Architectural Urbanism is an ambition and sensibility for propositions that address the context of the city within the operative scale of the small architectural project. Architectural urbanism represents a tailoring of projects to the local; to the materiality and specificity of the everyday; and to the grain and substance of the location above all else. Architectural urbanism is less about erasure and more about insertion; infill; the weaving of old and new and the dynamics that evolve from subtle and careful manipulation of the city in detail.

The exhibition explores commonality in the apparently different contexts of both cities – speculating on these as forms of ‘architectural urbanism’ in the contemporary city of the Asia-Pacific at its northern and southern extremes.

Architectural projects from five Melbourne architectural practitioners have been selected to exhibit in Seoul. The practices are: Muir Mendes, Baracco + Wright, Iredale Pederson Hook, NMBW Architecture Studio andKerstin Thompson Architects – all of whom have strong links to the RMIT Architecture design research and teaching community. The exhibition features RMIT Architect academics, studio leaders and alumni that include:

Practice: Muir Mendes
Amy Muir, Alumni, RMIT Architecture (Professional). RMIT Architecture Design Studio Leader
Bruno Mendes, Alumni, RMIT Architecture (Professional). RMIT Architecture Design Studio Leader

Practice: Baracco + Wright
Mauro Baracco, RMIT Architecture Senior Lecturer
Louise Wright, Alumni, RMIT Architecture (Professional). Candidate, RMIT Architecture Phd.

Practice: Iredale Pederson Hook
Adrian Iredale, Alumni, RMIT Master of Architecture (Research)
Finn Pedersen, Alumni, RMIT Master of Architecture (Research)
Martyn Hook, RMIT Architecture Professor

Practice: NMBW
Nigel Bertram, Professor, Monash University. Past RMIT Architecture Senior Lecturer. Alumni, RMIT Master of Architecture (Research) UAL.
Lucinda McLean, RMIT Architecture Design Studio Leader
Marika Neustupny, RMIT Architecture Design Studio Leader

Practice: Kerstin Thompson Architects
Kerstin Thompson, RMIT Architecture Adjunct Professor. Alumni, RMIT Architecture (Professional). Alumni, RMIT Master of Architecture (Research)

Held in conjunction with the Korean National University of Arts there will be a symposium with presentations from four of the Melbourne architects.

The exhibition will be formally opened by the Deputy Australian Ambassador in Seoul.

This Exhibition is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council: an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

For interviews and general media enquiries contact:
Associate Professor, Melanie Dodd, Deputy Dean of Architecture, (03) 9925 3516 OR 0400 771657

A reciprocal exhibition in this series will be hosted at the RMIT Design Hub in 2014, co-curated by Jong-kyu Kim, Architect and Professor at K-ARTS Department of Architecture.