Thesis Studio 01
CROWNSCAPE: an interrogation of the unintentional and the uncanny
Jillian Walliss
Studio Description
Across the world, neglected spaces under elevated roads, railways viaducts and overpasses are being explored for their new social and ecological potentials. Many of these approaches are driven by the desire to make safe, enliven and add amenity to these marginal spaces, driven by the addition of program and activities. One such live Melbourne project calls for the ‘reimagining’ of the Kings Way under croft (located behind the Crown Casino) into a community space. Drawing on the success of the Boyd Community Hub, which is considered the new heart of Southbank, this proposal suggests a range of activities such as basketball courts, pavilions, studios, art installations and events to be housed under the northern under croft of Kings Way.
But is there an alternative approach which can enliven yet acknowledge the uncanny qualities of this unintentional space? Is it possible to design informed by an understanding of vacancy rather than improvement and program?
Studio Outcomes
Through the interrogation of these questions, this studio will develop design approaches for this isolated section of Southbank. Theoretical concepts of vacancy, the unintentional, fear, and the uncanny (explored thru the lens of the pandemic), together with the generative potentials of pattern will guide design investigations. Physical models, photography, parametric modelling, narrative, along with the detailed spatial drawings of Atelier Bow Wow will be used to propose a new future for this extraordinary jigsaw of urban spaces and roads.
Studio Leader
Jillian Walliss is an Associate Professor in landscape architecture at the University of Melbourne. Her research explores the relationship between theory, culture, and contemporary design practice. She has published widely, including the The Big Asian Book of Landscape and Architecture (2020) and Landscape Architecture and Digital Technologies: Re-conceptualising Design and Making (2016).
Readings & References
- ARUP, ‘Under the Viaduct: neglected spaces No Longer’ u.p.
- Kevin Aho (2020) ‘The Uncanny in the Time of Pandemics,’ Gatherings: The Heidegger Circle Annual, Vol. 10, pp 1-19.
- Mary Pat McGuire (2020) ‘Is Landscape Surface?,’ Journal of Landscape Architecture, 15:1, 18-31.
- Matthew Gandy (2016) ‘Unintentional Landscapes’, Landscape Research, 41:4, 433-440.
- Karen M'Closkey and Keith VandersSys (2016) Visualising Landscape in a Digital Age, Routledge.
- Karen M'Closkey (2013) ‘Synthetic patterns: Fabricating landscapes in the age of ‘green,’ Journal of Landscape Architecture, 8:1, 16-27.
Schedule Fridays 09:00-12:00 and 13:15-16:15