Modelling Test of Intervention

Extruded warehouses in model form without walls. Some of the buildings on site have missing walls, windows or are blocked off from the open land in front of them. The model tries to reconnect both.

Elevation in and around the walls was the first step in interconnecting land and building:

Adapting to what already exists on Site

How can the building be connected to the landscape without simply making it just for residential housing?

Using Materials such as old train railing for potential pathways through buildings?



Establishing some sort of pathway through building facades


Utilizing existing materials, rubbish/rubble on site to connect land to building

How can both be connected to the adjourning river?

First 'quick' Interventions on site

Site break-up



Elevated buildings proposed to become residential housing

My question after reading the Kensington Councils proposal for a better community as well as analyzing the structure of the site (especially with the abandoned warehouses) I intend to investigate how I can apply vernacular design ideals to propose a new residential area while keeping current traits of the site

Guides for Site

These are some elements included in the Moonee Valley Council document and its ideals for the future of Kensington in Melbourne.

The abandoned warehouses and abattoirs are planned to become residential areas with the following in mind:

Preserve Kensington’s historic character

Reduce heavy traffic & noise pollution

Reduce parking on streets- provide more parking in residential areas for residents

Reduce Speeding Rat Running

Encourage Local Shops to stay in the area

Set Aside legal graffiti areas

Add a music area

Improve bicycle networks

Improve access to Maribyrnong River

Encourage a diverse and Vibrant Community

Defining Composition

After site visit and establishing that my vernacular landscape must be constructed from a composition of different parts placed into a context, I had to define what the actual composition would be.

Since my site in South Kensington had all sorts of materials lying around 'loosely' I decided to take a pre-defined form of a model submarine and take apart the pieces just as they are in South Kensington and try to make different arrangements for them. The pieces were labeled W6 for instance therefore each W6 had to connect to each other. I tried to challenge this by rotating w6's at different angles in order to construct a different form that may have a different function.

With various re-iterations my form took on an abstract look however in making this model I found that the placement of my rotated pieces opened up more options in the model itself. For instance if one w6 was rotated then I could add another w6 piece into the model rather than connecting it all up as the instructions for the submarine stipulated.

With this construction method in mind I would like to take the parts from South Kensington and form different arrangements for site to show beneficial functions for different communities in the space currently and in the future.