Social Construct of the City // Designing for a Transient Community

Sander Versluis

Studio Description

It is estimated that up to 60 million people could be remote working by 2030. What are the needs of this transient community? How will their presence impact local communities? How can this movement make a positive difference in our cities?

The studio aims to explore and design a space that caters to the evolving needs of digital nomads and remote workers. The design will integrate live/work/play programmes while fostering a meaningful connection with the surrounding community. The approach will be rooted in sustainability, adaptability, and inclusivity, ensuring the space is both functional and impactful.

Studio Outcomes

The studio aims to transform Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station into a vibrant, people-oriented urban destination, celebrated locally and internationally. Students will engage in a series of critical design exercises, culminating in a major urban design proposition. Rooted in sustainability, adaptability, and inclusivity, their work will address key urban challenges through research-by-design, with circularity as a central driver from day 1.

Students will bring in key personal drivers to champion the success of their designs: Economy, Culture / Social, Ecology & Environment, Policy & Governance, Care & Wellbeing, Mobility, and Technology

By semester’s end, students will demonstrate creative thinking, rigorous design research, and the ability to communicate ideas through advanced visualizations, models, and speculative urban scenarios. They will position their work within historical, social, and theoretical contexts, contributing to sustainable urbanism and innovative urban design practices.

Studio Leader/s

Sander Versluis, Project Director and Senior Architect, joined UNStudio in 2004 and completed his Master of Architecture at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture in 2009. Over the years, he has contributed to complex projects such as 80 Collins Next Hotel in Melbourne, Canaletto Residences in London, Arnhem Central Station, and the DOHA Metro.

Since 2013, Sander has focused on the Australian market, establishing UNStudio’s Melbourne office in 2021. He leads projects like ‘STH BNK By Beulah,’ featuring Australia’s tallest tower. Alongside his work, Sander mentors emerging talent through teaching at Monash University and the Melbourne School of Design, emphasizing innovation, craftsmanship and sustainability

Readings & References

Anthony Sattin, Nomads: The Wanderers who Shaped our World, John Murray, London 2023

Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space, Beacon Press Boston, 1994

Rob Boddice, A History of Feelings, Reaktion Books, 2019

Richard Sennett, Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation, Penguin Books, 2012

Viewing

• Jacques Tati – Playtime
• Apple TV/Ben Stiller – Severance
• Citizen Jane – better for the city
• William H Whyte - The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

Schedule:
Tuesday 9am-12pm, MSD 226
Thursday 5pm-8pm, MSD 448

Contact Handbook