2014 Workshop Dates

Workshop One	Friday 11 April
Workshop Two	Friday 6th June
Workshop Three	Friday 29 August
Workshop Four	Friday 7 November

Harbourside Business Park

Grace Warne presented her latest research finding/design work to Mike Gibson, manager of the Harbourside Business Park and the Geoff Nightingale managing director of the Rosebank business association. Graces MLA project, ‘Making a Sustainable Industrial Landscape’ asks: “How can landscape architects advance sustainable industrial practice through social engagement?” Grace is using the Harbourside Business Park, part of the industrial precinct of Rosebank Peninsula, Auckland as a case study to develop a research project that aims to explore how social behavior in design can advance sustainable industrial practice for light and medium industrial sites. Graces research is leading to the development of a design methodology focused on shaping sustainable industrial practice through social interactions. Social interactions, engagement and behavior have been demonstrated to affect personal well-being, environmental awareness and care, and aesthetic perception.

Mike and Geoff were impressed with Graces work, especially the research into the connections between improved social ecology and workplace happiness. They commended her ability in finding unexpected sites for greater social interaction to take place. This work in conjunction with a programme to improve the stormwater quality of the site offers larger strategies for the of improvement of industrial sites along the Rosebank peninsula.

Comments from Critics and Students

I have mainly only good things to say. Well run and well organised ……. 

John Coop

In a nutshell: good panels for the most part though still get confused by Juan's question but might just be me; I think changing seating arrangement would help as several people did try to contribute but weren't noticed; lunch was a fabulous idea and meant actual interactions between panelists and students were had.

Grace Warne

I think the lunch did work.  And overall I thought the day went pretty well.  On the whole I thought the panellists were constructive and thoughtful.  Your timekeeping is superb… 

Helen Frances

Re the workshop day, I thought the panel was excellent but agree that the wider discussion didn’t really progress…… I was only there at the beginning and end of the day so missed the lunch, but enjoyed chats with the panel over morning tea / avo tea. Would have come back for the lunch if I’d realised that was the plan, to meet with the panel and informal discussion – great idea! 

Jill Rice

I think the work was interesting, if a little uncooked in a couple of cases…..

Fellow panelists good – a range of intelligent perspectives and questions, and some helpful suggestions. Everyone took it seriously.    

John Walsh

Hola professor,

Thanks again for the opportunity to participate in the workshop. As we discussed maybe the seating arrangement can be altered to  facilitate a bit more the engagement and discussion of presenter, panel and gallery, maybe the panel and presenter have to face the gallery, maybe even with a formal moderator. The mentors should have full participation... as well.

I think the mix of disciplines on the panel is a great approach you have done really well here, and even all panelists are not architects or designers the workshop might beneficiate from having some big paper to scribble/ diagram on.

My preferred project was Maurits’s, it did presented a real relevant question with the double front door protocol dichotomy. I think Grace’s Warne question has the potential of really change the approach to design private ( or maybe not so private...) urban space.

Some of the other questions are really interesting/ challenging as well, however I think they need refinement and maybe could to  be more concise…..

Juan Molina