Atrium 18 | 2011
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Atrium 18 | 2011 CRITIQUING DESIGN THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNING Atrium PAGE 18 | 2011 02 | 03 THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNING VISION: SUNSHINE 2032 04 THE GIPPSLAND WATER FACTORY’S VORTEX CENTRE 22 MILES LEWIS: A LIFE AT THE UNIVERSITY 08 MSD STUDENT PROFILE 23 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIA ARCHITECTURE 11 KENNEDY NOLAN: THE ART OF THE WALL 24 THE Reluctant MASTER 12 GIVING FORM 25 THE POWER OF DESIGN TO TRANSFORM LIVES 14 2011 FACULTY DONORS 27 BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENTS STUDENT SUCCESS 16 ALUMNI RECOLLECTION 28 URBAN DEBATES IN AUSTRALIA 18 MSD INCUBATOR COMPETITION WINNERS 29 SOUTHERN SUNSHINE AND DECADENT DIVERSITY 19 FROM THE FACULTY 30 INSIGHTS INTO URBAN TRANSFORMATION 20 Dean’s Message In this edition of Atrium, our final Professor of Architecture at the University definition of a ‘third-world’ practice: for 2011, we present and examine a of Melbourne, Brian Lewis and Hilary Lewis. architecture, design and labour training’; number of local and international built Professor Philip highlights many of Professor and Hannah Robertson received the environment projects. We also celebrate Lewis’ career passions and achievements, RIBA President’s Student Dissertation the achievements of several people from his early teaching days in the Faculty Medal 2011 for her Master’s thesis, ‘Bush connected to the Faculty: one who to his significant conservation work with Owner Builder’. This is an extraordinary is at the end of his impressive career the National Trust and Heritage Victoria. achievement for both students and (Professor Miles Lewis) and a number a clear indication that we are producing who are just beginning. This month we celebrate the launch world-class design thinkers and of the Encyclopedia of Australian practitioners. Congratulations must Embracing the theme of ‘critiquing design’, Architecture, co-edited by Professor also go to Professor Paolo Tombesi our feature article focuses on the recent Philip Goad and Associate Professor (Milinda’s supervisor) and Professor work of the Victorian Eco Innovation Julie Willis, and published by Cambridge Philip Goad (Hannah’s supervisor). Lab [VEIL], a sustainability research University Press. This impressive volume, hub within Faculty. Using the suburb the first of its kind, documents and In this issue we also highlight the of Sunshine as their research focus in analyses our nation’s built environment competition success of two Bachelor 2011, the VEIL team reveal how they from Indigenous beginnings to colonial, of Environments students: recent graduate ‘re-imagined’ the suburb into an urban modern and contemporary eras. Joshua Russo and 2nd year BEnvs model of sustainability, resilience and student Dhanika Kumaheri. Read about community inclusion. Another cause for celebration in our their individual projects on pages 16 and 17. Faculty is the recent announcement Professor Philip Goad writes a tribute of the 2011 Royal Institute of British We continue our series on urban planning to Professor Miles Lewis, whose retirement Architects (RIBA) Award winners in with pieces by several local experts. in June marked the end of a 56-year London. Out of a strong international Dr Heike Rahmann adds to the debate personal association with the University field, two MSD students have earned around the transformative plans for of Melbourne. Professor Lewis, a prestigious awards. Dr Milinda Pathiraja Melbourne’s Docklands precinct. Rodney renowned champion of Australian has won the RIBA President’s Award Duncan, Associate Professor in Urban architectural history and conservation, for Research 2011 for his PhD thesis, Planning from Deakin University, continues was the son of the first Dean and ‘The idea of ‘robust technology’ in the the focus on waterfront developments in Atrium 18 | 2011 THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNING his piece on international ‘urban We profile the award-winning Vortex As we move into 2012, our exciting transformations’ and Associate Centre, a state-of-the-state interpretive new building project will absorb much Professor Carolyn Whitzman writes education centre for the Gippsland Water of my focus. I look forward to sharing about the State of Australian Cities Factory, designed by DesignInc. Alumnus project updates with you early in the national conference which the Faculty and DesignInc Director John Macdonald new year, including the details of an hosted earlier this month. reveals how the project is the result exhibition of the building design by of public and private sectors working John Wardle Architects (Melbourne) In August, we presented a symposium collaboratively and recognising the and NADAAA (Boston). on the extraordinary life and work of relationship between architectural design, Romaldo Giurgola, whose career has public infrastructure and a sustainable future. In 2012 we will continue to present been dedicated to the teaching and a diverse range of exhibitions, public practicing of architecture. The event, Professor Philip Goad writes about lectures and events that explore the built coordinated by Professor Paolo Tombesi, the exhibition Melbourne architectural environment. The calendar is currently Professor Philip Goad and Dr Annemarie firm Kennedy Nolan presented in being finalised and, once confirmed, all Brennan, reflected upon various facets September, as part of our ongoing events will be profiled on our website: of his career and its impact on the ABP Alumni Retrospective Series. www.msd.unimelb.edu.au/events/. discipline through his professional This exhibition, titled ‘a view’, continues practice, writings, and teachings. Four our strong connection with leading and Enjoy a safe and wonderful holiday sessions based upon the places where innovative alumni practitioners, and we season and I look forward to seeing Giurgola taught and practiced – Rome, look forward to showcasing the exceptional you in the New Year. Philadelphia, New York, and Canberra – work of more graduates in 2012. gave structure to the symposium. Read Tom Kvan Dr Annmarie’s symposium overview on In this issue, Premier Ted Baillieu gives page 12 and Kenneth Frampton’s (Ware a fascinating recollection of his time in Cover image: SKINS studio installation, concourse Professor of Architecture at Columbia the Faculty, revealing that they parked of the Architecture building. Photo by John Gollings University) recollection of his friendship their motorbikes by their desks; played with Romaldo on page 13. football in the studios and pockmarked the ceilings; and enjoyed Miles Lewis’s slideshows ‘which took us all around the world.’ Atrium PAGE 18 | 2011 04 | 05 THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNING 1 2 3 Atrium 18 | 2011 THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNING Vision: Sunshine 2032 Eco-acupuncture Developing Sites of Intervention 2011 CHRIS RYAN, MICHAEL TRUDGEON, JESS BIRD, KATE ARCHDEACON The Victorian Eco Innovation Lab (VEIL) community. We wanted to re-imagine Our purpose is to intervene to reinvigorate is a sustainability research hub at the Sunshine through new architectural the eco-system of urban life and change University of Melbourne Faculty of Architecture, and design strategies. The suburb is the path of innovation and development Building and Planning. We see one of the a place of rich cultural diversity and towards resilient, low-carbon living. Our great challenges for our design community history. It is experiencing a rapid decline aim was to design small interventions that and for design educators as being the from a position of leadership in national can redirect the forces – the meridian lines design of Australian cities that address the manufacturing and employment. This – that shape development, towards a more retro-fitting and re-visioning of the existing opens up many new possibilities for distributed system with ultra-low environmental low density suburban fabric. How do we innovative design thinking. The students impact and greater social wellbeing. transform these locations into resilient in these studios immersed themselves low-carbon neighbourhoods and precincts in the context and worked with the local The result was new projects ‘on-the-ground’ which are healthy to live in and support council and the State Government to that can release new community energy and local employment and industry with appropriate develop innovative design outcomes. support for a new trajectory of development. provision of food, water, energy and transport? They examined sustainable design strategies We consider eco-acupuncture for the eco- What might a sustainable and resilient at different scales to develop projects system of urban life in the following ways: neighbourhood look like? How can we that captured both radical and current transform existing urban communities sustainability thinking. • Re-structuring essential ‘life support through design interventions? To explore systems’ such as water energy and these issues VEIL has undertaken a series Eco-acupuncture food production. of design studios at the University of To address the idea of developing design • Realigning the essential flows of social Melbourne, RMIT, Monash University interventions in an existing built fabric, VEIL and economic life including transport and Swinburne University that focus on has created a process called Eco-acupuncture. and information systems the transformation of individual suburbs In this approach to changing trajectories