Studio 38
Culture + Place
Chris Smiles and Ellen Terrill
Urban water-side explorations in CULTURE + PLACE; Stitching City to Harbour with an iconic cultural destination in the heart of Melbourne’s Docklands Waterfront.
Many of Melbournes’ urban narratives linger on the historic gold rush and cartesian grid founding’s, it’s fertile hinterlands, laneway culture and celebrated citizen diversity. From these influences and more, the mechanisations of culture, design and creativity we recognise regularly bubble forth to form the living culture and fabric of our city.
However, despite it’s complexity and global reach, Melbourne has yet to articulate coherent narrative of where the urban (and post-industrial) fabric meets the harbour. This is particularly evident in the Docklands Precinct around Victoria Harbour and Etihad Stadium. An area that is asset rich yet lacks accessibility, amenity and above all a celebrated IDENTITY.
This studio proposes to connect the CITY to the HARBOUR through a destination-based architectural proposition founded in a cultural, environmental and socio-civic programme. Within this, the historical grain of CENTRAL PIER is reimagined into a cultural icon appreciated from both land and water and opportunities for further place-making along Harbour Esplanade are explored.
Chris & Ellen work together at COX Architecture on a variety of public projects, and have spent considerable time dissecting the ins and outs of the Docklands precinct and exploring the opportunities within its public realm
Studio Description
The Studio will focus on Melbourne’s Docklands Precinct and aim to develop proposals which connect City to Harbour. Recognising that the Docklands has suffered from a lack of identity and disconnection accessibility the students will be encouraged to reimagine and revitalise key areas of the precinct around Etihad, Southern Cross Station, Harbour Esplanade and Central Pier to improve the relationship back to the city and create a vibrant precinct 24/7.
The studio will be structured in two halves; the first focussed on urban design initiatives and the activation of an extended ground plane connecting city to harbour. The second half will be the generation of built form at the end of the central pier in the form of cultural icon which will operate as a destination in its own right.
Students will be encouraged to apply critically thinking to their contextual investigations and conceptual propositions to to formulate an informed approach to placemaking, and architectural based urban re-vitalisation based in contextual based design. External visiting lecturers will include former government advisors and chief of staff, current members of Development Victoria, Head of venues for the AFL, architects and engineers.
Studio Outcomes
In simple terms, the 12-week programme will be split up into 2 phases, approximately 4 and 8 weeks respectively each phase with a distinct focus. The first phase will be an urban design exercise investigating the Docklands Victoria Harbour context including group based activities, the second will be concept and narrative development, building organisation and focus on the design of the cultural destination / event space. The second half of the concept design phase will be focussed on deliverables, expressive form finding, visual communication of the design concepts We are proposing to bring in external consultants, arranging study tours, making use of auditorium space at Cox’s office for mid-term crits.
Projects throughout the semester:
- ‘Making Places’ precedent thinking
- ‘Urban affiliations’, contextual investigations
- ‘Making a mark’ urban strategies - Victoria Harbour - Project 1
- ‘Docklands destined - Waterside Architecture and Culture’ – Project 2 (major project)
- ‘Cultural cues’ – A critical theory essay
Key deliverables/ assessment criteria:
- 1 x A1 ‘Infographic’ Masterplan board ( for Major Project 1 – ‘Making a Mark’ Victoria Harbour)
- 2 x A1 project boards ( for Major Project 2 -elevations, sections, renderings, site analysis , text etc )
- Group Context Model scale 1:1000
- Small project submissions including Making Places’, ‘Urban affiliations’ and ‘Cultural Cues’
- Students are to keep an A5 journal which will form part of the submission - This will essentially be a record of your semester’s background workings.
- Folio - At the end of semester, students will submit a digital summary of their work
- Participation (5%): The studio will run in such a way that attendance and participation of all evolved is crucial for a positive outcome. This will form part of the assessment.
Studio Leaders
Chris has operated at senior level within highly successful award winning architectural and practices, working collaboratively within design teams and has individually been responsible for the coordination of clients and sub-consultants on a range of projects.
Chris’s experience working on high profile projects from inception to completion enables him to bring a pragmatic view of the industry and prepare students with necessary skills to begin their careers. Within our current work environment we are constantly exposed to design best practice and the latest trends , technologies and innovations including cutting edge parametric design and digital design to fabrication
Chris has previously taught at MSD, Adelaide University, Manchester School of Architecture (UK) and Northumbria University (UK)
Ellen Terrill’s current project portfolio at COX is founded in her interests around public and educational projects, although her broad experience includes resort and hotels from her time at KHA in Singapore which was pivotal in influencing her appreciation of craft and materiality as has her experience upon cultural projects in Ireland and Alice Springs.
Ellen enjoys all aspects of architectural practise from client and stakeholder management through site inspections and her agility and on-the-tools approach means she is heavily involved in all phases of the design process. Her aptitude for the holistic aspects of architectural practise is an asset in the classroom, as is her ability to cultivate conceptual thinking. She has previously taught at MSD, Monash University and Swinburne.
Reading & Reference
Jan Gehl literary references including ‘Cities for people’
‘Urban Choreography’ Kim Dovey, Rob Adams, Ron Jones
https://theconversation.com/we-should-create-cities-for-slowing-down-75689
ST1/38 Monday 6:15-9:15PM, MSD Room 142
ST2/38 Tuesday 6:15-9:15PM, MSD Room 139