‘The Gap,’ the winning entry for the Future Park Competition (2019), made a bold incision into Melbourne’s urban fabric, proposing that 9.3% of the inner north-west be converted into public open space. This 9.3% was generated by the decision to highlight and generate discussions about social inequity but how what form might ‘The Gap’ take if generated by other social, environmental, cultural and economic factors?
This studio explores this question in two parts. Working in groups, students document and critically analyse the existing and future projections for influential factors such as vegetation/biodiversity, housing stock, demographics, water and transport systems. These detailed studies provide the foundation for interrogating ‘The Gap’s’ size, location, scale and function. In the second part of the studio, students decide whether to continue to work with the gap’s location and develop its design or instead propose an alternative form and/or location. This studio advances student’s ability to move from analysis and research into a speculative design proposition, along with graphic presentation skills.