(Research) The Architecture of Care
(June 2024)
Caring for Existing Infrastructures, Caring for Communities and Caring for Environments
"Cities represent the future of global living. The world’s population reached 8 billion on 2022 over half living in urban areas. This figure is only expected to rise, with 70% of people expected to live in cities by 2050."
– United Nations
In September 2023, the Victorian Government of Australia announced the demolition of Melbourne’s 44 public towers by 2051. Amid a housing and cost-of-living crisis, the possibilities of retrofitting are leading the conversation in opposition to the plan. Delving into the act of repair, the concept of caring provides a framework to rethink our practices, systems and relationships.
How can we reimagine architecture as a reparative practice? How do we envision non-productive and non-extractive design? And what does it mean for human and non-human communities?
Through housing, civic, and landscape case studies, the research paper aims to present alternative approaches for architectural forms and urban reparation.
Conducted on Wurundjeri land, part of the Kulin Nation (Australia), the research underscores the urgent need to reconcile with Country and integrate First Nations’ knowledges and perspectives into architectural processes.