Architecture - Honours

LAODICE: A COMMON JUSTICE

To create positive change, a discussion needs to be reinvigorated in the public realm. In particular, this is achieved through creating a space that is designed towards building inclusive 21st-century political parties. The Hall of Democracy is designed to respond to the urban, street and social context in a way that encourages each individual to feel safe, included and able to express their identify to the fullest Laodice (Greek – meaning common justice) reinterprets the activation of a public realm by providing a space that gently invokes discussion, inclusion and self-expression among each individual.

Jacqueline Gout

Vote Now

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?

Democracy is defined as an “institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions which realise the common good, through the people itself deciding issues and electing individuals who are to assemble in order to carry out the will of the people.”(1) It involves a realisation of the ‘common good’ among a people. This follows a number of assumptions; that the people have a common perception of good and bad, and that the issues called forward by the people are informed by this perception, and not by any other influence.
Historically, democracy was first observed in the Ancient Greek society, in which the ruling process involved 40 public hearings/discussions a year, with elected individuals meeting daily to ensure the running of the government (2). In these meetings, individuals were encouraged to discuss each issue, which was voted for with a majority vote. The beginning of democracy followed several important principles; that is, it must involve citizen participation in decision making, a system of representation, a rule of law, an electoral system with a majority rule, some degree of equality among citizens, some degree of liberty and freedom granted to or retained by the citizens and education
In modern Australia, it can be argued that while our system maintains some of these principles (such as a system of representation, a rule of law, as well as citizen freedom and education) it does not maintain a state of true democracy. Inequality among citizen groups (such as indigenous and Aboriginal groups) as well as unfiltered and misconstrued information sources has reduced the degree of freedom that we have as a society. Truly informed citizenry is formed by individual participation and being given the means to self-inform regarding current issues; therefore, classical democracy is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve in the modern world due to the influence of capitalism and globalisation on the ability to be an informed citizen.

HOW CAN DEMOCRACY BE RE-INVIGORATED?

To create positive change, a discussion needs to be reinvigorated in the public realm. In particular, this is achieved through creating a space that is designed towards building inclusive 21st-century political parties. The Hall of Democracy is designed to respond to the urban street and social context in a way that encourages each individual to feel safe, included and able to express their identify to the fullest. Furthermore, it works towards enabling discussion and expression among users, creating a program that allows each user to act as a fully functioning member of society through being involved in a secondary ‘bill review chamber’ towards the Queensland Government decision-making process. Through the architectural program, the Hall of Democracy is designed in a coordinated structure to represent a unified system of strength, power, and pressure to demand a necessary change to the current failures of democracy in Australia.

Jacqueline Gout

As a student, Jacqueline has always been inspired by cities she has traveled to. Places such as Dubai, Rotterdam and Copenhagen have created a love architecture, that continuously gives her the motivation to push and experiment with new ideas. Her explorations always start with a blank canvas, but with each idea there is the aim to create contrast between bold geometry and organic elements to produce a sense of harmony between the building and its surrounding context. Having had the opportunity to work on large scale development, Jacqueline hopes to use this experience to guide her own ideas and create a lasting impression on the architectural industry.