Autonomous/driverless vehicles are the latest hot conversation topic in cities – with the help of some overt boosting by motor vehicle manufacturers and certain business disrupters like Uber and Google.

Our interest in the topic revolves around the effect these new mobility methods might have on planning and design of our cities.

Some boosters are making outrageous claims about outcomes – traffic congestion will be eliminated, car parking as part of building developments can be re-allocated to other uses, etc.

It seems to us that in the foreseeable future the most attractive outcome for our city will be that the autonomous vehicle may become a primary means of transportation between travel hubs and final destinations -  the so called “last mile”. So, instead of a commuter driving his/her own vehicle to and from a park & ride facility beside a rail or bus station, the autonomous vehicle (carrying 10 or 12 passengers) can do the job. Positive city design outcomes with this scenario include:-

• Fewer private cars utilizing existing road infrastructure
• Suburbanites may find they need only one car instead two that many are forced to own and leave parked and unused for a large part of the day.
• Lots of asphalt paved prime Government controlled real estate used for park & ride facilities throughout the city can be released for positive revenue earning development outcomes.

There are plenty of examples of this “last mile” travel concept already operating in city environments: have a look at the videos and news articles here.
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It will be interesting to observe whether our little city of Brisbane can progress to adopting the concept. The value enhancement created by re-purposing current low value park & ride real estate would go a long way towards funding such an enterprise.

The design unearths ideas of industrialisation and the contrasts that emerge between modern forms and eclectic symbols of cultural and historical significance to Kenilworth. Our nostalgic references intermingle with new technology to shape a unique amalgamation of machine and shelter in this highly unconventional and non-conformist creation. 

At last we can reveal our 2016 National Gallery of Victoria Summer Pavilion competition entry. The genesis of our TETRA TECTONICS proposal lies in the notion of the triangle as the fundamental function of structure. Our structure was derived from early experimentation with basic shelter forms, where our 
intention was to restrict the building’s components to basic geometric shapes in minimising materials and construction time and complexity. The  triangle form operated as the key structural element in the scheme, given its inherent structural stability and its inter-stabilising angles.  

The shelter was a catalyst for further explorations wherein the triangle form was isolated and tested for its structural capabilities. Our prototype was simplified further, with internal flanges removed to emphasise the structural strengths of the triangle. The outcome was a configuration of 6  triangles combined to form a 360 degree turn, and ultimately, an infinite and endless plane. When fixed with a 45 degree angled wing, these forms could also facilitate a 90 degree junction between horizontal and vertical planes, providing all the necessary ingredients for a complete structure. ​

Here is a link to William McDonough’s website which goes into more detail on the concepts detailed in the book. http://www.mcdonough.com/speaking-writing/the-upcycle/#.VhXpiPnzpGE
There is an interesting real world example of upcycling at this address http://www.theupcycle.nl/ ​

The Australian Business Journal interviews the founding director of Neylan Architecture, Mr John Neylan on the technology utilised by the practice to remain at the forefront of Australian architecture and the practice's focus on delivering client orientated design solutions. Click on the link below to view the full article.  

http://www.australianbusinessjournal.com.au/brochures/2013/0708/Neylan_Architecture/index.html#1

Cupola – Exhibition of works by Cath Brophy

The works involve the creation of large-scale mixed media drawings based on observations of both the natural and built environments. The making and unmaking, collaging and reconstructing sections of the compositon gives the work a three-dimensional quality which references the subject matter.

When will the cry of  “Less is more” be heard from technology companies? How I yearn for a Mies Iphone or some Seidleresque software. Although the idea of mimimalism finds proponents among the ranks of architects and designers, the technology industry has moved in an arms race of more is better. Modern technology devices and software may LOOK minimalist but behind the facade they are seething with unwanted and little used features. I mean, does anyone really even know what all those features and apps on a phone even do? Who uses all the preset options of their camera (or can even find them in the layers of menus). Who has really explored the toolbars of MS Word. Very few. We just want things to work.

We are investigating alternative masterplan layout ideas using traditional
prefabricated housing units but set-out in a non-traditional configuration, very
different to the current “donga” layouts. We believe in order to attract quality
staff to these remote areas a greater emphasis needs to be placed on resort
style accommodation in order to create a fully functional community.

When discussion turns to buildings or structures that can be identified as
unmistakably “of Brisbane”,  it seems that we can find nothing better than the
“Fourex” sign on top of the Milton Brewery.