Hungry City

Nick James and Aimee Goodwin

Studio Outline:

This studio will explore issues surrounding food and the city. The growing pressure being placed on the land to sustain an increasing urban population means that re-establishing a connection with the origins of food is more important than ever.

The studio aims to explore what role architecture can play in raising awareness and educating the population about the importance of food and the impact of its production and consumption on our society. In particular, how can the urban environment be utilised to help with this process. Issues of growing, production, distribution, sustainability, seasonality, food miles, and waste will be explored. Through the study of key essays and texts and research of architectural precedents it is expected that the students will develop their own ideas and philosophies in relation to the above issues which will inform their design response.

Studio Leaders

NICK JAMES is a director of the award winning and design focussed Melbourne practice, Architecture Architecture. Prior to joining Architecture Architecture as a Director, Nick spent several years working with multi-award winning, design-focused practices in both Melbourne and Vancouver. Socially inclusive design is a strong driver in Nick's work, seeking opportunities to engage with the broader community no matter the scale of the project.

AIMEE GOODWIN is a director of Melbourne based practice, Project 12 Architecture. She has over 14 years experience working for a number of award winning practices in both Melbourne and London. During this time she was involved in the design and delivery of a range of high end residential, retail and large scale commercial projects. Aimee has also tutored at The University of Melbourne in both construction and design subjects.

Learning Outcomes:

Over the first few weeks of the semester the studio will focus on a series of site visits and exercises undertaken both individually and in groups. These tasks will be structured to allow students to explore ideas for how architecture may assist in the food life cycle and what interventions can be woven into the urban fabric. An inner city site will then be selected for the students upon which they will design a proposal which allows for the open and visible growing and/or production of food, distinct from the opaque and disconnected process now typically found. The students will have the option of expanding on the brief and incorporating other functions on the site if they desire. The final projects will be presented in the form of drawings, images and models.

Reading and Reference:

Studio 12 Hungry City Reading and References List

ST1/12 Tuesday 6:15pm - 9:15pm, MSD Room 139
ST2/12 Thursday 9am - 12pm, MSD Room 236