Brunswick Design District

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[Paul Gough]

Hi there. We are here with Robyn Healy in to talk a little bit about my favourite campus, which is Brunswick. Why is it my favourite campus?

[Robyn Healy]

Ah, Paul, you're asking the right person, because it's my favourite campus too.

[Paul]

Go on, why?

[Robyn]

So, Brunswick is the most extraordinary campus, because of where it is.

[Paul]

Yeah.

[Robyn]

We are very fortunate, we are in an amazing, creative area. So, we are surrounded by design studios, music shops, great second-hand stores. It's a very vibrant community. And, I think for us, being a smaller campus actually, again, gets a really rich community happening. So, people know each other. There's places that you can hang out. Lots of good coffee in Brunswick. So, I think, there is probably a really vibrant community that is harder in a city campus, because it is much more concentrated, in terms of being swallowed up by a city. Brunswick has its own sense of place.

[Paul]

And it's been recognised by the government in the last few months, really, isn't it? As a creative environment. Something very, very specific. Tell us a bit about that?

[Robyn]

Well, the State government loves Brunswick as well. So, Creative Victoria and the Moreland City Council have signed MOU with RMIT University. And this is so we can come together to really develop that area. So, the Brunswick Design District is the proper title for it now, which is great. So, it's official, it's out there, people are talking about it. And what it means, is suddenly there will be investment of shared investment.

So, where before RMIT is independently worked on the Brunswick campus, Moreland has had some amazing projects that they've done. And Creative Victoria have also contributed to many of the developments out there. But they haven't come together. So, the potential of what it does when we all come together is really significant. So, we know that there are plans afoot to think about whether we can start to see some of the other creative bodies, perhaps, coming out to the Brunswick area.

Also, in terms of the campus. We are already developing that. You know, it's exciting next year, Industrial Design, first-year Industrial Design is coming out. So, it is also the synergies we can create with the businesses out there. So, Moreland is very excited in terms of having much more of a presence with us. So, whether it is through their Business Incubator, whether it is through some of the small businesses there.

You know, so rather than having sort of barriers between us-- and often these barriers are artificial. An agreement actually says, no, we are all working in it together. So again, it has formed an allegiance. So now, when we talk about where next? We can talk about it together.

So, for our students, the opportunities are amazing, because, again, in terms of working with local business or looking creatively. Like this semester we've had Architecture students and Landscape Architecture students, you know, visioning of what that area might look like. So, there's something like seven studios that were run through there. We've had Fashion Textile Design students also reimagining, you know, the streets of Brunswick in terms of-- with clothing, but also the history. I mean, this was the centre of the clothing and footwear industry for Australia. So, the vestiges of manufacturing-- we are still amongst it.

[Paul]

So, in a few words, give me a picture of Brunswick in 5 years' time?

[Robyn]

Well, we're going to take over the world, Paul. We're going to double the numbers on campus. So, you'll see a lot more of Design students out there. We will probably see more of a V presence. We also will start to see a changing look to the campus, because we are doing a whole new landscaping of Brunswick. Taking down the fences. So, you'll start to see the community coming through. We'll be the place to be in Melbourne and the world.

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