Zoeanna Upadhyay

I am an undergraduate student of Architecture at Swinburne University

of Technology. I am passionate about the built environment and the

different ways in which it can intersect with people, culture and the

natural world.

I am passionate about working on community as well as civic projects as

well as deepening my understanding of design thinking and connecting

to industry.

I have also worked with designing kinetic and deployable structures and

was deeply impacted by the intersection of technology and architecture,

and how it can create beautiful and responsive spaces. This is something I

would like to explore further after graduation.

TERRA HISTORIA

In collaboration with Sophie Miles

Terra Historia is a geology museum in the heart of Newport, highlighting the rich history of Newport's geological past and landscape while creating a hub of activity, and community for the people of Newport intersection between architecture, and the earth is explored through tectonics, where the sliding together of tectonic plates becomes the geometric expression. This project bridges the gap between the conflicting industrial and traditional history of the site, restoring its ecology and landscape.

ARC-HIVE

In Collaboration with Soukhim Vong

DOCKLANDS ARCHIVE is a waterfront intervention project on central pier that proposes to REVITALIZE the river and bring back bio-diversity into the region. The proposal is inspired by natural honeycomb structures to create FLEXIBLE MODULES that fit together in different arrangements to create an undulating landscape. Each module serves several functions- connecting the land and water, RAINWATER COLLECTION, VENTILATION and providing GREENERY . The varying heights also address the issue of future flooding. ArcHIVE offers a wide range of gardens, natural wetlands and viewpoints that overlook the beautiful Yarra river.
It fosters connection to the river through educational and interactive spaces that engage the local community with the rich history and ecology of the river and connects its past, present and future.

KOMOREBI

In Collaboration with Maryam Ibrahim, Aishwarya Bhasin and Soukhim Vong

KOMOREBI is a plant specimen part of The Future Gardens Exhibition- a design concept that explores the value of non-fungible in the intersection of digital and physical environments. Bridging the gap between technology, architecture and design.

The exhibition draws inspiration from science fiction, interactive structures, and biomimicry to imagine what gardens could be in our not-too-distant future. Visitors will be able to explore a cultivated unnatural natural landscape including our project KOMOREBI.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.