Studio 04

The Greenline

Chris Smiles & Joachim Clauss

Studio Description

Smartform Architecture assisted the incoming Lord Major of Melbourne, Sally Capp with a conceptual vision for a Melbourne ‘Greenline’ during her election campaign – a project which will involve the adaptive re-use of existing corridor to create a new vibrant public realm and re-connecting parts of the city.

Studio Outcome

The Thesis studio takes this real project opportunity and explores how the quality of existing public realm can be elevated and new public realm can be created, complemented with a series of programmatic elements which may occupy the existing infrastructure. Opportunities with architectural built form will include identification of functional space and ways to activate the public realm, create a new project wide identity, improve way-finding with students encouraged to place an emphasis on digital design to fabrication and prefabrication thereby minimizing on-site disruption.The studio will be structured in two parts:

1. Urban Design & Public Realm | Connectivity | R&D | Benchmarking | Infographics & Metrics
2. Architectural Built From | Structure | Digital Design to Fabrication | Materiality | Detailing

Our studio explicitly welcomes the use of computational design tools as part of precinct analysis and solution finding.

Design excellence through use of design technologies and computational design will be central to the studio and we will welcome the use of computational design tools as part of precinct analysis and solution finding - incl. but not limited to PEDSim; SmartSpaceAnalyser; Swift; Ladybug and Honeybee. Joachim and Chris are highly experienced users of software’s such as rhino, grasshopper, 3dsmax and will be providing tutorials, and support to the students throughout their thesis in achieving their vision through digital design

Studio Leaders

Chris Smiles and Joachim Clauss founded Smartform Architecture in 2018. Smartform are a design led architecture and design technology consultancy, co-located within the Grimshaw Architects Melbourne Studio. We are award winning architects and leaders in the field of computational design and bring over 18 years’ experience in the industry individually leading the design and delivery of complex major projects with award winning international design led practices such as Cox Architecture, BatesSmart, MarksBarfield ( UK) , John McAslan and Partners (UK) Joachim and Chris have been actively involved with the academic institutions, previously teaching MArch CDE Studio and visiting lectures at Melbourne University, RMIT, Manchester University (UK) , Northumbria University (UK ).

Readings & References

• High Line: The Inside Story of New York City's Park in the Sky Authors: Joshua David, Robert Hammond
• Urban Choreography: Central Melbourne, 1985- Rob Adams
• Urban Furniture Editor: Liu Juan
• Cities for People Authors: Jan Gehl, Lord Richard Rogers

Schedule Mondays 18:15-21:15 in Room 140; Thursdays 18:15-21:15 in Room 137

Contact Handbook Key Dates