RMIT Architecture Major Project Catalogue Semester 1 2020

Urban Contextualism Dong Woo (Danny) Kwak Supervisors: Anna Jankovic & Andre Bonnice Why has the relation between architecture and context been so antagonistic?

This project begins by revisiting architecture’s affiliation with the idea of context. It attempts to unpack the complexities of context to find aspects that are often overlooked by the profession. The project explores alternate methods to evaluate, critique and expand the bubble of Contextualism, it suggests that perhaps the answer lies not in the traditional architectural attitude, rather looks to that of other professions which also associate with the notion of Contextualism.

Context as a generative tool is the fundamental idea behind D’Arcy Thompson’s, Lev Kuleshov’s, Jakob von Uexkull’s, J. J. Gibson’s and Nikolaus Pevsner's theories. These are unpacked and become mechanisms of perceiving site, uncovering attributes of context which architecture might underestimate and neglect.

The science-sociological behavioural responses manifest into six architectural techniques. The Attractor, Ha-Ha, Active, Pitstop, Blurring Boundary and Threshold, these exist in hyper intensified moments, superimposed onto the proposal at the Kangan Institute in Cremorne.

This project marks a beginning and offers a small glimpse into how architecture can take alternative methods to the idea of context, one that challenges the conventional and sees with a wider lens. This project is not aimed at redefining the term of contextual design, it does not try to solve any specific problems, but instead, it seeks to nudge the boundary of architectural engagement with the idea of site context.

Click here for website