News

Waste not, want not: students make affordable shelter out of waste

Media Release, Tuesday 10 February 2009

University of Melbourne students have built a complete shelter out of household waste as part of an investigation into two pressing national issues: waste disposal and housing affordability.

Using discarded material such as paper, metal, wood and plastic, the group of around thirty 2nd year Design students were asked to design and build four projects that provide basic needs: a light, a seat, a workbench and a shelter.

Based at the Creswick campus of the University of Melbourne, the Architecture, Building and Planning studio “Trash + Treasure: Waste Systems and Housing Construction” has encouraged students to explore the dual issues of space and material.

Studio coordinator Dr Peter Raisbeck says students have had to take a closer look at waste - what it is, why it exists and how it can be reused.

“By asking students to design shelters or building elements from refuse, the subject has allowed them to imagine how built systems might mimic natural systems, where the concept of waste does not even exist,” he says

“The students have had to develop an increased understanding of waste systems and how they can apply that knowledge as designers.”

“The initiative is an interdisciplinary approach, where representatives from the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, construction, engineering and planning have had to work collaboratively.”

Dr Raisbeck says that the approach has some potential exciting outcomes.

“The biggest outcome is obviously how students will improve their design processes with approaches emphasizing space, however a project such as this has the potential to enable direct collaboration with communities, to develop better local environmental building strategies.”

The studio coincides with the Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival (Feb 20-22).