Minghi Park

Man Consuming His Grid

‘Man Consuming His Grid’ was completed under Studio Epsilon, the concluding studio for the architecture major. The brief invited students to design a community health center at the intersection of Carlton, Carlton North, and Parkville. The project challenged students to consider a myriad of social and cultural characteristics of the site and its demographic. Furthermore, the brief called for a complimentary urban design that would utilize the site topography and location.

My project functions as a community nest. The CCHC structure provides a framework where the local demographic can insert themselves, inhabit, and harvest energy and health benefits. The rigid programme of the building is reflective of the Melbourne grid, where efficiency was prioritised without respecting the individual needs of people.

This rational foundation is then disrupted by a central intervention which grows throughout the CCHC building. This architectural element liberates opportunistic spaces that gives birth to community interaction. In my urban design, this disruption liberates green areas and public zones.

Through valuing the individuality of the young and diverse demographic of Carlton, and by providing spaces that increase social engagement, the architecture aspires to tackle issues of mental health – especially anxiety, stress, and depression caused by loneliness.