Sustainable urban design

The city of Vilnius simultaneously speaks of evidence of the past, life of the present and aspirations of the future through its built fabric and culture. The design proposal perceives Vilnius as the potential beating heart of the city. It realises the opportunity that a transport hub located in an area steeped in history presents. It is an inspired attempt that draws value from the macro and micro site-scape at every turn to shine a light on the potential of the railway precinct to pioneer urban solutions, celebrate the numerous forms of heritage, build context responsive and heritage sensitive structures, utilise landscape as an element of reactive urbanism, and bring the community together at different points and different formats.... More

Forest & Lane delves into our fascination with contemporary Queensland and our deep reverence for the local Murri way of life. We have long admired the Queenslander and our concept pays homage to the unique architectural set up of elevating living yet maintaining the natural topography of the land. Composed of two buildings raised 30m off the ground modestly supported by slender pilotis, we seek to evacuate the ground plane and to introduce a new urban thoroughfare; the linear forest, the laneway and the cabinet of curiosities all within a single urban gesture. The city receives a new tactile forest experience with dense layered vegetation that seeks a visceral connectedness to the original custodians of the land, the Turrbal and Jager... More

FTL created an urban plaza, covered by a sustainable skin to define space, washed with day lighting and harvesting rain water. Transcending infrastructure to sculpture. There was a much needed desire to create a iconic public space which energizes the urban fabric, helping in uplifting run-down attitudes, partly developing a design that was a drastic departure from the old as well as most of the new, mediocre architecture around.   The new Rosa Parks Transit Center includes a passenger terminal, a roof canopy covering a drop off and outdoor waiting area which will play a pivotal role in providing alternate means of public transportation to the greater Detroit area. The architect, Parson Brinkerhoff, MI, a pioneer in transportation facilitie... More

SouthTown is a unique district nestled below the Niagara Escarpment near downtown Hamilton. It encompasses the prominent streets of James and John South and includes major attractions such as St. Joseph's Hospital, the Hunter Street GO Station, the Augusta entertainment area, and the historic James South Terraces. The vision for SouthTown recommends several actions to guide improvement in the district. To name a few, the City of Hamilton can help improve the physical condition of streets and sidewalks by investing in urban design that maximizes the use of the more popular corridors. This includes a redesign of the sidewalk in front of the historic James South Terraces, the introduction of public art at key gateways, and the transformation o... More

In the southern Chinese city of Hui Zhou, the city district of Bai Gang is being redesigned. A new high speed rail link to Shen Zhen and new roads carve through the old street pattern of the area. AFR are helping to integrate the necessary new building together with the best of the buildings and social structure of the area. A new urban parkway is a major part of the new design as well as a heritage key points and the restoration of the existing architecture More

A research & development project in collaboration with Pomeroy Academy, Pod Off-Grid is a prototypical modular development strategy that aims at realising future communities which exist entirely off the grid in open water. Modules consists of several sectors, including residential, civic, and agriculture, as well as Utility Units, which generate electricity, provide water filtration, and waste treatment. The project has been featured as the subject of a book, exhibition and various TV info-documentary shows.   More