Studio 5/02

Future-proofing the Lorne Foreshore

Madhu Lakshmanan

Studio Description

Site: This studio will focus on the coastal town of Lorne on the Great Ocean Road, with a site that includes the foreshore area from the Erskine River to the east, the pier to the west, and the shops along the Great Ocean Road to the sea. Originally this was part of the traditional lands of the Gadubanud people. Lorne's first European settlers, who arrived in the mid-1888's, were timber-cutters, but today, tourism is the most critical activity and vital to the local economy.

Studio Theme: This studio focuses on reimagining the Lorne foreshore to be more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable to prepare it for facing future challenges. The site possesses features of high ecological, aesthetic, and cultural heritage value and a range of contemporary recreational facilities, open spaces, and commercial establishments that primarily cater to tourists and locals drawn to the sand, surf, and sea accessible at the site. Students will have to balance various and often conflicting development options in making the site more sustainable. This will require integrating on-site alternative energy technologies, innovative water and waste management techniques, the use of sustainable materials, and protection and enhancement of ecological systems, along with conservation of cultural heritage features.

Studio Outcomes

Students will first conduct an in-depth site analysis (Assignment 1), which aims to investigate the site's environmental, social, and economic attributes and identify opportunities and constraints they offer for reimagining the place to be more sustainable. This will be followed by preparing a master plan (Assignment 2) that will propose ways of making the site more sustainable. Students will then prepare detailed designs (Assignment 3) for two smaller areas within their master-planned area. They will also be involved in weekly design exercises supported by a series of shared lectures on topics related to sustainability.

Studio Leader

Madhu Lakshmanan is an AILA registered landscape architect and has professional qualifications in architecture. He is also an Accredited Professional in Neighbourhood Design with the United States Green Building Council. Madhu has over two decades of experience in landscape architecture, environmental planning, and architectural practice. He has successfully planned, designed, and documented a range of public, residential, commercial, and industrial projects in Australia and overseas over the 15 years he was in professional practice. He has taught studio and other subjects at the Melbourne School of Design and Deakin University. Madhu is completing a PhD at the University of Melbourne with research that explored public attitudes towards green urbanism and climate change.

Schedule Lectures: Tuesdays 16:15-17:15; Studios: Tuesdays 17:15-20:15 and Thursdays 18:15-21:15

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