The Exchange

The Exchange at Knowledge Market is a research collaboration by RMIT University and Lendlease, embedded as an ‘Urban Living Lab’ within the Victoria Harbour precinct of the Docklands, Melbourne. Using the Victoria Harbour site as its case study, The Exchange seeks to understand the factors influencing long-term environmental and social sustainability in high-density urban environments.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, The Exchange explores environmental and social resilience through the lens of design ethnography, landscape architecture, interior design, service design, interaction design, fashion and textiles, and graphic design. Through community-oriented programming, The Exchange explores and shares ideas for sustainable and resilient futures within the urban environment with a diverse audience.

Student projects generated through a series of design research studios are featured in free public exhibitions investigating the effects of rising sea levels, behavioural change systems addressing consumption and waste habits, closed-loop food waste infrastructure and greener cities through biodiversity. A program of free public lectures at The Exchange welcomes industry leaders, major stakeholders, art and design professionals, as well as leading cultural theorists and commentators to share their thoughts regarding sustainable urban environments with a broad community audience

The Exchange team is: Dr Charles Anderson, Dr Shanti Sumartojo, Dr Ross McLeod, with Natasha Sutila and in collaboration with Sean Hogan (Trampoline).

In-Kind Partners: Aurecon, ANZ Bank, The Dock: Victoria Harbour Library, the Victoria Harbour Community, local small businesses and Corporations.

Research Funding: Lendlease: $330,000- RMIT ECP Funding: $25,000

Design Research Studios / Exhibitions / Public Events

Over the course of 24 months, The Exchange generated: 18 Design Research Studios involving undergraduate and postgraduate students from School of Architecture and Urban Design, the School of Design, & the School of Fashion & Textiles, the School of Media and Communication, at RMIT University; Multiple exhibitions, Public talks and Community Forums; and curated events for: Melbourne Design Week, the Sustainable Living Festival, Melbourne Knowledge Week, Melbourne Fashion Week.

The Exchange: An Urban Living Lab

As well as the multiple design studios, public exhibitions and events, the exchange produced a number of publications. These include:

+ McLeod, R., Sumartojo, S., Anderson, C. (2019) The Exchange: An Urban Living Lab., Melbourne Books.

+ Sumartojo, S., Mcleod, R., Anderson, C., (2018) ‘Emergent configurations: interdisciplinary industry-partnered research in an urban ‘living lab’, Design Research Society, 2018.