Healing Garden

Our project is a virtual Asian-style therapeutic garden. Placemaking, a concept rooted in the idea of transforming public spaces into vibrant and meaningful environments, can be harnessed to create a digital oasis that serves as a sanctuary for the body and mind of high-stress urban populations. Through carefully designed visual and auditory effects, it feels as though one can experience the fresh air and warm breeze, allowing for profound relaxation and soothing of the mind and body.

In order to gain a deeper understanding of how to express the healing vision through the garden, we conducted research on garden styles and healing plants from various Asian countries, integrating them to create an immersive gaming-style environment. This allows our community to slow down by experiencing an immersive sensory journey and gain knowledge about therapeutic practices.

Designed and produced by Hanqing Gong, Dong (Dom) Hao and Nipuni Yapa.

Placemaking is rooted in the idea of transforming public spaces into vibrant and meaningful environments.

The Hive

In late 2019, the world bore witness to a global pandemic that persisted until the end of 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on work culture where people found themselves working from home. Companies invested heavily in technology to support remote work and collaboration. There was a sudden need for certain skills by the employees, making digital literacy and adaptability more crucial than ever. Many organisations adopted hybrid work models, allowing employees to work both in the office and remotely. This approach aims to provide flexibility while maintaining some level of in-person collaboration. Some of these work models continues to exist today with the terms 'co-working' and 'work-from-home' becoming very familiar and normal in day-to-day conversation.

The objective of this research is to investigate the necessity and potential benefits of developing a streetscape conducive to the needs of working people in urban and suburban areas. Additionally, this study seeks to explore the development of a virtual platform specifically designed to enhance the work-from-home experience. In response to the growing need for flexible, collaborative spaces, we embarked on a comprehensive place-making design aimed at re-imagining co-working environments.

This project sought to create a dynamic and integrated solution that seamlessly blends physical and digital spaces. Our approach involved designing a co-working streetscape and a co-working website named The Hive, which together provide a holistic environment for modern professionals to thrive.

Designed and produced by Lishanya Moonesinghe, Riya Paul, Abraham Pengarah and Rajan.

Placemaking is the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play, and learn in.

Moments

Moments is a transformative response to the challenge of fading memories. It leverages cutting-edge technology and thoughtfully designed physical spaces to enhance and preserve personal experiences. In a contemporary landscape where emotional wellbeing is a focal point, Moments stands as a catalyst for positive change. By encouraging users to revisit and reflect on their past through immersive sensory experiences, the project hopes to improve mental and emotional states.

Beyond its individual impact, Moments is a communal endeavour. Through a shared platform, diverse individuals can share their memories, fostering inclusivity and understanding across generations and cultures. Photos and sensory elements are donated to continue sharing the memories beyond just the individual. The participatory nature of the project empowers individuals to curate and share their stories, reinforcing community bonds. It is a holistic solution, addressing memory preservation, emotional wellbeing, and community building.

Moments is able to intertwine technology and physical space, with the power of shared experiences to create a meaningful and inclusive tapestry of memories that strengthens the fabric of communities and keep peoples past alive. 

Designed and produced by Zainab Almohammed Ali, Sylvia Haryanto, Nicholas Milligan and Van Anh Hoang Nguyen.

Moments creates a meaningful and inclusive tapestry of memories that strengthens the fabric of communities.

Trusport

The project's primary objective is to establish a safer and more secure environment for all passengers. The fundamental concerns addressed in this project are the lack of safety awareness and adherence to safety rules among commuters, particularly related to standing behind the safety zone or yellow lines while waiting for trains by implementing an AR barrier. Trusport will implement comprehensive awareness campaigns through action and social media to educate commuters about safety regulations and raise awareness. We will be collaborating with local and international artists that have an aligned vision with us. To ensure the effective implementation of safety measures, we are focusing on including community in every inch of the process. 

Our project tries to foster a few areas, which are: Enhanced Safety Awareness, Improved Commuter Experience, Technology Integration, Sense of Familiarity and Connection. By integrating augmented reality technology into our design project, we foster safety measures and create a bridge between people and their surroundings. Instead of taking their awareness vision away, we use augmented reality as a tool to make them aware of their surroundings through innovative, motivational artwork. This innovative approach not only educates individuals about safety awareness but does so in a manner that still stands within their familiar technology-driven experiences that commuters feel connected and familiar with. By ultimately fostering a more profound sense of connection and engagement within their environment, we can bring in education and awareness without forcing it, and in a more enjoyable way for all as a great innovative experience.

Safety Awareness: We are focusing on raising awareness about the importance of safety zones and regulation within the train station among commuters.
Behavioral Changes: Our aim is to create changes in commuter behaviour by encouraging them to actively follow and promote safety rules. 
Secure Environment: Our aim is to establish train stations as spaces where commuters not only feel safe but are also empowered to take responsibility not only for their own safety but also everyone around them.

Designed and produced by Aditya Arora, Fatina Bukhari, Alan Lopez-Torres, Balmore Diaz Rodriguez and Jessica Sumadi.

By integrating augmented reality technology into our design project we create a bridge between people and their surroundings.

Straya Zooasis

Our project is about placemaking in a hidden spot of inner-Melbourne city where people can walk out of the concrete jungle and interact with nature and Australian animals. It is difficult for people who live in cities to get close to animals and nature. According to our research, even if there is a small park near their residential area, people often take shortcuts through the park. Their park experience was short.

Our target park for this project is Argyle Square. We aim to encourage people to go to the park and enjoy nature, while also revitalising small parks in the city. The design concept is to get up close and personal with Australian animals through the park’s furniture, lighting installations, and AR filters, and to slow down the daily pace of pedestrians passing through the park. When pedestrians pass through the park they are introduced to information about Australian animals. In addition, activation of the park space encourages visitors to stay and play with their family and friends and create a happy and relaxing experience together.

Designed and produced by Chalita Chayakul, Kainan Huang, Aumpa Khongthong, Bo Lun Lam, Min Nung Yu and Wuchen Zhang.

We aim to encourage people to go to the park and enjoy nature, while also revitalising small parks in the city.

Naqab

Naqab is an AR art exhibition on a mission to celebrate body positivity through community-contributed artworks in virtual spaces. This innovative platform challenges societal beauty standards by actively engaging individuals in a collective movement. Naqab takes a stance against the issues surrounding body image that affect people in society. Functioning as a virtual space, it actively addresses and counters the unrealistic beauty standards imposed by societal norms. In doing so, Naqab becomes a dynamic platform that promotes essential values such as self-acceptance, inclusivity, and empowerment using art made by the community we live in.

Naqab aims to foster inclusive communities by curating a diverse collection of artworks from real individuals, each piece tells a unique story. Through shared narratives, it cultivates empathy and understanding, creating a sense of unity among community members. By promoting body positivity, Naqab challenges societal norms, encouraging a more inclusive and accepting atmosphere. Additionally, we recommend transforming physical and virtual spaces to highlight the importance of creating environments where everyone feels a genuine sense of belonging within their own bodies.

In challenging existing beauty standards, Naqab contributes to reshaping societal norms and promoting a more inclusive definition of beauty, ultimately fostering a community that celebrates diversity and embraces their own individual uniqueness. To nurture the growth of our community, we warmly invite individuals to become contributors. By doing so, they have the opportunity to share their incredible artworks, which will become an integral part of our exhibition. We believe in the power of collective creativity, and welcoming contributors ensures that our community thrives as a dynamic and diverse space, enriched by the unique perspectives and talents of each individual.

Designed and produced by Sheryl Burns, Tayyaba Naeem, Malika Patel and Prachita Ved.

Naqab actively addresses and counters the unrealistic beauty standards imposed by societal norms.

Melbournology

Melbournology is a fashion-inspired event that represents the people of Melbourne. The idea of Melbournology is to bring different communities together through all the different fashions every type of culture has. It is important to create something iconic that represents Melbourne. Melbournology is for everyone living in Melbourne (THE MELBOURNIANS.) Our event is for all different cultures, ethnicities, interests (such as art lovers, footy fans), demographics, tourists, international students, and locals.

Melbournology’s passion is to unite and celebrate all the cultures and people that have made this city. Melbournology creates this but on a greater level, we want to bring the whole of Melbourne together and all the different and diverse communities together to celebrate all of the cultures we have in Melbourne. A perfect way of doing this is through fashion. People from different cultures usually have different ways of dressing, so why not show this through a fashion show? Another way is through universal clothing where people can wear Melbournology clothing and become the placemaking themselves.

Designed and produced by Wahid Askar, Lucas Brancatella, Shagun Singh and Peter Vogiatzakis.

Melbournology’s passion is to unite and celebrate all the cultures and people that have made this city.

Orbital Oasis

The Orbital Oasis Park project seeks to transform Columbia Street (which borders Swinburne's Hawthorn campus) from a cluttered, unwelcoming parking area into a vibrant, multi-functional public space. This initiative aligns with the broader goals of enhancing urban landscapes and community wellbeing. The Oasis Park will implement placemaking strategies that align the physical with the digital. Wayfinding orbs are scattered throughout the park offering both a physical presence as well as a portal into a digital space. Each is programmable to the user and offers the opportunity for multiple layers of engagement. The orbs offer the user a means to engage with one another digitally whilst also maintaining a constant connection to the physical.

The Orbital Oasis Park project presents an opportunity to transform Columbia Street into a beacon of community wellbeing, aesthetic elegance, and functional excellence. By acting upon these carefully curated recommendations, the project will not only revitalise the immediate area but also serve as a template for future urban enhancements. When designing with placemaking at its core, we wanted to ensure the Orbital Oasis Park maintained a passive and uninterrupted connection to its users, whilst also ensuring user-to-user interaction stayed at the forefront, through a healthy balance of the physical and digital world. We achieved this through careful and considered adjustments to both the project's setting as well as to the objects we placed in them.

Designed and produced by Peter Ghionis, Runyu Li and Anh Ong.

The Oasis Park will implement placemaking strategies that align the physical with the digital.