Design Studio at the MSD

This semester we are teaching again – a group of 16 students in the Masters of Architecture at the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne. Previously in 2012-2013 we taught an urban school studio, located in Fishermen's Bend and located on a site that later became the award-winning South Melbourne Primary School by Hayball architects. Continuing our practice research on cities, this semester our studio is ‘living urban’. 

Our focus is on:

design as research and experimentation making better urban environments fostering community improving higher density housing creative sustainability

Why an urban living studio? Population growth and migration of people to major centres make urban living a necessity. But higher density living is not just a necessity Higher density living allows:

• improved access to services
• diversity of population
• entertainment and hospitality options
• shared facilities and amenities
• walkable cities
• potential for more sustainable
• lifestyle and developments

Students produce an extraordinary amount of work by the end of semester. Initial group site research and opportunities and constraints analysis together with group urban design proposals that focus on exemplar outdoor living and pushing the envelope on planning constraints lead into fully formed individual mid to high-density apartment developments scattered throughout the subject site.

We congratulate the students of living urban studio and look forward to returning in semester 2.