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Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo
Students support fire victims
14 October 2009
Monash architecture students have designed and launched the school's first large-scale design project – an open-air community centre at a temporary housing village in fire-ravaged Kinglake in Victoria.
The 20 enthusiastic students were at Kinglake to witness the launch of the centre earlier this month.
The Kinglake Temporary Village is one of three that has been established by the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority in response to the devastating bushfires that occurred in regional Victoria in February this year.
The multi-purpose community centre includes a performance space, barbeque shelter and seating area, providing residents of the village with a space to discuss the future rebuilding of the town as well as a place to host social occasions and events.
It includes one large structure, with a second, smaller seating area and fire pit on the lower site. It is lined with shipping palettes (doubling up as planter boxes) to the north and west, providing protection from the prevailing winds in the area.
The project was led by Professor Silvia Acosta and Adrienne Benz from the Rhode Island School of Design in Rhode Island, US, both of whom have extensive experience in disaster-relief housing.
Lecturer Ross Brewin from the Monash School of Architecture was also a key player in the project.
Although the planning process took two months, the structure itself was built over a two-week period using a variety of donated materials including laminated veneer lumber, roof sheeting and a water tank. Much of the process involved pre-fabricating elements of the building within studio space at the University's Faculty of Art and Design at the Caulfield campus prior to transporting it for assembly at Kinglake.
The 20 students then erected the structure on-site, often working 10 to 14 hour days in pouring rain to get the project completed on time.
Architecture program coordinator Diego Ramirez-Lovering said the students benefited greatly from being able to use their skills to help the community
"Following the success of the Kinglake project, we now hope to take students to Mexico and southeast Asia to work with non-profit organisations where there is a dire need for housing," Mr Ramirez said.
In only its second year of operation, the University's new architecture school has sought to offer practical experience to students, including an emphasis on the environment and sustainable design.
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