I have been invited to join a great line up of practitioners and academics to lead a studio in the Masters of Architecture program at University of Technology Sydney School of Architecture program.

Leading students through my process of adaptive reuse - students will be researching the precincts of Enmore, Newtown and Erskineville high streets, find a building that had a distinct use and match the old use with a new use fit for the community and supported by the building they pick.

The overall goal of successful adaptive reuse strategies is to be as strategic and resourceful as possible, so when the new design interventions are complete, it’s hard to pinpoint what was old and what is new, they seamlessly work together.

About the studio

Adaptive reuse is both a viable solution to reducing the carbon footprint of construction, and a sound economic approach which can slow down the urban amnesia of a city and erosion of landscapes.

When considered in its relationship to community, especially a landmark site, it contributes to the layers of history of a place, respects the contributions of those who came before and extends beyond the building itself. The same applies to good entrepreneurial principles, to import or introduce a sparkly new business venture into a community where the product/service does not fit to the needs and desires of a local market, it escalates the chance of failure.

This studio expects students use their architectural lenses, enhanced by Connection with Country frameworks, to engage in finding a relevant new “use” for an existing commercial building before they engage in adapting it to suit its renewed purpose.

Semester has kicked off the year, looking forward to working with a really engaged group of future architects!