Education facilities are significant long-term community assets that both reflect and shape our values as a society. It is important that investment in design considers the whole-of life costs, including maintenance and adaptability over the long term. Poor design costs more through higher maintenance costs, while good design is cheaper in the longer term and adds broader benefits. The adaptability of campuses embedded now, through master planning and the design of buildings, will allow for modes of teaching to evolve and support technology as it changes. (OVGA: The Case for Good Design,17)
This studio asks for the development of an approach that puts the park-like qualities back into the Parkville Campus and maintains the garden of contrast quality. Presently the campus is developing ‘pilot based’ installations to activate space. However, this has often been interpreted as a static architecture installation with a standard program such as food. This studio asks for the development of a more tactical approach– an insertion that operates as a catalyst for larger actions over time that can be understood as a valuable capital and operational investment.
Banner image: Chenrui Qiao