.