The Kids and Oldies’ Farm - Union Street Honglin Zhu Supervisor: A/Prof. Graham Crist
This model for aged living brings together old people, children, animals and plants in an urban environment. Reducing a sense of isolation is important for all of us; joining these groups in one building aims to address this. The project sets up contrasting dialogues between freedom and discipline and mixes these two themes in the building form. The approach to ageing exposes it to youthful innocent freedom and the shedding of fixed rules. The building combines childcare, pre-school, assisted care homes, seniors’ clubs and a dairy with cheese production, fowl, orchards and mushrooms. These exist on a small South Melbourne site, allowing kids to explore and learn by spatial experience while creating chances to trigger memories and re-experience freedom. Architectural form merges diverging approaches to material exemplified by Peter Zumthor and Peter Corrigan. Natural materials and colourful cloaking; pure geometry and figured ornament are tested together. These contrasts create in-between spaces for social activity and encourage people to cross thresholds. The composition of boxes and gaps sets up open voids which bring in light and air and allow chance views out and through. Framed window compositions guide observations and encourage users to consider the city close by.