Six finalists in the Flinders Street Station Design Competition were shortlisted from a total of 118 design entries. Among them were Eduardo Velasquez, a recent MArch graduate and Manuel Pineda, a current MArch student. Four other shortlisted enntries are also led or supported by ABP alumni: Haward Raggatt (ARM), Stefan Mee (JWA), Craig Guthrie (HASSELL), Hamish Lyons and Peter Dredge (NH Architecture). We wish all the entries the very best of luck in the next stage of the competition.
Find out more about the design proposals.

Enabling works are in full swing this month with sewer and water trenching in Spencer Rd, scaffolding being assembled in front of the Joseph Reed façade on the Old Commerce Building, builders’ sheds installed on the Concrete Lawn and 2-metre high hoarding being erected around the site.

While all this pre-construction work takes place, many of our academics are already engaged in a range of projects related to the construction, design, sustainability and usability of our future building. 

One of these ‘research-in-action’ initiatives is an imaging project designed to capture the day-by-day and stage-by-stage construction of the building, enabling students, staff and the public to witness and examine the building process via time-lapse video, photography and real-time feeds.

The new ABP building is an opportunity to continue the University's tradition of research innovation through design and construction. Both during the two-year build, and once completed, the facility will fuel and support research initiatives that will  improve the way we design our built environment. We will profile other research projects in future editions of ABP e-news.

Congratulations to alumnus Paul Haar who scooped several awards at the recent 2012 Australian Timber Design Awards at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney

Paul Haar was awarded the top prize for Candlebark School Library, a stunning earth-covered structure  built into the side of a hill in Victoria's Macedon Ranges

The judges were impressed by the expert use of engineered timber within the Candlebark building structure, its careful detailing and use of recycled and salvaged timbers.

This ARC funded research project analyses innovations in education practices and the design of teaching spaces at secondary and tertiary level. This month a symposium entitled, From Classroom to Campus, will bring together leading international practitiones from heritage, architecture, education, planning and landscape spheres, alongside researchers and policy-makers to consider heritage values in planning, landscaping, construction, educational reform and social values. We spoke to Professor Hannah Lewi to find out more.
Read full article.

Congratulations to Samson Tiew who has been named runner up in the 2012 Qantas Soya Architecture and Interior Design Award.

"Samson is a real inventor of form," said mentor and judge, Brian Zulaikha. "His architecture bold and resolute - his project design fresh and energetic."

Samson is a recent Master of Architecture graduate and also completed his Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Bachelor of Property and Construction (Cons Management) at the University of Melbourne. He is a tutor at the University of Melbourne and also assists as a Digital Fabrication Lab Technician in ABP.

Find out more about Samson's work

17-22 November, Sidney Myer Asia Centre
GRADEX is Melbourne School of Design's annual showcase of design projects by graduating students in the Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Urban Design. The exhibition celebrates the best of our graduating students' work and reflects the issues currently facing the built environment. GRADEX captures the essence of MSD's vibrant studio design culture and represents the close interation between our talented studio leaders and students.
Find out more about GRADEX 2012

Exhibition: 12 - 26 November, Atrium Annex
Dr. Andrew Saniga will restage the 1982 landmark exhibition, 'Landscape Australia: an exhibition', created by staff and Master of Landscape Architecture Students. The original exhibition showcased some of the most important work that had emerged from the landscape architecture profession in Australia during the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to re-analyse and re-contextualise the work from a historic perspective. Read more.

Alumni Retrospective Exhibition
To 23 November, Wunderlich Gallery, Architecture Building
Six Degrees have played a key role in the development of Melbourne as a hip social and cultural centre. Their cafes and bars have become part of  our inner city landscape. To celebrate 20 years of practice, ABP invited the Directors back to the university where they learned their trade for a retrospective showcase. The exhibition features relics, objects and drawings, photographs, a speaker's box and a bespoke concrete bar.
Come along and join the fun.

To celebrate our Six Degrees Alumni exhibition we are offering you a chance to win an exhibition book and two free drinks at boatbuilders yard, the iconic Six Degrees creation that has helped to revitalise the South Wharf precinct.

Simply follow @msdsocial on twitter and name the Six Degrees creations posted daily.

Celebrating the end of an era
23 November, 6-10pm
Architecture building, Masson Rd
The end of an era is upon us as our Architecture and Old Commerce buildings are demolished to make way for the construction of a landmark new building, designed by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA.

To mark the occasion, ABP is hosting a celebration centred on the sensational Six Degrees: Greatest Hits 1992 - 2012 exhibition, the final show in our current home. The night will feature a digital presentation on the life of the Faculty, music and food stalls in the Atrium.

Registration is essential. GET YOUR TICKET NOW!

Hong Yi: Painting the world RED
Hong Yi, or Red as she is best known, has made an international name for herself with her unique style, transforming mundane objects into exciting and meaningful art pieces. From portraits using coffee cup stains, candle wax and books to her inspiring creation for a recent 'HP' television advertisement, Red never fails to surprise. Red studied her undergraduate and Master degrees with ABP and attributes her direction as an artist to the knowledge, skills and techniques she gained while studying. Read more about Red's work

Peter Malatt,
Director,
Six Degrees

Two of my favourite places in Melbourne both date from the most prolific period of regional modernism in Australia, the post WWII boom. Both are wonderfully emotional spaces which are freely accessible to everyone.

The Sidney Myer Music Bowl was designed in the euphoria of Melbourne's Olympic Year by Barry Patton of Yunken Freeman Griffith Simpson and was completed in 1959. It is a beautifully functional and visually resolved tensile structure, the first of its kind in the world,  and nestles into its grassy green site in a sensitive and gentle way. Just go there and lie on the grass!     

The Great Hall at the National Gallery of Victoria was designed by Roy Grounds and completed in 1968. This grand, tall and sober bluestone space is beautifully lit from above by Leonard French's stained glass ceiling, supported on the most slender tapered black steel columns. The effect is a sublime combination of modern and medieval ideas unmatched in Australia, best viewed by lying on the carpet. Don't miss running your hand over the waterfall on the way in.