Melbourne School Of Design Master of Architecture Thesis Proposal
Author(s): Alexandra Khomenko
Our built environment exists within a persistent, resource-intensive narrative of continual growth, a system where progress is often equated with demolition and material consumption. Today, the construction industry is responsible for nearly 40 percent of global CO₂ emissions and consumes more than half of all raw materials extracted each year. The urgency of the climate crisis demands that we fundamentally challenge the assumptions underpinning this paradigm.
Toxic Terroir confronts this destructive nature of building by pivoting focus to existing site conditions. Located within the Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct, the former GMH transmission site is marked by a deep industrial legacy and high-risk soil contamination. Rather than treating the 7,500m³ of impacted material as inert waste destined for landfill, this project embraces the concept of terroir — a deeply contextual architectural practice that operates within ecological limits.
The project proposes a grounded, site-specific act of repair: a moratorium on new construction that reimagines the excavated soil as a viable building resource. This is achieved by retrofitting a segment of the existing sawtooth-roof factory into a research and fabrication facility. Here, the contaminated soil undergoes In Situ Stabilisation / Solidification (S/S) — the most suitable remediation method for the site's complexity — and is transformed into Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB). Toxic Terroir is a proposition for architectural regeneration, arguing that the greatest source of sustainable material is often what is already underfoot. It establishes a necessary, circular workflow that reduces transport-related CO₂ emissions and engages with the site’s historical and material complexity, demonstrating how architecture can build from what is already there.
Opening Night:
Thursday 21 Nov 2024, 6-9pm
Glyn Davis Building, Melbourne School of Design (MSD), Masson Road, Parkville
Exhibition:
22 Nov — 6 Dec 2024
Open Weekdays, 8am-7pm
Glyn Davis Building, Melbourne School of Design (MSD), Masson Road, Parkville