Mixed Use Development, James Street, Brisbane Part 1 Project 2005 Emma Healy Queensland University of Technology Brisbane | Australia Fortitude Valley - an inner Brisbane suburb undergoing rapid gentrification. The block in question is of interest as it occurs where a number of conflicting urban 'identities' meet; the jovial consumerism of the Brunswick St Mall, the unabashed culture of exhibitionism of James St markets, the formal promenade of fig trees to the old Valley Baths and the gritty, unlovely language of car yards and back alleys. The visual complexity of the design derives from an attempt to represent numerous and seemingly incongruous types, programs and people within one development. The building defends through a system of labyrinthine layers. In such a way the building behaves as a microcosm of The Valley; a space that, like the place in which it resides is rapidly shedding its skin. Emma's project presents an architecture that is idiosyncratic and colourful. This on-the-face-of it character belies the seriousness of her intent: to develop a language that attempts a genuine response to the complexities of the context. Her hand drawn presentation technique is similarly engaging, capturing the intense playfulness and imagination at work in her serious thinking about architecture.