Exposed Ground.

Exposed Ground.

Michelle and Richard Black.

Exposed Ground The site for the semester project was the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.

During the 1850’s this was the site of the alluvial gold rush and there are still remnant buildings and mining infrastructure scattered throughout the landscape. The project required the design of a visitor centre as a way of ordering and organising access, arrival and entry into the park.

This involved the design of several small buildings and landscape infrastructure to provide amenity for the diverse range of park users. The key driver of the studio was the exploration of site as a strategic part of the design process. In this instance the site was already charged with the scars of the gold rush period and the regeneration of the box-ironbark forest. The challenge was to develop strategies to bring the landscape and the architectural interventions into relationship.

Tutors: Michelle and Richard Black

1

Visitors Centre

Matt Ross Goodman 2

Memorial Pavilion

Matt Ross Goodman 3

Workshop Office

Matt Ross Goodman 4

Site Sections

James Reid 5

Building 01 (information) + Building 02 (event amphitheatre)

James Reid 6

Building 03 (Parks office)

7

Building 03 (Parks office)

James Reid 8

Thank you to our guest critics: Ross Brewin, Brent Allpress, Nicholas Ling, Damien Thackray, Meg White.

StudentsMatt Ross Goodman, Philip Holub, Jack Crocker, Ray Andagare, Oscar Angel, James Reid, Nicholas Stathopoulos, Lean Fouche, Yi Song, Hugh Evans, Zin Mee Win, Jack Meagher, Alicia Pichner, Connie Mafodda.

Studio Details Title: Exposed Ground Tutor: Michelle and Richard Black Pole: Expanded Field Date: Semester 2, 2009 This and other documented examples of design studios run as part of the RMIT University Architecture program can be found on issuu.com