Kleo Guthrie

Permanent Impermanence

Brunswick West is a palimpsest of streets, buildings and open spaces that mark its evolution. Each layer of history, from the Indigenous landscapes to the earliest colonial structures, up until the recently demolished social housing buildings, has left its mark on the site. Through action of revealing and recovering these elements of the past my project gives a permanent and physical presence to the evolutionary history of place.

My project will examine the notions of the permanent and the impermanent at the scale of the site as well as the scale of the individual. It will present a new way of living, where the impermanence of spaces are celebrated, introducing the ephemeral and removing preconceived notions of how boundaries define interior space. The architecture will respond directly to place and use, but more importantly it will respond to time, allowing the environment to transform, extend or contract in support of the changing needs of the user and community.