Studio leaders: Qinghua Guo and Xiaojing Sang
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Over the first two decades of this century Australia has experienced significant demographic change. With low birth rates, the country has transitioned into an ageing population presenting significant economic challenges to the nation. A key response has been to welcome international migrants to boost the workforce.
Blackburn South, Box hill and Glen Waverley are favourite suburbs for East Asian communities. In Blackburn South, 43.3% of the population now have parents born overseas, and a half of them speak Mandarin or Cantonese at home. Many are now reaching retirement age themselves and need to move into aged care.
This studio asks students to consider the socio-cultural factors implicit in the architectural brief. For many East Asians, culture is expressed through Feng Shui. They believe that Feng Shui is the art of balance to ensure peace and bring happiness into life. This is a real project for Regis Aged Care on a site in Blackburn South. The brief is for a 4 level (plus basement) facility with 189 bedrooms and 16 apartments plus parking for 70 cars.