Located in Latrobe Valley in South East Australia, the ‘Fields on Synergy’ proposal is an integral brown field strategy which aims at providing a unique opportunity to create outstanding future by combining, re-cycling, and cascading transiting territories. Designed by PUPA (Public Urbanism Personal Architecture), their concept received honorable mention in the Transiting Cities international design ideas competition in Australia. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Latrobe Valley in South East Australia, a region rich of brown coal resources, is facing a challenge to control its growth based on changing conditions in industry, economy and lifestyle. They generate development and create space for improvement. Such areas include nature, urban, production and resource fields together. Smart management of these fields allows preparing for the future changes, recovering overused territories and improving living environment of existing.
Synergies in nature fields improve green framework of the region and create natural connections between surrounding landscapes. Old mines during the process of rehabilitation become areas of biodiversity; they turn into landscape of pastures or nature reserve. Series of habitats are proposed in between the landscapes, like urban biotopes or greenery under electricity wires.
Synergies in urban fields create different identity for the urban settlements, stimulate innovation and connect the region by electric bicycle network. Experimental synergies take place in the excavated mine, here, there is space for alternative lifestyle communities, cultural events, huge solar power plant, research and innovation hubs.
Production and resource synergies ensure sustainable future and independency for the Latrobe city. Region is connected by the smart grid network, water is collected, kept, re-cycled and reused; waste hot water from the power plant is used for tropical fish farms and thermal recreation; smoke from the power plants is captured and in algae photo-bioreactor converted into energy one again.
Fields of synergy in Latrobe valley create dynamic, flexible and sustainable region. By combing, re-cycling and cascading incompatible fields region improves natural environment and biodiversity, stimulates economy and innovation, unites unique and happy communities, smartly manages resources, increase production and create new innovative regional image.
Architects: PUPA (Public Urbanism Personal Architecture) Location: Latrobe City, Victoria, Australia Team: Justina Muliuolyte, Tadas Jonauskis Client: RMIT University Melbourne Status: Honorable mention in Transiting Cities – Low carbon futures design competition Territory Size: 3000 ha Date: December 2012
