Mess in Progress … Designing a Building Yard

"Mess in Progress … Designing a Building Yard" re-imagines Cockatoo Island as an architectural school driven by experimentation, participation, and contigency. The project adaptive reuses the island’s industrial infrastructure — cranes, rails, and warehouses — to create spaces for hands-on, 1:1 scale projects. Students in this school engage as both architects and users, collaborating with invited architects to build experimental spaces. This school rejects polished solutions, fostering instead a learning environment of open-ended, iterative design. By embracing mess and contingency, the project raises the critical question of the agency in architecture and empowers users to shape their own environments.

The school's future rests in the students' hands, empowering them to shape its path through active participation.

The crane system on the island serves as the backbone for movement, connecting materials, people, and tools across the site.

Raumlabor, known for their collaborative and makeshift architecture, will be instrumental in initiating conversations about the island’s development starting from year zero.

Being a firm believer in designing by doing, a model making studio led by Enric Miralles is built next to the cliff for hands-on experimentation with materials.

Lastly, Atelier Bow-wow will be building an experimental pavilion dedicated to public drawing that encourage students to collaborate with the public, keeping this school relevant to Sydney’s evolving urban environments.