Griffith University’s ‘Oystertecture’ Paves the Way to SWELL for Architects
Two architects will share the sandy stage amongst more than 70 artists to showcase their thought-provoking piece at this year’s SWELL Sculpture Festival, held on Currumbin Beach, Gold Coast.
Griffith University Architecture Lecturer and PhD Researcher Despina Linaraki and Bond University Architecture Lecturer Brice Pannetier united to create their submission piece titled The Radical Materiality of Oystertecture – Emerging Atmospheres.
The timber structure is netted with oyster shells and assembled into a spiral design that follows the sun-path, allowing the viewer to walk through the pavilion.
Linaraki said developing and producing the artwork for the iconic SWELL Sculpture Festival had provided the opportunity to create a piece that artistically highlighted the theme of her research, which is the “symbiosis between Architecture and Ecology”.
“The art installation enhances the interplay between the user, the structure, and the light,” she said.
Pannetier said: “It aims to challenge traditional notions of materiality in art and architecture, push the boundaries of what is possible in design, construction, and sustainability, and inspire new possibilities.”
Linaraki teaches Architectural Design Studio, Life-Cycle Assessment and Sustainability at Griffith University. Her research interests lie in the symbiosis between Architecture and Ecology, with a particular focus on Climate Change adaptation.
Her PhD research involves enhancing the growth of corals to grow living islands in the tropics, with a case study in the Maldives. She is also a researcher at SeaCities lab at Griffith University, where they explore urban design solutions for the adaptation of coastal cities to sea-level rise and floods.
Pannetier teaches Digital & Computational Design subjects in Fabrication, Sustainability, and Urban Design at Bond University. He runs his own studio called Atelier Designa, which aims to assist architects and builders with computational design and Building Information Modelling (BIM) , including computer applications that support environmental design and BIM processes.
The design duo thank the time and efforts from Griffith students Nicka Bazvand, Fos Geyre, Emily Bohan, Mason Cree, Sissel Morley, Caleb White and Sarah Barnes.