THE/05

UNSETTLING SUBURBIA
Place, Ecology and Housing in the Sunbury Growth Corridor

Delia Teschendorff

Studio Description

“The most significant response to anxiety about population and density is to emphasise the importance of design”.

Prof. Peter Newman, AO, Environmental Scientist

Addressing deep concerns about climate change and the damaging environmental impact of Melbourne’s rapid urban expansion, this studio will be an investigation into alternative subdivision and housing approaches, using a real-life greenfield site, located in the Sunbury growth corridor

Greenfield suburban expansion is often a process of erasure treating sites as a blank slate to be overlayed with a network of new roads paths and suburban lots for homogenous low-rise housing. In this studio however, greenfield sites are not considered ‘empty’, rather recognises that they are layered with deeper histories and ecologies and First Nation narratives.

The detailed analysis of an actual site in Sunbury will be used to inform a more enriched greenfield subdivision design approach, exploring more liveable, sustainable solutions.

Studio Outcomes

This is an ambitious studio that challenges the status quo and takes the approach that growth areas are sites of opportunity for new and alternative forms of suburban development; with the potential to play a critical role in the future shape of our cities.

Over the semester students will develop a project that traverses a range of scales from the macro: exploring and testing broader master planning design considerations and subdivision approaches for the overall site, to the micro: an exploration of flexible, diverse range of housing models, including spatial and siting strategies. Students will be encouraged to challenge traditional settlement patterns and investigate new forms of sustainable and regenerative suburban development.

• Students will learn the importance of detailed analysis and exploring precedents to inform their work.
• Investigate environmental and climate responsive design, that considers the landscape and resources.
• Investigate medium density housing typologies including flexible and adaptable household types.
• Understand concepts of Caring for Country and Connecting to Country in a suburban context and ways to design architecture that is for and of place.

This is a live practice project. Students will have the opportunity to undertake on-site research and fieldwork and interact with key stakeholders, including gaining a deeper understanding of First Nation perspectives. Additionally, students will have access to texts, images and drawings of the subject site and surrounds, including historical material.

Studio Leader

Delia founded award winning practice, Delia Teschendorff Architecture Studio in 2009. She has taught design and construction studios at Swinburne University, RMIT University and Monash University and she is a Lecturer in Architectural Design, Creative Practitioner at Melbourne School of Design, Melbourne University. Delia recently completed a design research PhD at Monash University.

Readings & References

Studio sessions will include a series of invited guest talks. Weekly readings will be provided

Schedule:
Friday 9:00am-1:00pm in MSD 142
&
Friday  3:15pm-5:15pm in MSD 142

Off-Site Activity:
Snbury Site visit

Contact Handbook