Knotting in Ceres

What if houses grew the energy they needed?

Integral to this project is the notion of smart skins for buildings.  Algae grows in between sheets of glass that insulate the houses, filter light, and produce hydrogen for use as an energy resource.  As with the CoCaring Networked Neighbourhood, if a structure needs a wall, why not have it do double duty and also generate energy?

This project has many interesting elements, including modularity and adaptability of residences as densities and transience increase around the edges of Melbourne’s original environmental park, CERES.  What can happen when a site of interest and emerging knowledge which is becoming important to a community needs to become more visible or used?  CERES can act as a catalyst for the surrounding area.

Currently it can be difficult to imagine that the park is there behind the houses on Blyth St, but in this proposal the barriers become porous and part of the complex system.  Ideas of porosity and access from a street through to a park, with the integration of residential, commercial and recreational areas allowing activities to sit comfortably within the realm of all three, propose a new approach to sharing / multi-use community spaces.

Designer

Joshua Hammond Sibley

Domain

Industrial Design

Studio

Visualising Networked Neighbourhoods

Studio Leader

Stephen Mushin

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