Anna Chan
Hello, I'm Anna, a graduating student of the Bachelor of Architecture in 2021.

Throughout the final year of my Bachelor's degree, my work has focused on the severity of the climate crisis while challenging current approaches towards nature, architecture, and energy production. In response, these projects aim to produce high-quality, pleasant spaces for people while also reducing our environmental footprint. Alongside architectural proposals, I am passionate about fine arts and clothing.

Prior to studying architecture, I have completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) and gained three years of work experience alongside an innovative geotechnical and structural engineering team.

Crossroads Studio / Living Laboratories

Living Laboratories aims to facilitate the regeneration of the CSIRO Clayton Campus and the adjacent educational, industrial, and residential neighbourhoods – currently ghosts of their former selves and underutilised. Tackling the issue of increasing CO2 levels, the proposition is a speculative scheme that challenges approaches towards architecture and energy production over a twenty-five year timespan.

Crossroads Studio / Living Laboratories / Speculative Plan

Twenty-two structures are proposed to replace the existing CSIRO Clayton Campus to offset the speculated 1200 x 106 g/CO2 that will be released over the next twenty-five years. Sub-issues that the project intends to tackle include the increase within the scientific sector of employment, the growing population, and the need to cultivate new jobs for the local economy. In response, the masterplan is based on creating connections between the existing street network, responding to the expansion of Monash Clayton University, and changes towards our working lifestyle (accelerated due to the pandemic).

Crossroads Studio / Living Laboratories / Carbon Capture – Energy Positive

The plan and section - which combines the concepts of growing, stacking and carbon capturing - produces a variety of intersecting spaces between the general public and private staff members. Above ground, shared research and office modules are constructed of a photosynthetic facade (combination of plant cells and silk protein) which mimics the natural photosynthesis process of a real leaf to sequester CO2. The sequestered CO2 travels down the parallelepiped tower into the underground energy (syngas) production centre constructed of thermal mass - low emission concrete. The clean energy is then distributed to its neighbouring buildings, buses, and cars through a local microgrid.

Crossroads Studio / Living Laboratories / Five Years

The following images express the experience of internal and external spaces – while portraying select parts of the construction timeline over a course of five years, ten years, and fifteen years. At five years, much of the larger buildings within the existing CSIRO remain, while some smaller buildings begin to be slowly replaced with shared research and office modules.

Crossroads Studio / Living Laboratories / Ten Years

At ten years, most of the larger buildings within the existing CSIRO remain, but to a lesser degree, while shared research and office modules begin to overtake more of the proposed space. Additionally, there is an increase in vegetation and local biodiversity.

Crossroads Studio / Living Laboratories / Fifteen Years

At fifteen years, there is an increase in the height of the structures and larger testing spaces that begin to be built above ground. Following this, at twenty-five years (cover image), there is a further increase in the height of these structures, the amount of vegetation, and the general population – a response to the issues from the beginning.
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