Studio DE/27

Victoria 2026: Designing for Diversity

Sander Versluis, Rebecca Choong, and Nathan Ngo

Studio Description

With the 2026 Commonwealth Games approaching and aiming to be a “Games like no other”, the international sporting event and its byproducts have become synonymous with the economic and environmental deficiencies that it now brings to its hosts in the aftermath. It undoubtedly brings instant benefits to its hosts’, however as a studio we question how can the built infrastructure be designed to be a precedent that will impart sustainable and social legacies.

Victoria 2026: Designing for Diversity will focus on the topic of circularity and redefine the traditional design outcomes by asking students to develop a manifesto within the form of an architectural manual. By having a manual, it will serve as a safeguard for the integrity of the design and provide assurance that the vision is executed properly. Consequently, our hypothesis is that in order for hosts of global events to thrive economically and socially, developments need to adhere to circularity through designed-for-disassembly principles.

Studio Outcomes

This studio will encourage students to approach design through a process of systems thinking to set precise, localized and relational parameters that will form a manual to be continuously/iteratively improved upon. Using the 2026 Commonwealth Games as a case study, students will interrogate and form their own manuals and subsequent tool-kit to inform their design decisions to firstly provide a solution to the necessary short term accommodation for the games followed by their disassembly and repurposing into housing typologies that’s driven by the needs of the various region as it continues to develop. The intent is not to create a singular design proposal but continue the legacy of architecture through systematic design thinking that will have the flexibility to adapt.

Studio Leaders

Sander Versluis is an Associate Director and Dutch registered Senior Architect who joined UNStudio in 2004. He graduated from the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture in 2009 where he received his Master of Architecture. Sander has been working on some of UNStudio’s key residential towers, including Canaletto in London. He has been focused on the Australian market since 2013 and has been responsible for the startup of the Melbourne office in 2021. There he

worked on projects in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Home of The Green spine project, Australia’s new tallest tower. Sander is responsible for translating design ideas and concepts into deliverables and prototypes that are possible to realize.

Rebecca Choong graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2015 and since joining UNStudio, has been involved in the planning stages of the STH BNK by Beulah project in collaboration with COX Architecture. Prior to UNStudio, she has worked across various scales and typologies of work that have included education, cultural and healthcare. Through these projects, she has gained skills in delivery of detailed design documentation having been part of the team that oversaw its construction.

Nathan Ngo received his Master of Science - Architecture track, from Delft University of Technology, and his Bachelor of Architectural Design from The University of Queensland. Prior to joining UNStudio in 2019, Nathan has contributed to multi-residential and interior projects of reputable architectural offices in Brisbane, Australia. During his time at UNStudio, Nathan has contributed to projects across varying scales and typologies such as residential, commercial, hospitality, mixed-use, masterplan and interior developments. Nathan has contributed to UNStudio’s knowledge and implementation of Circular principles in interior developments. Joining UNStudio Melbourne in 2021, he contributes to the entity’s knowledge of designing with Country and inclusive design processes.

Readings & References

Books

• Designing the Olympics, Representation, Participation, Contenstation; Jilly Traganou, 2016
• Knowledge Matters; Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, 2016
• London 2012 and the Post-Olympics City; Paul Watt, Phil Cohen, 2017
• Move; Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, 1999
• Soft City: Building Density for Everyday Life; David Sim, 2018
• The Architecture of Waste Design for a Circular Economy; Caroline O’Donnell, Dillon Pranger, 2021
• Typology+: Innovative Residential Architecture; Peter Ebner, 2009
• UNStudio Design Models, Architecture, Urbanism, Infrastructure; Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, 2006
• What We Want Has Never Been Done; Ben van Berkel and Carolien Gehrels, 2021

Articles

• Agenda Sustainability: Plans, Outcomes and Monitoring; Maria Pidodnya, 2019
• An Invitiation to ‘Modern’ Melbourne: The Historic Significance of Richard Beck’s Olympic Poster Design; John Hughson, 2012
• Star Architects, Urban Spectacles, and Global Brands: Exploring the Case of the Tokyo Olympics 2020; Tomoko Tamari, 2019

Webinars & Podcasts

• UNS Talks About The Circular Economy; UNStudio, 2019
• UNS Talks About The Doha Metro Network; UNStudio, 2019
• Future of Housing: How Will Housing Be Designed Post-Corona; UNStudio, 2021
• The Future of Urban and Regional Transport; UNStudio, 2020

Schedule
Mondays 18:15-21:15 in MSD Room 216 and Thursdays 09:00-12:00 in MSD Room 140

Contact Handbook