A two storey extension to an existing Victorian Era timber dwelling. The concept surrounding the design was primarily linked to an idea of Williamstown's maritime history. 150mm dia timber post, oiled shiplap cladding, chunky steel connections. The first floor external walls and roof line are angled and pitched both as means of sculpting the internal spaces and satisying local planning requirements.

Research for Architects in Small Practice - A collaboration between the University of Melbourne and Architeam, RASP was crowd funded research into the Return on investment when using an architect. To_make took on an early initiation role in coordinating academia and industry in working towards much needed research into an industry that is seldom introspective.

The Newport Project involved the design of a small but crucial suburban park in Newport, a suburb 12km west of Melbourne. It sought to uniquely combine the insight of local artists, university students, community members, local traders and council under the direction of Arts company, Hubcap Productions

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and save an old Edwardian beauty from demolition we underwent the slow and arduous process of moving a house across the city. The house, of no use to a developer keen to start their multi unit development, was cut in half and transported from its site in North Caulfield to a vacant site in Little River. 

Where to start on lessons learnt - unfortunately there were a lot. 

Working with Hobsons Bay City Council and the Projector Bike group, the idea behind this project was to have high school students create video works centred around Newport. 

Combining architectural structures with experimental film, The Crossing is an immersive work that celebrates Newport history, people, art and music. The Hall Street Hub provides the starting point for this contemporary ephemeral artwork and will combine food, music, mobile and multi-projection walking tours. 

Ground floor extension to an existing timber workers cottage. The use of an articulated ceiling as a means of further defining a narrow space. An oversized sliding door as a transitional element between old and new. Existing cladding stripped back and re used as timber infill to the rear elevation. Recycled floorboards coated with natural oils. Greywater recycling system used to flush the toilet and water the garden.

Two storey addition to a late Victorian 4 bedroom home. Focus on the kitchen as the client is an avid cook. Exposed timbered ceiling adds a kind of complexity to the living area, a depth and intrigue through the grain of the timber. A floral wallpaper backing was used in the kitchen as a reference to the original victorian interior. Worked on an idea of 'breathing space'. Opening and lifting and clearing and rationalizing a 100 floor plan whilst attempting to retain the grain of the existing dwelling.

Newport 2050+ was an idea about initiating an interaction between academia, residents, traders, local council and architects with the view to producing meaningful design visions. Masters Students from Deakin University under the tutelage of Dr Flavia Marcello and Ian Woodcock and using a brief formulated by feedback from Local traders and Hobsons Bay City Council were asked to imagine a range of different futures for Newport as a place.

The studio set out by considering Newport’s future as a node within Melbourne’s West with the task of addressing the character/intensification conundrum: how can low-density cities become sustainable and resilient while maintaining and enhancing urban character and livability? Students compiled group-based urban precinct studies that looked at staged development for immediate intervention right through to scenarios beyond 2050, addressing issues of increased future transit connectivity and identity.

These acted as frameworks for selecting architectural sites and buildings for individual student projects.

On an architectural level, the studio addressed the long-established practice of adaptive building re-use within today’s climate-sensitive society to investigate the low carbon imperatives of working within the ‘enabling constraints’ of existing structures. Students will put forth proposals for a range of buildings and public spaces:

            The Substation Arts Hub in the context of a broader arts precinct linked to transit.

Disused rail buildings within a proposal for re-purposing the larger scale rail yards for a broad range of built forms and programs that would include: education, recreation, social housing, retail and office space and the potential future role of urban parks and food production.

Heritage buildings in the precinct around the station (such as the former Flour Mills) for re-purposing with a view to intensification with hybrid programs

Re-imagining Newport Railway Station with reconfigured transit connections as genuine public space that reconnects the 3 precincts of Newport with the West and with the central city.

Incremental intensification of Newport’s traditional small-grain shop fronts with hybrid Programs

Hobsons Bay City Council will be undertaking its precinct structure planning for Newport in the near future . The Council will utilise material generated by this on-site studio process, from views of the local community and the ideas and images from the Deakin students in response, all will be used in a meaningful way within that framework. 

The design studio culminated with an exhibition of the students’ work at ‘The Substation’ where the public were asked to nominate individual designs or elements within those designs that they saw as having particular merit, and to engage in discussion about them. The public feedback together with the initial local trader brief /wish list was then forwarded onto council strategic planners who had been liaising with the student group from the outset.  A public forum and panel discussing both the students work and the future of Newport itself was held at The Substation.

Drawing inspiration from the book 'Mapping Manhattan' by Becky Cooper and the website 'http://www.handmaps.org/'  this project asked high school students from Bayside Secondary College to create maps of the suburb of Newport. The idea wasn't to create formal maps of the type we see every day on Google et al., but to come up with original interpretations of those things that are seen as important within the urban landscape and plot them graphically . The value of these personal viewpoints lies in their individuality - maps exploring the ways in which people see the world.