Studio 23
Digital Natives
Tisha Lee, Ian Davidson, and Mal Bas
This studio is available to students enrolled in ABPL90142 Studio C, ABPL90143 Studio D, and ABPL90115 Studio E.
Studio Description
Digital natives: The generation of people who grew up in the era of ubiquitous technology, including computers and the internet.
Primary schools: centres of community connection, education and employment in their localities.
Learning is moving online. This studio is entirely online. In this fast changing era, how will vertical schools adapt to online learning. You will have a choice of two sites. One in inner Melbourne and suburban Melbourne. You’ll be encouraged to explore the different role a digital vertical school can play in each of these contexts.
Practically the deliverables for this Architecture Studio involve the master planning and design of a new primary school with pedagogy, verticality and digital concepts explored.
The design process will be conducted over three phases during the semester; Master planning, the Education Strategy and the Architectural design response.
Studio Outcomes
- Masterplanning of a primary school community and integration with surround neighbourhood
- Interrogation of the hopes and aspirations of the client group for a primary school, the parents, the teachers and the students
- Exploring different pedagogies of primary schools touching on the importance of play in education, development of social skills and the role of the teacher as an instructor.
- Technical understanding of the key concepts and spatial of a traditional primary school
- Research into local and international school design principals
- In depth research into immediate, local, cultural and urban contextual issues
- Research into the architectural and cultural ideas and histories about the building's language and typology
Studio Leaders
Tisha Lee
Managing Director of the K2LD Melbourne studio, Tisha is a specialist in education architecture with 20 plus years of designing and delivering schools in Victoria & Tasmania. Her portfolio encompasses transitions in pedagogical design from the regeneration projects delivered for the Department of Education through to the most recent vertical schools. She is renowned for her passion for public architecture and also devotes her energy to mentoring and teaching young architects. She is also an examinator for the Architects Registration Board of Victoria.
Ian Davidson
Design Principal at K2LD, Ian has more than 30 years’ experience in architecture. He has previously held senior roles at Architectus. NH Architecture and Lyons. His built work includes projects across education and public architecture sectors including the Growth Area Schools Project – Victoria School Building Authority, Bio21 Stage 2c Cryo EM Unit - University of Melbourne (with Architectus), Arts West Building - University of Melbourne (Architectus in Joint Venture with ARM) and Shepparton Law Courts (with Architectus). Ian has also been an invited critic for Design Studios at RMIT and Monash Architecture courses. For this studio he will undertake the role of supporting students through the master planning and architectural development of their projects.
Mal Bas
Associate at K2LD, he is currently in charge of the new vertical school campus for McKinnon Secondary College one of the VSBA’s larger school projects. He is a registered architect with degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the University of Melbourne. He has delivered a strong portfolio of work including a 35-storey hotel in the CBD and a significant Community Centre in Melbourne’s North. Mal has mentored young graduates from the University of Melbourne in the past and followed their journey through to registering as an architect, as the lead tutor in this studio he will be providing guidance and be mentoring students throughout the semester.
Readings & References
- Building to Educate: School Architecture & Design (BRAUN), by Sibylle Kramer
- Victoria School Building Authority, Building Quality standards handbook May 2020, Department of Education and Training Victoria
- Design for Education: Compendium of Exemplary educational facilities 2011, OECD Publication
- Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky
- https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/designing-a-vertical-school
Schedule Mondays 15:15-18:15, Thursdays 17:00-20:00