Sunshine Studio Atelier: Week Two

Immersed in research and gaining perspective.

Week two of semester and the Sunshine Studio Atelier is in full swing. We were joined by Simon Cookes’ class of Design Thesis students who are also working on projects in Sunshine. Now totalling around twenty students, the previously empty shop front is really coming to life. Passers-by are increasingly curious, with some stopping to ask what is happening. Our friend Brian from the Sunshine and District Historical Society dropped by for a chat, leaving us with some history cards and an old photograph of the site where the Sunshine Plaza is now, circa 1950.

Lukas Nott, Urban Design Coordinator from Brimbank City Council gave an excellent presentation on Sunshine from the local council’s perspective, including their strategic direction and vision for the town centre, current projects, and the way the council works with the community, local business and developers in Sunshine. We were also lucky to have Karsten Schuette from DPCD present to the students from a State government perspective. Karsten has spent a number of years working on projects in Sunshine, and was invaluable in helping the students understand the layers of embedded commitment faced by government departments such as DPCD in planning for the future. Both Lukas and Karsten talked about the planning around the Regional Rail Link and its impact on Sunshine.

The students gave interim presentations on the research they have been conducting and were asked to start thinking bout individual project briefs. With the studio being located close to the site, some of the students also continued exploring the area to help inform their own research and projects.