Studio 44

Radical Classroom

Danielle Peck, James Wilson & Sam Hunter

Studio Description

What is the university’s role for implementing change to a city? This studio will speculate on educational space and the form of a new campus building.

Frank Rhodes describes universities as ‘the most significant creation of the second millennium’; with this in mind, and in the context of increasing corporate pressures – a radical re-look is necessary.

The new John Smyth building, which forms part of the New Student Precinct (NSP) project brief will provide this semesters framework and location. The NSP project, led by the Lyons team and currently in design development phases, includes a large redevelopment within the Melbourne University city campus. The new John Smyth building, situated at a prominent location on Swanston Street becomes a new gateway for the precinct.

This is a collaborative studio, delivered by Danielle Peck of emerging architecture practice Architecture Associates in conversation with Lyons architects, and guests.

Studio Outcome

Students will develop skills in research, critical positioning and return brief execution. Design is considered a method for developing these skills and short design esquisses will be used as a mode for research and discovery. Ultimately students will develop an architectural proposition for a new Melbourne University campus building, as part of the NSP project.

Working in groups will be a component of the semester, demanding dialogue, understanding and negotiating different points of view. Embracing co-creation as a tool to enrich the NSP project and MSD design studio outcome, the studio will engage with key stakeholders, including: the Lyons NSP Team; Major Projects NSP team; MSD academic staff.

The Lyons team James Wilson and Samuel Hunter will be regular guests of the studio and we will work closely with them to develop your method of working through design problems. Presentations and workshops with the NSP team will compliment your regular design studio pin up’s.

Studio Leader

Danielle Peck

Having worked for large scale award-winning architecture practices in Melbourne for the past decade, Danielle decided most recently to establish a new practice Architecture Associates. Her experience includes a diverse range of project types including educational, cultural and residential work. She enjoys working across all scales and combines a passion of urban design with research projects in her current practice.

James Wilson

James has wide-ranging experience in future directions of pedagogical design for higher education learning buildings across Australia, and brings leading environmental design knowledge to the firm’s major projects. James has lectured and taught at the University of Melbourne and at RMIT University.

Samuel Hunter

Sam Hunter is one of Lyons’ design leaders and has undertaken design leadership roles across a wide range of university and community projects. Most recently he has led Lyons’ design team for Melbourne University's New Student Precinct, and the new Springvale Community Centre and Library. Prior to that, he led the design work for the Sustainable Futures Building at the University of Queensland, as well as undertaking similar roles for Lyons’ two major projects at RMIT University – the New Academic Street project and the Swanston Academic Building.

Schedule Mondays 09:00-12:00 in Room 449; Thursdays 12:00-15:00 in Room 141
Thursday 7/3, 21/3, 4/4, 2/5, 16/5, 30/5 18:15-21:15 at Lyons Architects

Contact Handbook Key Dates