Architectural Studio 2: Urban Forrest, introduced us to the concepts of urban sprawl and the consequences of Sydney’s current low-density housing “strategy”. Urban Forrest allowed us to focus on a typical western Sydney city block. With 16 houses currently utilising the space through the tutorial we were each challenged to design 3 residential houses by using a grid system and taking turns in placing cubes that represented a specific room in a house. The result was a complex an array of colourful blocks that climbed over and under each other, maxmising the space given and maintaining the current green areas which we weren’t allowed to remove.
Once the layout of the block was finalised we were able to choose a specific occupant from our original 3 designs and then develop it further over the semester. I especially enjoyed this subject and the tutor Walter Brindle, as he allowed us to develop our own research and bring different strategies to the table. The lessons he taught whether it be hand sketching techniques or urban planning strategies will stay with me and have helped me develop my own architectural understanding and passion.
Emily Grace Rowlings 