RMIT Building 45

Full description

RESEARCH BACKGROUND
Architecture and design students at the urban campus of RMIT University have not been provided with dedicated studio workspaces found in traditional university design faculties. In past decades, this produced the positive side-effect of students forming groups and renting basic but flexible warehouse-type studio space in surrounding city buildings. However, with the recent property boom and success of Melbourne's residential expansion in the CBD, it has become almost impossible to find affordable space. Equally, with universities under increased economic pressure, the provision of single-use dedicated spaces is unlikely.

RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION
This work provides a new prototype for studio-based learning space within the university. It is a formal teaching environment which simultaneously allows for informal student and staff work to occur, through careful planning and the provision of flexible, multi-use surfaces and furniture. It is an efficient amalgam of part-computer lab, part-classroom, part-office, part-gallery, and part-workshop. This allows a natural interplay between digital, manual and conversational modes of production. Such a mixed environment is inherently suited to the studio-production mode of architecture and design projects, but has been difficult to achieve in an institutional context. The design also allows for casual and spontaneous interaction between the studio and the city, through shopfront window entrances and the ability to be easily transformed into an exhibition venue.

RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
The success of the project is recognised by its adoption as a policy/reference for future teaching/studio space at the School of Architecture and Design, RMIT. It has been published in Architecture Australia, 2009, Melbourne Design Guide, 2009 and exhibited in Abundant: Australian Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale, 2008. It won the 2009 AIA (Vic) Architecture Award for Public Architecture Alterations and Additions.