CDE Studio 40

Out of Date

Studio leader: Dr Dominik Holzer

As a consequence, in this studio we questioned the adequacy of traditional floorplan layouts of inner-city (high-rise) dwellings and accommodate more fitting models of hybrid modes of living/working. The studio challenged the new norm of ‘social’ in a society that runs risk of increased isolation and loneliness of its inhabitants, and students proposed architectural interventions to counter these issues. Hand in hand with the architects’ responsibility to addressing the societal changes, we examined new high-rise residential typologies with greater emphasis on interstitial spaces and access to natural daylight/nature.Studio OutcomesWe currently experience a fundamental shift in our living arrangements in densely populated cities. The dwellings we inhabit no longer match our requirements; their design seems ‘out-of-date’. The immediate effects of COVID aside, its long-time-effects lead to the need for differently designed residential buildings that cater to the characteristics of increased working from home, yet also respond to the effects of social isolation.

Based on an array of individual responses across 3 different sites, students proposed inner-urban living arrangements in the light of new social norms and developments facilitated via the effects of COVID. Initial research focused on COVID’s long-term impact on work-life arrangements facilitated by remote working and increased digital connectivity. Students developed new high-rise dwelling typologies that take the contemporary needs of residents into consideration. The layout of apartment itself had equal importance to the layout of interstitial spaces and vertical/horizontal circulation. Particular attention was given to aspects such as social isolation, connectivity, safety, and environmental sustainability. The final studio outcomes consolidated all these learnings into innovative and leading-edge high-rise dwellings for inner Melbourne, that connect well to their surrounding city fabric.

Dr Dominik Holzer is an Associate Professor of Digital Architectural Design at the Melbourne School of Design where he has been teaching Master-level Design Studios (CDE) for the past 8 years. Dominik’s interests lie in exploring Design Futures via his research, practice, and teaching, in particular surrounding parametric design; ‘information management’ across design, construction and operation; Building Information Modelling (BIM); building performance optimisation, and collaborative design across all stakeholders in the building industry.

View the student projects on Miro

Architecture 2021_winter