Studio 14

Pub+

Emilio Fuscaldo

This studio is available to students enrolled in ABPL90169 Design Thesis.

Studio Description

Love them or hate them, there’s no denying the influence the humble pub has had on our collective memories and how we experience the built environment. Whether you run past them in disgust or run into them with anticipation, the pub is a place where people socialise, communities meet, tribes yell and shout and where performers entertain.

Since the early days, the pub has continued to adapt and change. In the mid 19th century most pubs were owned and operated by women and seen as a ‘home away from home’. In the 1950’s pubs became known for the ‘6pm swill’ due to restrictive operating hours. Present day there seems to be a pub to suit every preference, from hipster gastro pub to your ‘local.’

The influence of their physical presence on our streets cannot be understated either. Often the tallest building on the corner of a street, with multiple doorways, large windows and ornate facades, the architecture of the pub contributes in both positive and negative ways to the look and feel of our cities and towns.

Pubs in the UK and to a lesser extent in Australia, particularly community owned venues, have become the centre of their communities by moving away from simply providing beer, food & live music. These pubs offer a broader range of experience by either thinking creatively about what they can do to support a community or aligning themselves with community organisations. Examples include, music recitals, theatre, book exchanges, church services, yoga classes, soup kitchens, choir groups and art exhibitions.

Other pubs have gone even further by providing community assets such as interactive displays that chronicle the history of the area, post offices, convenience stores, bike and IT repair stations, and community gardens.  There’s nothing to say that pubs can’t provide safe spaces for libraries, youth groups, childcare and recording studios.

The studio is asking students to emulate what’s happening in the UK and Australia with community owned pubs and asks students to do more than simply renovate an existing pub.

Pub+ invites students to explore the social and cultural history of the Australian pub. It then asks students to propose their own version of the pub. The studio asks students to do more than simply renovate an existing pub. It’s asking students to be much more ambitious by exploring new, exciting, dynamic and complex programs that go toward alleviating social ills by creating social cohesion.

The studio is seeking bold and experimental ideas that help the pub once again change and adapt.

Studio Outcomes

This studio will start with a social and cultural study of the Australian pub. Students will then be encouraged to take the lead to build their own brief and select their own site for their project. This will ensure that your project is culturally relevant to the student.

Student’s final projects will propose a creative adaption of an existing pub or an entirely new pub whose principle function is to help create and maintain communities. This could be a pub that is community owed and offers everything from childcare services to artist studios. Alternatively, it could be a pub that turns its back on selling alcohol altogether and therefore expands to new cultural identities.

The studio will encourage students to get out from behind their computer screens, walk the streets and talk to people. The gathering of primary research will be central to the studio, so be prepared to walk, talk and maybe even grab a drink.

Studio Leaders

Emilio Fuscaldo is the founder of Nest Architects and has significant experience leading projects across diverse sectors, including single residential, hospitality, retail and education. He has lead design studios at RMIT and The University of Melbourne in both the Architecture and Interior Design departments.

Prior to completing an Architectural degree, Emilio completed an Arts Degree with Honours in Philosophy, including a thesis concerning Environmental Ethics. He is passionate about the power of collaboration and is a strong advocate for environmental sustainability and inclusive design in all projects. To Emilio, being an architect is an opportunity to change behaviours and communities for the better.

Readings & References

• David Knight and Cristina Monteiro, Public House: A Cultural and Social History of the London Pub, Open City, 2021
• Diane Kirkby, Tanja Luckins, Chris McConville, The Australian Pub, UNSW Press, 2010
• Ray Oldenburg, The great good place: Cafés, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons, and other hangouts at the heart of a community. Marlowe, 1999

Schedule Tuesdays 15:15-18:15 and Fridays 12:00-15:00

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