Masters Studio Offerings

Course Coordinator

Professor John Macarthur

The Butter Factory

The disused Boonah Butter Factory dominates the arrival at the town centre of Boonah. It was once the economic basis of the local area where numerous small dairy farms produced cream which was made into butter for export largely to the UK. One hour from Brisbane, Boonah is rapidly developing as a tourist and ‘tree-change’ location.

The core building is substantial reinforced concrete and brick structure on three levels siting on a large and potentially valuable development site. The building is thus at risk. It designed by Thomas Ramsay Hall, of Hall and Phillips and built in 1916. PSC (formally known as Phillips Smith Conwell) are the inheritor architectural firm and hold drawings from a 1930s extension. The building has some redeemable structural problems, but is in rapid decline owing to damage to roof and guttering. The owners, who support this student project, are looking for a scenario for a commercial development of the site that would pay for the adaptive reuse of the factory building.

John Macarthur will provide a masterplan for the development of the site which students will work within. The design problem for the students will be to explore potential scenarios for the use of the factory building and to insert new building fabric containing vertical circulation and services. The design problems will lie in:

1. Developing a scenario for the use of the building and providing formal concepts and images that demonstrate how present day commercial and community functions can work in the building. A key issue is how new fabric and interiors can bring the character of the Factory to the fore.
2. The planning issues are in circulation and address for new functions as the building has potential for access on three levels but no vertical circulation.

Course Coordinator

Dr Silvia Micheli

New Directions in Social Housing: Community, Nature and Inclusion

In the midst of a growing housing crisis, cities across the globe face the urgent challenge of providing equitable, humane, and sustainable living conditions. This architectural design studio responds to this challenge by reimagining social housing as a model of integrated urban living that embraces community, nature, and sustainability. Aligned with current Queensland State Government guidelines, the brief calls for the design of innovative housing that delivers healthy and dignified living conditions for all residents. In a time when many struggle to find a place to live, this studio asks: what if publicly supported housing could become the benchmark for architectural and urban excellence?

Students will research existing models, some of them presented at the Vienna Model of Social Housing exhibition hosted at ADP and explore how architecture can elevate social living to a new paradigm—one that not only meets basic needs and economic requirements but sets new standards in quality of life. Emphasis will be placed on generating a range of innovative typologies, integrating nature for healthier living, and deploying community spaces for a more inclusive approach. This studio encourages students to think holistically: to engage with real-world constraints such as density, considering existing design standards and policies, while imagining visionary futures. Students will work at the medium scale, on a variety of dwellings linked to communal and sustainable spaces, developing an understanding of how architectural solutions can contribute to the advancement of the urban and social environment.

Course Coordinator

Dr Manu P. Sobti

Hydrological Futures: Altered Liveability and Ecological Re-Imagining for Climate Change in Chandigarh

Backgrounded by our recurrent discussions on the aftermath of Climate Change and the Anthropocene, this Urban-Landscape Studio engages with the contested ecological futures of Asian cities. How would new and additive urbanities envisage ‘comfort and liveability’ within such this challenging scenario? What would be the spatial changes imperative to the city fabric and its urban landscape? How could available resources be conserved, and new resources identified? Our efforts will tackle these multiple questions through a paradigmatic shift of interconnected experimentations within the tabula rasa of India’s modern city of Chandigarh. Located at the transition between the Himalayan foothills and the Gangetic plains, the alluvial tracts that pre-dated Chandigarh’s development between 1951-66 were star-architect Le Corbusier’s inspiration for an unprecedented ‘ecological urbanism’ – a modern city in harmony with its natural landscape. Our efforts will recover this harmony via selective interventions within the city plan, through singular and ensemble adjustments, scales of urban spaces, and elements of infrastructure.

Course Coordinators

Associate Professor Antony Moulis
Studio Lead: John Achari

Towards Inclusive, Intergenerational, and Productive Urban Districts: Site-Based Planning for Land Use Change

This masterclass studio explores how strategic land use planning and design innovation can transform urban areas where current or proposed land uses are no longer appropriate, sustainable, or aligned with emerging needs. The studio challenges students to rethink how underutilised, overlooked, or partially developed locations—including those with legacy industrial uses, infrastructural remnants, or low-intensity land occupation—can be reimagined to support more resilient, inclusive, and community-driven urban outcomes.

Rather than proposing wholesale redevelopment, students will explore how existing land use can be critically assessed and reimagined to support climate resilience, intergenerational inclusion, health and ageing, and productive urbanism. This includes introducing adaptable and socially responsive programmes such as clean industries, hybrid or mixed-use development, community-based facilities, and adaptive reuse. Opportunities for interaction between different demographic groups will also be explored, as will neighbourhood models that support social resilience and inclusive participation.

Using urban science and data-informed analysis, students will test evidence-based design strategies that address typological innovation, land use change, development feasibility, infrastructure, energy systems, and mobility. Emphasising international benchmarking covering contexts such as Singapore and Japan, focus will be placed on implementation-oriented outcomes, scenario-based planning, and spatial design that reflects emerging societal and demographic needs.

Course Coordinator

Dr Cathy Keys

Studio co-leader: Dr Kristina Knox

The Equestrian Centre

In ARCH7015 Generative Structures, students will investigate the design of a large-scale equestrian facility to accommodate, train and compete horses through the means of parametric design tools and algorithmic approach. Students will establish a critical position regarding the cultural and historical role of the sustainable land management and design a suite of landscape interventions and novel structures. Over the semester, students will investigate the design of an ambitiously spanning public horse arena and accompanying stables, buildings and yards.

The studio offers a combination of parametric design tools and architectural design methods in order to propose an adaptable design solution, that can be applied in Queensland context. Students will learn how to use data-based structural algorithms, enabling morphogenetic process-based design solutions, and create 3D models using plug-ins to Rhinoceros software.

Course Coordinator

Aaron Peters

Prerequisites - BLDG7021 and one of: ARCH7002, ARCH7003, ARCH7004, ARCH7005, ARCH7007 or ARCH7015

Students will produce an architectural design that creatively responds to an important contemporary issue involving social, technical, cultural, economic and environmental challenges. Students will develop and apply critical thinking resulting in a refined and technically resolved design proposal, showing an understanding of social social and community issues, the development context, legislative frameworks, commercial and public demands and construction processes. Learning activities focus on design thinking that demonstrates the application of the relevant professional competencies expected of a graduating architecture student.ﾠ

The studio will connect participants with experts, practitioners and highly experienced professionals, local and globally, who provide tailored support to students, helping to guide them in the creation of a community facility developed through high design consideration and values. The site is located in inner-city West End. The studio will explore challenges and opportunities in the adaptation and augmentation of disparate public infrastructure into an integrated community facility.

The studio will emphasise design principles of (a) building on Country, (b) whole-of-life low- carbon, (c) code compliance, (d) buildability, (e) urban contribution, (f) planning, aesthetic and spatial merit and (g) commercial viability. Outputs are expected to demonstrate an advanced level of design skill across these dimensions.

The course will be delivered partly at the St Lucia campus and partly at the UQ CBD campus in the afternoon/evening with industry practitioners.

Course Coordinator

Dr Ray Maher

Next Generation Urban Villages: Sustainable urban development using foresight, systems and design approaches

Cairns offers a unique urban context, situated between world heritage-listed environments (the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest), with only a narrow development corridor for the city’s future expansion. Looking towards 2050, the city seeks a new development pathway which enhances liveability, advances decarbonisation, builds climate resilience, and protects biodiversity. The approaches we use to address these challenges – in Cairns and globally – will determine our ability to achieve sustainability goals.

In this Urban Futures Studio, students will pursue this task by weaving together foresight and systems thinking through an iterative design process. We will begin by exploring critical environmental, social, and economic issues and urban strategies. Students will then build on this shared resource to develop an urban design proposition which achieves a ‘triple-bottom line’ outcome.

Throughout this studio, students will develop valuable professional skills and folio pieces. Students will liaise with government and industry leaders and community stakeholders as part of the design process and build on a collaboration between UQ and the Cairns Regional Council initiated in 2022. Students will also benefit from the expertise of an interdisciplinary team of researchers pursuing urban sustainability.

Course Coordinator

Associate Prof Paola Leardini
Studio Co-lead: Cathryn Chatburn

2032 Olympic Legacy: Blue-Green Network and Gold Places

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games present a unique opportunity to catalyse long-term urban transformation. This studio explores how the Games can drive a meaningful Olympic Legacy—one that delivers lasting social, environmental, and economic benefits for Brisbane and beyond. Central to this vision is the creation of a connected network of high-quality public spaces (gold places) and blue-green infrastructure (green pathways) that supports climate resilience, mobility, and community wellbeing.

Students will work across three scales:

1. City Scale – In a 3-day workshop, teams map Brisbane’s Olympic Legacy Precincts and potential Links, developing a Blue-Green Network Map (BGNM).

2. Precinct Scale – In teams, students create an Olympic Legacy Precinct Plan (OLPP) that outlines spatial strategies and urban strategies for a selected corridor.

3. Place Scale – Individually, students develop a Place Design Toolkit (PDT) to implement and test detailed urban initiatives and interventions within their precinct.

Students will be required to develop a ‘Program of Community Engagement’ (PCE) to be mapped throughout the project journey. This will encourage inclusive and participatory design that reflects local aspirations and fosters long-term community stewardship. This component of the studio aims to deepen students’ understanding of the growing emphasis on stakeholder engagement in urban regeneration, where inclusive processes are increasingly recognised as key to achieving successful, equitable, resilient, and locally responsive outcomes.

The studio advances contemporary ideas promoted in the powerful advocacy platform established by AIA, AILA, PIA and DIA for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This initiative supports the opportunity and urgency for Brisbane 2032 to leverage the city as the venue. It anticipates the visitor experience for this significant event relying on the quality of the urban places and their connections; and that the community will experience the most long-term benefit where strategic investments are made in delivering better places for all.