UNSW Built Environment: Tom Loveday named a finalist in the annual Blake Prize

UNSW BE senior lecturer Tom Loveday has had his work ‘Yellow Memorial’ selected as a finalist in the 2011 Blake Prize.

Tom’s work will be included in the 60^th Blake Prize Exhibition. This will be running from 16 Sept – 15 Oct at the National Art School Gallery in Darlinghurst, and entry to the exhibition is free.

The Blake Prize was established in 1951. It is an open art prize that challenges artists to explore the themes of spirituality, religion and human justice. It is open to all faiths, artistic styles and media.

The official opening of the exhibition and the award announcements will be conducted at:

Time/Date: 6.00 – 8.00pm, 15 September, 2011

Venue: National Art School Gallery, Cnr Forbes & Burke St, Darlinghurst

We would like to congratulate Tom on this fantastic achievement.

Click here for more information on the Blake Prize exhibition.

UNSW Built Environment: Emergency Shelter Exhibition

‘Support Japan’ is an exhibition created by Australian and international architects who have taken action to highlight the need for emergency shelters in disaster zones and to bring awareness to the role of the design and construction industry in the aftermath of natural disasters.

The exhibition will take place from the 1^st to the 3^rd of September in and around Customs House in Circular Quay. A wide variety of Australian and international architects will be designing and building shelters for the exhibition. UNSW Architecture students have volunteered to assist with the construction and dis-assemble of the shelters and during the days of the exhibition. Our students’ involvement complements UNSW’s Built Environment’s sponsorship of the exhibition.

By donating to the Emergency Shelter Exhibition you will be supporting the design and construction industry and raising awareness and aid for the thousands of people who have been displaced by Japan’s natural disasters.

ACCOUNT NAME: EMERGENCY SHELTER EXHIBITION
BANK: NAB
BSB: 082 001 / A/C NO: 19 832 4405
REFERENCE: DONATE (YOURNAME)

Please click here for more information on this exhibition and how you can contribute to this worthwhile cause.

UNSW Built Environment: Society for Responsible Design Change 11 Exhibition

Three UNSW Built Environment Graduate Designers, Kate Stanistreet, Lily Tandeani and Anthony Papas have secured places in the ‘Society for Responsible Design (SRD) Change 11’ Sustainable Design exhibition, 1-12 August.

Inspire. Promote. Change, is the compelling theme for the graduate sustainable design exhibition presented in an iconic new venue, Coca-Cola Place, 40 Mount St, North Sydney (formerly known as the Ark).

SRD presents its eighth annual graduate exhibition series with over 25 exhibits challenging conventional thinking and showcasing sustainable design solutions across all creative design disciplines and areas of life, from visual arts and communication, architecture and industrial products to high-end fashion and including issues relating to Third World health.

Be inspired with Visual Trajectories by Kate Stanistreet (MArch, 2010) who has successfully dealt with the challenges of design for high rise buildings, while still creating a comfortable and energy efficient working environment.  This has been done by paying particular attention to efficient sustainable measures with air, light, heating and materials which increases the functionality of the space while at the same time alleviating its impact on the environment.

Embrace change with the high density living that comes with Sustainable Vertical City by Lily Tandeani (MArch, 2010). Lily has provided an example of a solution oriented design that deals with our burgeoning population growth in a sustainable way.  Showing how a 48-storey mixed-use tower can be transformed to incorporate strategically arranged office vertical villages, a retail ring, a sky garden and residential units.

Communal Remediation by Anthony Papas (BLArch, 2010) deals with a post‐industrial urban renewal concept developed for Central Canberra, in which his design seeks to resolve the conflict of interests existing between local community identity and the need for urban densification alongside the growing need for regional environmental sustainability.

Come and see these great exhibits from UNSW BE graduates, who join the talented young designers from many other Sydney University Design Schools and selected National Universities.

SRD Change 11 National exhibition, is a must see special project of the SRD and part of Sydney Design 2011 presented by the Powerhouse Museum. Entry is free and open Monday 1st to Friday 12th August. Review the exhibits, speak to the designers and be inspired about positive change for the future.

Click here for more exhibition details.

UNSW Built Environment: SRD Change 11 Graduate Sustainable Design Exhibition

Entries for SRD Change 11 Graduate Sustainable Design Exhibition are now open.

SRD Change is a unique exhibition of graduate sustainable design that directly challenges conventional expectations. Exhibits are selected from a diverse range of design areas from all of Sydney’s top Universities. They feature innovative visual and 3D works, multimedia and even high fashion garments. The exhibition started in 2004 and continues annually. It aims to promote fresh ideas and solutions, through which society can be more sustainability aware and responsible.

The exhibition will feature as part of Sydney Design 11 presented by the Powerhouse Museum.

Entries close at 5pm on April 15, 2011.

For information on the exhibition and how to apply, click here.

UNSW Built Environment: Interposition Exhibition

Interposition: transforming the Parramatta Ferry Wharf area

The sixth UNSW/SEU Joint Design Studio Interposition is being displayed in the Red Centre Gallery from the 4th to the 8th of April.

Interposition examines the physical, social and cultural qualities of the Parramatta Ferry Wharf area and explores its potentials for helping to invigorate the “second CBD of Sydney”.  This urban site, historically charged and strategically positioned in Parramatta, presents itself as a meeting point between the city of regular grid and the suburbs of irregular layout, between the seawater and freshwater along the Parramatta River, between stable office/residential spaces and fluid transport lines, between business and leisure, between local inhabitation and latent tourism.  It is an area of conspicuous tensions between elements of significant diversity in history, culture, use, scale, and character.

Architecture, Interior Architecture and Landscape Architecture students from the Southeast University and the University of New South Wales are positioned between different cultures, different institutes and different disciplines, working in teams of three to develop seven evocative propositions for the redevelopment of this richly charged site.  Cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary engagement is prominent and nurtured in the process of design; in such an educational setting students energetically pursue conceptual creativity and at the same time actively develop sensitivity and capability in exploring feasible design ideas and architectural resolutions.

The studio emphasizes thoroughness and consistency of architectural and landscape thinking and design, ranging from site planning down to architectural space organisation, from interior design to construction details, where students are encouraged not only to conceive the kinds of spatial quality they wish to create in visual, audio, tactile, and other experiential terms, but at the same time truly to understand how such qualities were to be achieved tectonically and technically.  The outcome of the studio demonstrates a significant cooperative achievement in inter-institute design education between Australia and China.

 

UNSW Built Environment: Platonic Divine Exhibition

A solo exhibition by Built Environment PHD student Sanaz Hosseinabadi opens tomorrow at the Gaffa gallery in Sydney. This exhibition, titled ‘Platonic Divine’ is raised from Sanaz’ PhD written work on symbolism and belief system in applied geometry and architecture design. It is based on research in ancient and medieval written works and buildings analysis.

Sanaz Hosseinabadi is a Sydney based Architect and theorist interested in the intersections between the sacredness in geometrical forms and Architecture from ancient time to recent. She completed a MA in Construction Project Management, a BA in Interior Architecture, and a Diploma in Graphic Design. She is currently completing her PhD in Architecture and Lecturing History and Theory in architecture plus design studio at the University of NSW.

Her Exhibition opens at the Gaffa on Thursday the 24th of March, and runs until the 5th of April.

For more information on this Exhibition, please click here.

 

UNSW Built Environment: DesignTECH 2010

UNSW Faculty of Built Environment is conducting a series of workshops this week as part of DesignTECH 2010 at the Powerhouse Museum.

DesignTECH is an exhibition of major design projects from HSC design and technology students.

Year 11 and 12 students studying design and technology at high schools across NSW have been invited to attend the workshops

UNSW Built Environment Faculty will present to the students concepts in design sustainability, and how they can incorporate sustainability in their thought and design process.   Design professionals,  HSC teachers and markers will also be available to inspire students about careers in design; and to help students understand how they will be marked for design and technology in the HSC.

There will be 10 presentations given by UNSW Built Environment over 5 days to approximately 500 students.

For a snapshot of the works currently being exhibited at DesignTECH 2010, please follow the below link.

DesignTECH 2010: pre-visit exhibition slide show

The DesignTECH exhibition is available for public viewing at the Powerhouse Museum until 1 May 2011.

UNSW Built Environment Film Screening: Cinematic Space – An Exploration of Space, Place and Time

This year’s UNSW BE Summer session included a  short course titled ‘Cinematic Space’. As part of the course students studied  the relationships of architecture and cinema and were asked to create a short film encompassing an architectural investigation around space, place and time – issues that are very much a part of architecture and film.

Screenings and exhibition of these works will be held next week, and are open to all who are interested in coming along.

Details of the screenings are:

Event Title: Cinematic Space – An Exploration of Space, Place and Time

When: Tuesday 15^th February

Time: 6pm – 9pm

Venue: Gallery Space, Red Centre West Wing, UNSW

For more information on this event, please contact Dean Utian on d.utian@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Built Environment: Postgraduate Conference Day – Wenjie Cai

On the 6th of December we had a UNSW BE Postgraduate Conference, it is the first one we ever had and when I was told that there would be such an event, I had no ideas on it—what would it be? About 2 months ago, Christine had a meeting with us to discuss our expectations on the conference; I suppose this is the unique aspect of this event—it aims at dealing with the problems we concerned with when doing research.

The conference began with seminars on generic skills (publication issues and ethics applications), followed by presentations by research cluster heads. It was surprising to hear that there are already three research clusters in the faculty (I only knew one) and research students can be a member of these clusters if they have interests. Sometimes I feel that there are disconnections between research students and researches undertaking within the faculty, obviously these research clusters can provide opportunities for us to be more involved in the faculty, and also facilitate the communications between research students.

But it was a bit disappointing when the poster presentations began, I originally thought that there would be supervisors and other researchers of the faculty but unfortunately I couldn’t find any. Obviously this session offered an opportunity for us to share our research experiences with each other, but it might be better if we can also get some feedbacks from other researchers in the faculty.

Students in paper presentation session

After a BBQ lunch, we had two concurrent writing workshops, thank Christine to invite teachers from the learning centre. I went to the one on dealing with data, I think the most important aspects of this workshop are that it pointed out the key issues in this aspect and we can then share our experiences. Lastly we had a recent BE graduate’s question and answer panel, but it is a pity that I didn’t attend it.

We finally reached our fun time—the Christmas party. There were two very excited lucky draw moments with very tempting prizes, but unfortunately I am not the lucky one. Actually I never win in such events and maybe we can have some small games in the party next year so that I don’t need to rely entirely on my luck (just joking)!!

Participants in BBQ lunch and Christmas party

The conference is very helpful indeed and a good practice for me as I gave a presentation, hopefully we can continue it next year.

Great thanks to the organizers (Christine, Suzie, Bronwen…), all the participants of the conference and party, and of course our associate dean of research Bill Randolph, who sponsored the event. Happy new year to everyone!

Written by Wenjie Cai

UNSW Built Environment: Planning Graduation Exhibition, Christina Livers

Places and Spaces – 16 November, Red Centre Gallery

The culmination of 5 years of university study as well as experience from working in the planning industry was apparent at the exhibition of the planning theses by the fifth year Bachelor of Planning students.  It is clear that the way through which the planning degree is structured and taught allowed each student to find their niche in relation to the planning topics explored.  The array of topics researched by the 5^th year students definitely demonstrates the plethora of issues planning is facing moving toward the future. The topics ranged from the implementation of 3D visualisation in planning, implementing sustainable development through utilising rating systems in planning practice and the role of the federal government in the planning and development of Australian cities to name but a few. The striking commonality amongst the planning issues explored was that of change, as planning is forever changing and the management of this is fundamental to reaching good planning outcomes for the community at large.

The launch of the exhibition commenced with speeches by Alec Tzannes, Peter Williams, Bob Zehner and John O’Callaghan. In attendance were academics, planning students and parents. The theses exhibits were displayed along the foyer and mezzanine of the Faculty of the Built Environment on posters, which incorporated an abstract from the thesis accompanied by an image. Succeeding the formalities of the event all in attendance were able to gain insight into the work that the students had produced over the year. The faculty was filled with a buzz of excitement, as the achievements of the students were celebrated at the culmination of their dedication and hard work over the past year. It was not just a celebration of what had been achieved by the students, it gave all of those in attendance a glimpse of the significant contribution that the BPlan students will make toward the Planning Profession in the future. The FBE wishes all of the 5^th year planning students of 2010 all the best for their future endeavours.

Christina Livers