Tim Nichols recently assisted with teaching two classes of Year 10 Academic Extension Program students from John Curtin College of the Arts (JCCA) in Fremantle, who’s Term 3 curriculum included a Sustainable Urban Design Project examining potential development options for a development site located across the road from the school. There was a personal connection for Tim, as JCCA was where he went to high school many moons ago!
The classes were part of Cohen Connect’s ‘Seeds’ initiative to improve general design literacy within the broader community, developing and assisting teaching school based (primary and secondary) education programs that tie into current curriculum frameworks. Cohen Connect is a not-for-profit network of Perth built environment professionals seeking to bring energy and enhancement to the broader community.
Together with Melanie Bradley of Landplan Associates, Tim led the students on a site visit to discuss the various considerations that go into preparing a development scheme for an infill site such as the Burt Street development site, such as the strategic planning framework, local character, interface responses and site features.
In a second workshop, with Lauren Fane of Gresley Abas, Tim introduced the students to the 3D feasibility and masterplanning software Giraffe. This workshop taught the students how to mass buildings across the site, and then test their proposals in terms of solar access, density and demographics, open space requirements, overshadowing impacts, and financial viability.
In an incredibly short timeframe, the students were able to produce well considered and innovative concepts for the site, and expertly detail their work in a series of drawings, 3D computer models, physical models, and even one website! Congratulations to the students and coordinator Tim Hill of JCCA for the hard work and fantastic outcomes. And thank you to Daniel Jan Martin of Cohen Connect for organising the program. We look forward to further involvement with Cohen Connect and JCCA!
