1. Masters of Urban Design
University of Melbourne
STUDIO A
Eroded Urbanities
Re-imagining St Kilda Junction
STUDIO TIMES
Mondays 1:15-4:15pm - Rooms 448/449
Thursdays 5:15-8:15pm - Rooms 448/449
5:15-6:15pm - CAD Lab 246 (Week 2-5 only)
STUDIO SCHEDULE
The project will evolve through a series of exercises undertaken and assessed during the semester.
Attendance of a minimum 75% of lectures and classes is required as mandated by the university to pass
the subject. It is expected that students will arrive on time to classes and be present for the duration of
the class, contributing to discussion and giving critical feedback to peers.
SITE
St Kilda Junction, once heralded as a major gateway into the city of Melbourne has incrementally been
eroded away by the pressures of a fast paced city. This has created both physical barriers disconnecting
neighbourhoods and creating mental borders within the image of the city. Ideas for the future vision
of the junction and its surroundings are needed to inform a coordinated development to ensure social
equity and access and add to the story of Melbourne as a whole. Working simultaneously at both the
scale of site (micro) and city (macro), the studio will re-imagine the junction and its role.
AIMS
A Masterplan for the area will be put forth by the students with a ‘zoom-in’ on one particular part of the
plan for further detailed design. A context driven layered approach to design will be taken, where site
analysis will not be limited to the present but take into account both the past and future. Urban design
theories will be explored and applied through an iterative design approach where ideas are tested,
refined using appropriate mediums.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The semester will include lectures, skilling sessions and working studios with input from leading
professionals within the urban design field in Melbourne. A range of exercises will be undertaken both in
groups and individually throughout the semester to ensure the following learning outcomes:
● Understanding the difference between the multitude of urban design guidelines and
frameworks used within the field.
● A series of design techniques are explored from which a design methodology is
formulated.
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2. ● Identifying the need to employ certain analytical and design techniques appropriately and
applying them to the conceptual framework of the project.
● Communication techniques are explored through 2D and 3D visual representation and
physical modelling skills
● Developing an understanding of the role of an urban designer working on multiple scales
as an instigator of change.
TECHNIQUES AND METHODOLOGY
This studio has been organised with a series of incremental assignments to ensure each student
develops a thoughtful and rigorously tested masterplan.
● The studio will focus on a redevelopment of ‘the street’, as a platform for urban design
● A defined site within the St Kilda Junction environs will be provided
● Students will undertake analysis that considers the physical, historical, functional and
social constraints of the site and identify opportunities for its improvement
● Students will select from four themes on which to base their propositions -
○ The Art City
○ The Active City
○ The Techno City
○ The Multi-generational City
● Relevant case studies will be identified and specific learnings applied
● A brief will be developed and confirmed by each student
● The initial design response will consider the context and role of the street as
appropriate and propose a vision and character for the precinct supported by
strategies for linkages, land use, density, character, program, etc
● Design development will focus on a particular area of the street to test the impact of
macro propositions on micro design and experiences
● Studio A will share the same lectures as Thesis students and will undertake a series of
eight exercises culminating in and including a major presentation for final assessment.
All exercises are weighted as follows:
○ Exercise 1 - Interstitial Observations - 5%
○ Exercise 2 - Site Analysis - 5%
○ Exercise 3 - Site Model - 5%
○ Exercise 4 A/B - Case Studies, Brief, Initial Design Response 15%
○ Exercise 5 - Design Concept 10%
○ Exercise 6 - Micro / Macro Investigation (design development) 15%
○ Exercise 7 - Final Developed Design Presentation 45%
DELIVERABLES
● A series of exercises to be pinned up and presented in class
● Mid Semester Presentation - Broad brush site response and application of urban
design theory
● Final Semester Presentation - full masterplan with a ‘zoom in’ on one area for more
detailed design
● A5 booklet with all presentations and exercises collated.
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