DomestiCITY
Typology
Urban Interiority
Intervention
Exhibition
Studio Leaders
Prof. Suzie Attiwill
Lingas Tran
Studio Partners
City of Melbourne
Year
2021
Collaborators
Chee Yung Siau
Laverne Tiong
Key Values
Read More Here
Through this proposal for a new urban interiority, ‘DomestiCITY’, we wanted to explore the possibility of bringing people back to the city after the pandemic by extending their domestic realm outside the four walls of the home and into the urban environment.
The project proposed the creation of ‘rooms’ within the city after an extensive analysis of the CBD and possible sites to select the optimal placement of these spaces. Scale and form of the design, anchoring points and materiality were found to be crucial to bring a domestic atmosphere into the city in order to mitigate the population’s anxieties around transitioning back to public life in a post COVID world.
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The Hoddle Grid was divided into ‘houses’ that spanned a network of 2 by 2 blocks.
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These houses were further explored to identify the optimal locations of various ‘rooms’ such as the living room, kitchen and the backyard.
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a network of these spaces throughout the city will make them more accessible to the entire urban population.
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Inspired by the idea of the 20-minute city.
By creating a network of these ‘houses’ and ‘rooms’ within the city and connecting these spaces through ‘corridors’, we can build a lattice of memorable spaces which make it easy to move through the city and act as anchoring points. This can promote feelings of familiarity and ease any anxieties around not knowing where one is.
DomestiCITY aims to:
• change the current urban lifestyle and environment.
• provide a sense of familiarity and belonging.
• craft an identity that reflects the story of the city and its citizens.
• encourage the notion of play and exploration
rather than following routines and rituals.
• invite social connections, sharing experiences,
and gathering.
We used wayfinding strategies to promote ease of anchoring and a sense of orientation
across the city.
Since our chosen sites function as ‘rooms’ within the urban environment, we decided to treat the connecting urban fabric such as streets and laneways as ‘corridors’ connecting these rooms to one another and allow individuals to journey through the rooms. Our anchor points would be marked by unexpected domestic
objects, elements, installations or found object sculptures that evoke a domestic feeling and
extend into the surroundings within the urban context outside of these rooms.
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Timber beam and post framework bookended by a timber truss on either end to evoke the image of a pitched roof house.
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The structure is divided into modular grids measuring 2mx2m. Each cell in the grid is separated from the other using fabric.
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Wood pallets that are easily available are used to create a floor for the structure as well as low walls on either side.
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The fabric used in the installation is sourced from and various countries around the world and is representative of their individual cultures.
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It is an effective means for individuals to see a part of their cultural identity reflected in the city.
I was inspired by the bamboo installations at Sanganer in Rajasthan where lengths of dyed fabric are hung from a bamboo trellis and allowed to dry in the sunlight.
Fabric was chosen as the main material because it evokes the softness and tactility of an individual’s home.
One may choose to simply explore the structure or may decide to rest within the defined spaces. The very nature of the materials employed, and the construction encourages people to interact with the space by pulling curtains open and shut while engaging their tactile senses by feeling the materials and textures.
I was inspired by the bamboo installations at Sanganer in Rajasthan where lengths of dyed fabric are hung from a bamboo trellis and allowed to dry in the sunlight.
Where does iki come in?
