Studio leader: Benjamin Lau
_
Around 7 billion people, two-thirds of the world population will be living in cities by 2050. In 1990, there were just 10 urban centres of over 10 million inhabitants worldwide. Today we have 33 megacities and will rise to 43 by 2030. At the turn of this century when Melbourne decided to densify mainly within the Hoddle Grid and South Bank by developing upwards rather than expanding outwards, we have been experiencing the fastest urban densification in Australia’s history. Students will experience the challenges of urban densification faced by most architects and urban designers nowadays. Supercity is a SELF-SUSTAINABLE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL ZERO-CARBON hypothesis project located at half of a city block within the central Melbourne’s Hoddle Grid.
This thesis studio will design to the highest permissible FAR of 18:1 without comprising our urban environment and the quality of architecture. Critical issues due to rapid urbanisation will be identified through research & in-depth discussion, meanwhile design methodology and modern technology will be explored to overcome these. Dense development does not necessary mean starting from ground zero, we should respect the local culture of our place and our rich history.
Urban Fragments
Karen Ka Wing Tsui, Mary Hou, Michael Groppo, Juan Planells
Fun Loop
Haochuan Guo, Pexian Gong, Yu Chieh Tseng
