Another Home

Francesco Stassi & Mark Casey-Losewitz

Studio Description

Another Home investigates the critical intersection of housing, environmental sustainability, and climate responsibility. Set in the context of Melbourne’s urban fringe, students will explore and reimagine medium-density housing models that respond to the climate emergency through design.

In particular, the studio will work with a real-world site and masterplan developed by Breathe Architecture, a leading practice in sustainable housing. Using the Nightingale Sheppard project in Coburg North as a framework, students will rethink a cluster of dwellings and a shared community facility through the lens of carbon-conscious design, spatial adaptability, and material responsibility.

As the housing sector continues to contribute significantly to construction-related emissions, design must lead the transition to low-carbon, high-quality housing. The studio will engage with themes of resource limitation, circular construction, spatial economy, and the evolving needs of contemporary households.

Drawing on a range of research frameworks and contemporary practices, including but not limited to the Australian Reduction Roadmap, students will be encouraged to speculate boldly while grounding their proposals in performance, buildability, and liveability.

Studio Outcomes

Students will develop a design proposal for a multi-dwelling housing project that responds sensitively to the local context and the changing urban conditions of Coburg North. In light of population growth and increasing pressure on the housing market, the studio invites students to critically rethink conventional approaches to housing.

Proposals should demonstrate an understanding of contemporary ways of living and reflect on how housing—and the construction industry more broadly—must evolve in response to the climate crisis.

Through a research-driven and explorative design process, students will investigate environmentally responsive material choices, taking into account material supply chains, efficient construction systems, and the architectural and tectonic expression of materials. Design outcomes are expected to convey strong spatial quality through compelling visual documentation, physical models, and mock-ups, while also demonstrating an assessment of carbon impact across the full life cycle of the project.

Studio Leader/s

Francesco Stassi

Francesco is an Education Fellow  (Creative Practitioner) at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning of the University of Melbourne and a registered architect in Italy and Rwanda, with extensive experience in socially engaged architecture in East Africa. He is the Director and Partner at ASA Studio - Active Social Architecture, an architecture firm based in Kigali, Rwanda. His research interests focus on appropriate technologies, cost-efficiency, participatory processes, and environmental sustainable design in the Global South.

Mark Casey-Losewitz

Mark Casey-Losewitz is an Educational Fellow (Creative Practitioner) at the University of Melbourne and is a registered architect practicing at EBD Architects, focusing on community, social and residential architecture. With an interest in exploring the equitable provision of housing, with a focus on social, disability and aged care, Mark’s practice based outcomes focus on the human nature of the built environment leveraging where possible, evidence based design strategies and techniques.

Readings & References

• Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future – UNEP (2023)
• Breathe Architecture sustainability guides
• Australia reduction roadmap
• Other resources to be provided by studio leaders

Schedule:
Tuesday 9am-3pm in MSD 238


Off-site Activities:

Contact Handbook