Zihang Jiao

Missing Segment: Reconceptualizing of Student Accommodation Precinct

The outbreak of the pandemic severely affected international students, making them socio-economic vulnerable. Students were trapped in their accommodation, which caused isolation, mental problems, food shortages, and limited space and activities. The pandemic has highlighted the need to provide essential services and diverse experiences for international students. It is an opportunity to rethink the student accommodation precinct, which is a missing and unresolved urban segment between the Melbourne University campus and the city grid.

This proposal develops a set of new typological urban forms which act on the landscape territory and the community. Each node addresses a different need for both the student and the local population. The project reclaims redundant urban space such as car parking and warehouse as student programmed activity spaces and strengthens physical and emotional connections by establishing pedestrian bridges between student accommodation that brings more diverse services and spatial experience for international students, while leveraging adjacencies with existing accommodation and transportation. The public realm and architecture are designed to create invitations for social mixing among the campus and students, while encouraging social overlap between academic life and the student communities.

_Images:

_{1. STUDENT SHARED STREET}

_{The part of Bouverie street and Leicester street where are surrounded by student accommodation are transferred into shared street. The shared street becomes an extension of the accommodation front yard, a place to meet neighbours with street furniture, also make the streets of all users particularly students safer whether daytime or nighttime. The sign in the entrance of student accommodation courtyard gives the identity of student community.}

_{2.1-2.2. STUDENT SHARED STREET}

_{The flexible plaza allows various activities, for instance, student flea market on weekend, daily outdoor community lunch, filming sharing at night, which provides a place for 24h community life. The high-level connection between student accommodation offers a secure and semi-private meeting place, also acting as viewing platform.}

_{3.1-3.3. NEW STUDY CLUSTER}

_{The bridge in this area connects the four student accommodations and Melbourne law building terrace, which encourages social overlap between academic life and student communities. The law building terrace and inner accommodation platform provide informal studying space and meeting space. After class, students can have a informal discussion or brainstorm on law building platform and then walking home along the bridge, students can enjoy the sunset in Melbourne on the viewing platform.}

_{4.1-4.2. STUDENT COMMUNITY HUB}

_{The community hub can host many activities, such as Orientation Day and Cultural Exchange Day. It also highlights the way to metro station and student accommodation courtyard. The stairs of student community hub and the back-wall on University Media Lab forms a outdoor cinema area. Active interface of community hub contributes to public realm and attract students. The collective urban farm is located at the entrance of the hub and has very good sunshine conditions. Students can build up an eatable garden. It could make students more cohesive.}

_{5.1-5.2. ON-STREET PERFORMANCE STAGE}

_{The frontage of law building is transformed into outdoor dining area. This place provides multiple choice of seats and tables which has different height for different people. There is occasionally street performance on the elevated deck along the street. The commercial spill out is an essential space for daily life, not only for relaxing and seating, but also acting as view point to street performance and university square. On the way students get on the bus and metro to law school, they can quickly grab a cup of coffee.}

_{6. TERRACED RAIN GARDEN ON BOUVERIE STREET}

_{The water from Pelham street and reintroduced bioswale on Bouverie street comes together to Lincoln Square, where the storage water tank is beneath the road. After treatment, the water is reused for surrounded community and irrigation.}

_{7. OVERALL VIEW}