The Urbanism of Material

This thesis investigates how the urban environment is constructed over time. The aim of this research is to understand the relationship between the decisions, logic and methods used at the scale of an individual site to the wider organisation and form of the urban environment. The thesis draws on the concept of bottom up systems to investigate ideas of collective organisation and characteristics in the urban environment. Using a series of architectural and urban case studies in Melbourne and Victoria, the research establishes a set of design techniques aimed at systematically influencing the way buildings are constructed and which have the potential for a wider urban affect through collective accumulation and interaction.