2013 should be another exciting year for ABP. We will be bringing you an eclectic program of studio and curated exhibitions in our new gallery space - Wunderlich @ 757 Swanston St - and a suite of events featuring some of the best local and international design practitioners and thought leaders.

To kick off the year, we have scheduled a free lecture with the iconic British architect Professor Sir Peter Cook in February and a panel discussion on the changing world of architecture criticism with Brooklyn-based design critic Alexandra Lange and local experts in March. Look out for details in the Feb edition of ABP e-news and on the ABP website.

The 'digital age' in which we live has transformed the way we all communicate, work and learn.  In response, we have launched a brand new course for professionals wanting to explore emerging innovations in digital design and gain specialised skills to generate the design of 3D cities. Caroline Bos, co-founder of UNStudio, is just one of the experts teaching into the Master of Design - Digital Cities. Survey all the program details and entry requirements here.

Read on and we look forward to connecting with you in 2013.

Our new building project gathers momentum with extensive demolition works taking place this summer. Both the Architecture and Old Commerce buildings are being demolished to make way for our landmark new education centre, designed by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA.

Three time-lapse cameras have recently been installed around the site to capture the day-by-day construction process.

Hourly progress images can be viewed on the time-lapse website: https://viewer.timelapse.com.au (when prompted enter UoM as the 'Username' and password as the 'Password'). The cameras will be in place for the next two years, and progress videos will be compiled each month and available for download.

Check out the ABP new building blog for the full demolition program and project updates, including a post from John Wardle Architects about the re-siting of our beautiful, heritage Japanese Room.

Image above is the SSE view of the new building design by John Wardle Architects & NADAAA.

Congratulations to all the Bachelor of Environment and Melbourne School of Design students who graduated last month.

The ceremony, which saw over 600 students conferred, took place in the Victorian grandeur of  the Royal Exhibition building on 17 December 2012. The candidates were presented with their degrees by ABP's Dean, Professor Tom Kvan, Professor Philip Goad and Associate Professor Clare Newton.

Yvonne von Hartel AM, a Founding Principal of the award-winning architectural and urban design practice peckvonhartel, delivered the occasional address and an Honorary Professorial degree was conferred upon Mr David Yenken. Valedictorian, Ms Katie Miller (BPD/MArch) delivered an address that inspired students and guests alike.

And to all our talented new graduates - we look forward to watching your careers evolve and seeing you at our events.

Congratulations to André Stephan who won first place in the 'achieving more with less' category in 'Renewable Energy and Energy Systems' at the Australian Institute of Energy National Conference in Sydney on November 20, 2012.

André is currently studying for his PhD, which he is jointly completing with the University of Melbourne and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium, due for completion in June. André’s research investigates the energy consumption of buildings and the resulting environmental impacts.

“The aim of this research is to develop a comprehensive life cycle energy analysis framework, says André. "The framework will be usable by building designers, decision makers and researchers to assess the total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions associated with residential buildings, over their useful life.”

9 design related things to inspire you this summer!

Read:

Alexandra Lange's Writing About Architecture: Mastering the Language of Buildings and Cities, a handbook on how to write critically about the contemporary city.

Rory Hyde's Future Practice: Conversations from the Edge of Architecture, featuring 17 interviews with practitioners from the fields of architecture, policy, design, education, research, history, community engagement.

Making Landscape Architecture in Australia by ABP's Andrew Saniga, a unique survey of the people who shaped our nation's landscapes and forged a profession.

Do:

Visit Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, who recently opened the  final section of their magnificent native Australian Garden.

If you have kids - or even if you don't - check out the new range of Lego Architecture and build your own micro-scale Villa Savoye or the Sydney Opera House.

Explore Victoria's built heritage and visit a National Trust property.

Discover what our local young designers and artists are creating at the Rose Street Market in Fitzroy, every Saturday 11am-5pm.

See:

The Louise Bourgeois: Late Works exhibition at HEIDE, showcasing over 20 works from the artist's studio in New York. Focusing on the final 15 years of her career, the exhibition explores the use of fabric in Bourgeois' sculptures and drawings. Runs until 11 March.

Samsara, a film which transports you to sacred sites, industrial complexes, architectural icons, disaster zones and natural wonders across five continents. Exploring our vast built and natural environments, it is an inspirational cinematic experience.

Atrium, ABP's alumni magazine, is available online as an e-book.  The current edition (#21) features a wrap-up of ABP news, a review of Six Degrees' 'Greatest Hits 1992-2012' exhibition, a profile on architect and academic Alan Pert, MSD's new Director, a look at the work of our RHD students and much more! Download it here.

You can also survey the sensational final projects of our graduating Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Urban Design students in the GRADEX 2012 catalogue online.

Marcus White, Architect & ABP Lecturer

What's your favourite building or space?

My favourite building and public space in Australia is the UoM South Lawn Car Park.

Designed in a truly cross-disciplinary manner with Rayment & Associates, Loder & Bayley and Bryce Morlock, the design brings together architecture, landscape architecture and structural engineering in an extraordinary manner. Constructed in the early 1970s, the building provided the desired number of car parks (399) whilst maintaining the lush green cloister with large trees by sculpting the underground car park's columns as hyperbolic paraboloids accomodating tree root systems, turf and drainage.

The space above the car park provides a highly successful lawn for the adjacent library, while the space within the car park is not unlike a gothic crypt; though, as Philip Goad points out, it houses cars instead of coffins.

Most importantly, the car park was the setting for a crucial scene in George Miller's 1979 classic 'Mad Max' (renamed The Road Warrior in the US), where Steve Bisley (Goose) muttered the immortal words: "kick 'er in the gutz Barrie' as they start the "last of the V8 Interceptors".