Architecture students at The University of Queensland are proposing new designs for the controversial Queen's Wharf Brisbane Integrated Resort Development to be showcased at an exhibition in December.
The students have been creating alternate designs based on information from the Destination Brisbane Consortium website, working to a very similar brief used by the Consortium itself.
UQ School of Architecture Senior Lecturer John de Manincor said there were multiple reasons for choosing the project as the basis for a design assignment.
“Among our many areas of research and teaching at UQ, the School is committed to being involved in the debate about projects that have an impact on the built environment in Brisbane,” he said.
“In a practical sense, the project has provided students with an opportunity to engage in a large complex project that is ethically and morally challenging – with challenges they may well face in practice.
“At Queen’s Wharf, these challenges include the very morals of gambling, along with the ethical complexities of working in and potentially devastating important heritage buildings.
Over a 12-week period, the 22 students worked in groups to visualise the current proposal as well as understand the potential impacts, and propose alternative building forms and a site master plan.
They are now individually developing one part of the whole site in greater detail.
Mr de Manincor said he encouraged students to be speculative, ambitious and even provocative in order to engage in the bigger questions about the project.
“Our students won’t have resolved all the issues in such a short period,” he said.
“This exercise is not a critique of the architecture or landscape design of the current proposal – we are not saying ‘we can do it better’.
“Rather, the process highlights the enormity of the brief these professionals are dealing with and what that means for our city and for the firms who dare take on these challenges.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for the government to see alternatives for this important project for Brisbane.
“The final contract is not yet signed, so who knows, we may provoke some new ideas.”
Students presented their final ideas on 29 and 30 October to a panel of industry professionals including:
- Partners Hill Principal and UQ studio leader Andrew D’Occhio
- UQ Adjunct Professor and Queensland Chapter President of the Australian Institute of Architects Richard Kirk
- Queensland Government architect Malcolm Middleton
- Woods Bagot Principal Mark Damant
- HASSELL Principal Mark Rohers
- Development and Design Integrity Panel for Brisbane Airport Corporation Chair Professor Michael Keniger
A selection of the work, as well as student designs for projects across Queensland, Sydney, Hong Kong and North Korea, will be included at the School’s public exhibition of projects and research – CROP’15 – at The Edge (State Library of Queensland) from Friday 4-12 December.
Media: Fiona McAlpine, f.mcalpine@uq.edu.au, 07 3365 3861, 0426855249; John de Manincor, j.demanincor@uq.edu.au, 0414 732 376
