The studio is firstly engaged in the design of a large scale urban area which presents complex challenges, needing practicable, innovative solutions that reflect responsible land use, and the design of outstanding buildings and urban landscape.

The studio will undertake the U.L.I. Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition which strives to encourage cooperation and teamwork in finding solutions that are multi-faceted, and incorporate design thinking with a development strategy.

The competition takes place at the end of January over a ten day period. During this period, the studio will work in teams taking on the same brief that has entered the competition.

A key to this part of the studio is learning to address the design of a complex urban area within a limited time frame, and presented in a compelling manner. A further challenge is to work in teams that have to bring a quality design result within a ten day period.

We do not know the designated location for the competition, but we will aim to have representatives of the studio visit the site in February. This allows opportunity to review initial designs prior to further development and refinement of proposals.

If, which is probable from previous competitions, the large scale context and designs appear to have scope for further development, then detailed design work will commence. This will entail design of urban buildings and places. Previous competitions have offered scope for the design of civic spaces, affordable urban housing, mixed use retail/office, pedestrian connectors, transit hubs, civic/arts buildings, greenways.

It is anticipated that the teams will continue for a short period after the initial ten day competition to allow refinement of the group project. Students from the undergraduate and graduate program in architecture, and the graduate program in landscape will then select individual design studies for detailed development. In the case of an architect, this could well be a key building in the project, or a grouping of buildings. In the case of a landscape architect, this could be a detailed design of the open space framework, or of a particular landscape environment.

Program

• 17-26 Dec Investigation and analysis of urban projects and competition entries
• 26 Jan -5 Feb Competition
• 7 - 27 Feb Site visits, review of proposals, and development of team proposal
• 27 Feb - 30 March Development of detailed urban design, architecture, or landscape proposal
• 2 April - 4 May Detailed design development and production drawings and models