Pedagogical experiments in reconstructing architecture as a project and practice in common

This paper reflects on the methods and outcomes of a series of design studios at Monash University that reimagine architecture as a practice and project in common. In their text, “Network Society and Future Scenarios for a Collaborative Economy” political economist Vasilis Kostakis and theorist Michel Bauwens argue that we are currently experiencing the tail-end of neoliberal material globalisation – made possible by an era of cheap energy – and that a transition towards a fairer and more sustainable economy based on commons principles is not only necessary, but practical and desirable. According to them, such a shift might entail distributed, collaborative forms of social organisation, facilitated on a local level, but could leverage the scalability of digital networks towards systemic change at a global scale. In response to these provocations, this paper presents a series of speculative design projects developed by Masters of Architecture students, which consider how commoning practices might be institutionalised within architectural processes and production. Projects were tested in former industrial suburbs of Melbourne – responding to specific local conditions and communities – but were conceptualised as part of a broader ecosystem of sites that harness digital infrastructure to form diffuse networks of solidarity and democratic governance. Through a discussion of these design outcomes, and reflexively, the collaborative design processes that generated them, the paper identifies emergent theme and operative architectural strategies towards addressing the current asymmetries latent in the built environment as part of a project of collective action. Themes include: the recasting of architecture and construction labour through a collaborative framework, cooperative financing and procurement methods for architecture, and the micro-political implications of democratic governance at a variety of scales. By organising projects thematically, the paper seeks to extract and contribute both practice and speculative lessons for commoning architectural practice and pedagogy.