School of Architecture, Design and Planning

Purpose Built: Architecture for a Better Tomorrow

Photography: Katie Bennett.
Photography: Katie Bennett.

State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, 2 September–14 April 2024

Purpose Built: Architecture for a better tomorrow proposed a future with a purposeful approach to the built environment – from digitisation and material innovations to water sensitive design, new approaches to housing typologies, and the vital role of community involvement in design and planning conversations. 

A joint initiative of the UQ School of Architecture, Design and Planning and the State Library of Queensland, the free exhibition paired research-driven perspectives on the future of the built environment with State Library Collection content exploring Queensland's built heritage. The exhibition included free curator’s tours, design workshops and a free talk series.

“Situating the School’s research alongside materials from State Library’s collections creates rich conversations around architecture and community and how we become more inclusive, inventive and resilient.”

 Associate Professor Antony Moulis
Deputy Head of School
 

 

Five research projects were included in the exhibition. These projects were part of the School of ADP federally funded Research Support Package project "Designing the Next Generation of Built Environments," which ran from July 2021 to December 2022.

The exhibition was curated by Honorary Professor Cameron Bruhn (UQ) and Adam Jefford (SLQ), and developed with research groups from the UQ School of Architecture, Design and Planning.

Projects
Digital Twin of St Lucia Campus
Demonstrating what the future of built environment management can look like, this project presented a pilot study for application of spatially enabled digital twins at the urban scale.
Forest to Fibre to Building
This project explored novel ways to process timber thinnings as rounds and create joints using parametric design, producing a viable second life for this 15-year-old timber.
Future-Proofing Brisbane’s Middle Ring Suburbs
This project mapped the current state of an exemplar Brisbane middle-ring suburb, modelled the consequences of business-as-usual development, and presented alternative housing typologies and neighbourhoods.
The Future of Housing and Urban Design on Gununa
Engaged to provide guidance around future development on the very remote island of Gununa, the researchers captured pressing community needs relating to housing and urban design inadequacies.
Remote Robotic Additive Manufacturing
This project investigated remote robotic 3D printing of clay-based bio-materials to produce blocks with improved structural and environmental performance.

Purpose Built panel discussion

Building tomorrow: a panel discussion on the future of architecture
15 February 2024, State Library of Queensland
 

How do leading architectural experts continue to innovate and explore new approaches that are sustainable, responsive, and useful to our city?
Are they getting it right?

Honorary Professor Cameron Bruhn, co-curator of Purpose Built exhibition, led this conversation with a diverse panel of researchers from The University of Queensland and Brisbane’s architecture and design network: Carroll Go-Sam, Dr Fred Fialho Teixeira, Kim Baber and Dr Paul Matthew.

 


 

 

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Purpose Built exhibition launch, State Library of Queensland, 2023. Photography: Katie Bennett.