Irina Dubrovina
Bachelor of Design
Student reflection
From the beginning Studio 6 (a Studio Collective I formed with my peers Emma Ward and Nasyat Erwinda) envisioned the Hybrid Commissions project through the lens of the Nano Home housing model and its potential to become the future of Sydney living. With a chosen singular focus on the issue of food shortage, Studio 6 began the process of research, concept development, ideation and prototyping.
My role in Studio 6 was to research the recent innovations and breakthroughs surrounding plant development, to design an unconventional yet simple method through which gardening could be integrated into the average Sydney lifestyle by the year 2030. My research into aeroponics, which I found most intriguing, was developed into the AeroSystem; a self-sustaining vertical gardening system that reduces usage of farming land and other vital resources, while equally growing cleaner and more nutritious fresh produce.
The first prototypes of the AeroGarden were designed as small indoor modules integrated into the typical 2030 western-Sydney kitchenette. However, after collaborative deliberation, we at Studio 6 decided to combine my AeroSystem with Emma’s branding of the communal rooftop garden and Nasyat’s Still Life Storage Unit proposal to create the 3-in-1 AeroGarden Greenhouse System.
The AeroGarden is an elegant and unique solution for the increasing demand for easily accessible and good quality food of Sydney’s steadily growing population. The system reflects Studio 6’s vision of environmental sustainability, scientific innovation & community engagement. In response to the Hybrid Commissions Brief the proposed location for the first AeroGarden is 9 Pitt St, Parramatta.Â
The Greenhouse-style space can be erected on existing building rooftops or can be considered as an integrated element of new housing developments. Designed as a communal space, the AeroGarden is accessible to all residents of the building. Residents are encouraged to interact with each other by exchanging seeds and plants, to help build community within the building. When the plants reach maturity and ripen for consumption they are picked by residents and moved to the Still Life Storage Unit for longer lasting preservation.
Irina Dubrovina is a second year student in the Bachelor of Design.
This project was created for an assessment in the course ‘Core Studio 3’, Sydney Design Week 2020 Hybrid Exhibition Brief.Â
Acknowledgement of Country
UNSW School of Art & Design stands on an important place of learning and exchange first occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples.
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land that our students and staff share, create and operate on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all First Nations peoples across Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
