Portfolio of creative works: Cool Lines

Full description

Background: Global climate summits (COP26, UN Climate) form the backdrop for climate research where technical, legal, or economic solutions dominate (Farad, Maraf, Awad). Our approach offers missing practical design solutions applicable within existing urban areas (as opposed to greenfield areas). How can we retrofit cities for future climates, better managing water, shade, ventilation to create liveable urban spaces for coming together (Venice Architecture Biennale theme 21)? Our research explores how local interventions can be networked to potentiate effects while transferring transdisciplinary methods from flood to heat adaptation (Rotterdam Strategy, Sea Change Boston).
Contribution:
The research explored climate phenomena, consequences on city and people and solutions through exhibition, film, VR-walk and proposed a design-research-response and methodology using an exemplar Melbournian post-industrial area. Synergetic urban and landscape designs demonstrated how networked nature-based approaches can create experiential spaces and be incrementally deployed. City of Melbourne subsequently developed the ‘Cooling our City’ and ‘Cool Routes’ initiatives.
Significance:
First exhibited at the City Library Gallery (2500 visitors/ day) for Melbourne Design Week 2020, the Cool lines exhibition was funded by CRC for Water Sensitive Cities and City of Melbourne. It was reviewed in Landscape Australia journal and the NSW/ ACT Development Forum. It featured in a newspaper interview ‘Luxemburger Wort’. A subsequent film selected by curators A.Melis, T.Kovac for City X virtual pavilion (Venice Architecture Biennale 2021) was viewed >920 times (9th- most-viewed) and selected for the curators’ selection. They led to an immersive-VR walk-through and rescreening at ’Making Future Landscapes Now’ Melbourne Design Week 2022 and received the ‘Rethinking The Future’ Runner up Award for Urban Design (Concept).