Civility

The design studio “Civility” questions the recent increase in usage in Australian tabloid news headlines of words such as fascism, democracy, communism, socialism, consumerism and capitalism, in parallel with the recent growing visual fascination in imagery of architecture that is dubbed with these similar words. Conceived in diverse circumstances and locations, the referenced architecture is often works of the public realm from the modernist period or immediately following decades, created with bold forms and materials, heroic spaces, vistas and axes.  This studio explored notions of civic place making, seeking to look beyond visual appeal to understand and draw out the civic substance of public architecture.  The studio was conducted entirely online with students participating and producing design projects from locations throughout Melbourne, regional Victoria and internationally, including in Canada, Indonesia and Turkey, as well as Hong Kong and five different cities in mainland China.  Through the common project brief of a swimming pool project, students examined issues relevant to their particular local conditions. This included the study of precedent civic buildings, places and events, considered with the analysis of urban, cultural, and political contexts, both current and historical as well as with a view to the future.  The outcomes involve the formation of a position on the creation of appropriate new civic architecture, specific to place and relevant to our times.