Dear staff,

Fabricate is the official student newsletter at the Melbourne School of Design. You are receiving this email as a current student or staff member of the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning.

The image above is of the Berlin Wall. The Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls,which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.

The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart"by GDR authorities, implying that neighbouring West Germany had not been fully de-Nazified. The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the "Wall of Shame"—a term coined by mayor Willy Brandt—while condemning the Wall's restriction on freedom of movement. Along with the separate and much longer Inner German border, which demarcated the border between East and West Germany, it came to symbolize the "Iron Curtain" that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.

In 1989, a series of radical political changes occurred in the Eastern Bloc, associated with the liberalization of the Eastern Bloc's authoritarian systems and the erosion of political power in the pro-Soviet governments in nearby Poland and Hungary. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, a euphoric public and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of the rest. The physical Wall itself was primarily destroyed in 1990. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on 3 October 1990.

Read on for all the latest MSD news.

Calling all Masters of Architecture students!

In 2014 we are planning to facilitate the launch of the first ever MSD Architecture student club.

This will be a fantastic opportunity to network, socialise and contribute to the rich architectural culture within the University.

Industry nights, peer support programs, social events and more. If you can dream it, we can do it!

First planning meeting will occur midday Monday 3rd of March - BALDWIN SPENCER STUDENT LOUNGE.

Please email Justin Cusack on the link below to express your interest.

Survey opens 9:00am Wednesday 22 January 2014 and closes 6:00pm Friday 7 March 2014.

The University of Melbourne is inviting all newly enrolled, first year undergraduate and graduate coursework students to take part in our 2014 Commencing Student Survey. The survey is conducted to better understand our students’ decision to study at the University of Melbourne and to help the University plan for a range of activities.

The survey will take 10 - 15 minutes to complete. Students will need to have completed their enrolment and received a student number to participate.

All newly enrolled students who complete this survey have the opportunity to go in the running to win a 13” MacBook Pro or a 16GB iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular or one of five $100 Co-op bookshop vouchers.

Click on the button below for more information

In 2013 the MArch program at MSD gained 5 years of accreditation from the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia. The Visiting accreditation panel praised us for the intellectual diversity of our architecture programs.

The panel argued that with continued engagement that architecture at MSD will become a program with a global reputation. A program with a vibrant design culture that is at the forefront of new architectural ideas and methodologies.

To achieve this aim in 2014 we are hoping to foster the design culture with the architecture school through a number of new activities including a lunchtime speaker series on Tuesday’s from 12 to 1. Speakers will include Professor Don Bates, and other architects including NH Architecture, Sibling, MAA, Flood Slicer, and Billard Leece.  Other initiatives we have developed this year included instigating an MArch students club, a transition workshop for commencing students and an end of semester exhibition of C, D, and E work in 757 Swanston Street.

All of these initiatives will require your support and help. We have the opportunity to create a design culture that will ensure that MSD architecture is the preferred place of engagement for the broader architectural profession. A vibrant design culture at MSD will enhance your outcomes when you graduate and ensure that the school is seen globally as a place of intellectual richness.

All the best for the semester. If you need to contact me urgently, or in the case of emergencies, I can be contacted on 0404 873 842. Otherwise you might see me at my desk on Level 1 at Lincoln Square South. Alternatively you can email me on the link below.

The FabLab will be running introductory sessions during O week and Week 1 explaining how students need to setup their files to submit for fabrication at the FabLab. Each session will focus on one machines setup requirements.

All sessions will take place in 705 on the following dates and times:

O week
25 Feb                   2:00 - 3:00 – Laser and Card Cutter File Setup
26 Feb                   2:00 - 3:00 – 3D Printer File Setup
27 Feb                   2:00 - 3:00 – CNC File Setup

1 week
4 March                2:00 - 3:00 – Laser and Card Cutter File Setup
6 March                2:00 - 3:00 – 3D Printer File Setup
7 March                2:00 - 3:00 – CNC File Setup

If you would like to attend, please register your interest by sending an email to Jas Johnston on the link below.

Get the most out of your University experience through volunteering!

Share your skills, passion and enthusiasm and really make a difference in the communities where we live, work and study.
As part of the University’s partnership with the Carlton Community, we have a number of student volunteer opportunities throughout the year. From events like Harmony Day and the increasingly popular Carlton Community Sports Carnival to homework clubs and links with the local primary and secondary school children, you can connect, contribute and develop valuable skills – and most importantly, have fun while you’re at it!

Students are invited to get in touch with Mary Robb, Senior Partnership Consultant and key contact for the Carlton Community Partnership to register their interest. It doesn’t matter if you have two hours a week or two hours a month to contribute – it’s all valued, and we want to hear from you.

Volunteer hours contributed to the Carlton Community Partnership can be used towards gaining a Leaders in Communities Award.
We will be holding an information session in early March where students will learn more about the Carlton Community Partnership and volunteering in the community sector.

Call Mary on 9035 8503 or email via the link below.

What:International-known advocate for sustainable architecture, Nirmal Kishnani, will present emerging ideas for Asia and Australia in this free public lecture.

This lecture is presented by Holcim and Melbourne School of Design.

Kishnani is Assistant Dean and Program Director at the School of Design and Environment at the National University of Singapore where he formulates curriculum and teaches sustainable design.

He is author of Greening Asia - Emerging Principles of Sustainable Architecture, widely regarded as the first booko to critique the rising tide of Green in Asia and put forth principles for sustainable design that are Asia-centric.

Expert from Melbourne will join Kishnani for a panel discussion on sustainable construction in the local context.

Where:Carrillo Gantner Theatre

When: 24th February 6.30 - 8.30pm

The 2nd Skin exhibition showcases wearable volumes, deploy-able envelopes and structures that accommodate the complex geometry of the body. Designed and made by first year students of the Bachelor of Environments, Virtual Environments subject during Semester 2 of 2013, each project develops techniques of measuring and defining personal spaces through the manipulation of material systems.

Working through the material systems, each project is modeled digitally using 3d modelling software and fabricated from a 2d cutting template which is output directly through CNC card or laser cutter. The fabricated components are then hand folded and assembled; fusing digital technology with craft sensibility.

Where:Wunderlich @ 757

When: 17th February - 7th March

Click on the button below for more information

Did you know MSD has closed facebook groups for ALL disciplines, ALL streams?

These are informal digital loungerooms where you can meet other students from your cohort - ask questions, post points of interest or just say hello.

Click on the link below to join the right group for you.

Master of Architecture 200 point

Master of Architecture 300 point

Master of Construction Management 200 point
Master of Construction Management 300 point

Master of Landscape Architecture 200 point
Master of Landscape Architecture 300 point

Master of Property 200 point
Master of Property 300 point

Master of Urban Design

Master Urban Planning

In semester 1, 2014, The MSD will be offering a variety of studios for students enrolled in ABPL90142 Master of Architecture Studio C, ABPL90143 Master of Architecture Studio D, ABPL90115 Master of Architecture Studio E or ABPL90169 Design Thesis.

Every semester outlines of these studios including studio descriptions, studio leader bios and expected learning outcomes are published on the EDSC website as an initiative to allow students an opportunity to conduct research into the studios on offer before the presentation and balloting process.

This semester the studio webpages will be published from Wednesday 19 February. All students are encouraged to browse these pages.

Click on the button below for more information