Research Areas
Super Urban develops new building and urban models that allow for more people to live, work and make close to one another, while reducing our demand on land, resources and energy. Over the last 10 years the lab has produced a series of projects with public and commercial partners, demonstrating the social, environmental and economic benefits of urban density.
The lab specialises in the use of scenario based urban research in which future buildings and urban environments are rapidly modelled and analysed to accurately understand the implications of commercial and government decisions. By rethinking and redesigning everything from the bottom up, the lab generates new opportunities and value in cities.
Current research includes a series of demonstrator projects with public and commercial partners to that evidences the economic opportunities in high density urban models.
New Urban Economies
The lab has developed a series of projects exploring the integration of manufacturing and agricultural production into cities, and the development of new building typologies for high intensity urban production. This research has been tested through demonstrator projects in Australia, Vietnam and Hong Kong China.
High Density, Low Carbon
The lab is developing research that reveal how compact cities and tightly planned architecture can significantly contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This includes case studies and design models that demonstrate how existing technologies and buildings can be intensified and used more effectively to minimise the up front and operational energy requirements of cities per capita.
Desirable Density
The lab has undertaken research that establishes a value proposition for urban density. This has been described through a series of international and local case studies, and design projects that highlight the desirable qualities of living, working and making closely together.
Adjusting the City
The lab is undertaking work into processes of adaptive re-use and retrofitting, which explores how the city can be adjusted to meet the needs of tomorrow. With construction one of the primary drivers of climate change, the lab is exploring alternative value propositions for the built environment, the cultural and social importance of buildings and how demolition can be avoided. The lab aims to build tools and processes that make adaptive re-use and retrofit as efficient and cost effective as new builds.
Modelling Urbanism
The lab has specialist capability in spatial and volumetric modelling of urban environments, at the building, precinct and city scale. The lab works with institutional, government and commercial partners to visualise future scenarios, to evaluate the impact of decisions. The lab is a world leader in the use of spatial and architectural modelling as a tool of research to support urban decision making frameworks.
Hyper Mixed Use
The lab has completed a series of projects exploring the design of buildings for future industries, economies and functions. This includes industry 4.0 vertical and high-density manufacturing facilities; vertical and high-density agriculture facilities; commercial, residential and educational facilities for users with extreme needs; public buildings located in extreme environments; distributed buildings and building that replace infrastructure in cities. We specialise in designing new ‘supertight’ building models that combine multiple uses within a single compact footprint.