Week 9 - Progress

After developing the site on Sketchup and Lumion I began to develop some very basic functional bubble diagrams which show the necessary relationships of the internal spaces of my Wellfit Centre. Currently, I am thinking of having four levels which includes a commercial level for retail, a gym and reception level, an education level and also an urban park level roof which sits upon the level below. Not that the dark connections between the bubbles shows the true relationships I want to  form between the different spaces.

 

Over the next little while I want to begin imagining these spaces by developing some sort of floorplans and sections which will help me to understand these connections and relationships in a great deal of detail. 

Week 9 - Site Development

During the week I modelled the complete Paddington central site in Sketchup and then by means of importing into the program Lumion I was able to create a real life scene of the site, by placing in cars, buildings, trees and street lamps. Essentially by doing this it has allowed me to begin the design process by providing me with a scaled platform which I can use now for reference when I am 3d modelling or even just sketching ideas. This will help me to work more effectively and create better design solutions for the site.

Buildings and site separately modelled in Sketchup

Stamping the buildings into the site and creating a group as a result, ready for export into Lumion

Street view in Lumion showcasing trees, cars, people and street lights

Overall view of the Paddington Central site. It currently sits as a blank canvas

Week 9 Lecture - Architecture as an Assistant Device

This week in the lecture I learned that a piece of Architecture cannot be viewed as just an entity or structure simply sitting within a space. No, it is more detailed than this with it establishing itself as a device for the community and the users of the space. Specifically, it was interesting to note that a structure serves two distinctive purposes;

• Protection - with regards to means of defending the user from such factors as weather, conflicts and social obligations (privacy)
• Opportunity - means of providing opportunities for activation and production (functionality).

I discovered that it is these purposes which allow Architecture to be "for the people (users)" (image below).  As a consequence I now realise and understand it is highly important that my building values the user by heightening their experiences through the inclusions of both protection and opportunity. I am now beginning to think in more detail about how I am going to design for the user, both functionally and aesthetically. My initial feeling is that I should protect the user somewhat but in a way which will add to the experience positively (e.g. filtration of natural light into a space). I feel that if I were to smother the user with protection that it will lead to an uncomfortable user experience and also will limit my opportunities. Over the next week I want to investigate the opportunity for spaces like thinking and reflecting and sharing and collaborating to be included within my Wellfit Centre.

Week 8 - Site Analysis

This week I visited the Paddington Central site to understand the various elements, factors and influences which are going to impact on the final design. It is noted that the site is very populated and active during the day with a major traffic corridor occuring along Latrobe Terrace. This corridor includes a heavy load of both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. From the investigation I have noted some key findings which are described in the images below.

Views from site and to the site

It was found that site has various visual linkages from both the surrounding context and also the site itself. Specifically the building is visible along the Latrobe Terrace corridor completely due its scale and presence on the site. Also, it was identified that due to its height the building offers views to both the city and surrounding suburbs. For my design I wish to acitvate these view points.

Vehicle Traffic Flow

A large number of cars, bicycles, buses and trucks occupy Latrobe Terrace during the day which allows it to exist as the main corridor of access and traffic flow to the site. The traffic is two way so I must consider this within the design. I feel that this corridor should not be impacted upon as it will create major disruption for the community.

Functional Relationships

The diagram above notes the relevant functional relationships with the surrounding context. As it can be seen there are various levels of residential housing. Currently Paddington Central somewhat overwhelms these lots on a scale sense. I believe that it will be important to ensure that a greater connection is achieved with the residents.

Access

Access offers itself as a major influence in the design in facilitating the attraction and capture of users to the space. Currently there is a carpark out the back which captures all vehicular traffic off Latrobe Terrace. I believe that this should be kept as I feel that it is a factor which draws people to the space (ability to park). Also I will not disturb the entry from Morris St which after investigation is the access for all deliveries and maintenance trucks to the space. Finally, Paddington Central itself has 4 visible entrances for users. This helps to direct users into the building spaces.

Social buffer zone

Like what was said before, due to the large traffic along Latrobe Terrace a definite social buffer zone is created between the building and the public corridors. The building seamlessly shifts from internal to external space which allows for greater access to the public and a greater interaction with the surrounding context.

Overshadowing

It is noted that due to the height and scale of Paddington Central that a great deal of over shadowing would occur upon various residential lots in its immediate context. Throughout the day the building is subject to sunlight entrance and therefore creates great shadows as a consequnce. It was found that these residential lots remain in shadow for a lot of the day, which in turn is not delightful, especially in the winter months. My building will actively try to overcome this issue!

Site Section

 This overshadowing is further detailed in the above site section which showcases the scale of the Paddington Central building. It prevents the access of sunlight to surrounding buildings as a result and also completely interrupts their accessible views to the city and surrounding environment.

Traffic Corridor (including bus stops and green spaces)

And investigation was launched to examine if there are currently any parks within the Paddington area. As you can see in the above image green spaces are certainly identified but it must be noted that these are not activated space. Therefore the need for a Wellfit Centre with an urban park will notably attract various users from the community.

Week 8 Lecture - Greening isn't necessarily sustainable

The lecture this week was conducted by Yasu yet again, involving the discussion of sustainability, with regards to the existence of greening. I felt that the introduction to the lecture was very interesting, specifically to hear Yasu's opinion about sustainability and its effects on buildings and us as Architects. One particular point which resonated with me was the explanation of "ecological balance" from an environmental point of view. It was defined that ecological balance is "a state of dynamic equilibrium within a community of organisms in which genetic, species and ecosystem diversity remain relatively stable, subject to gradual changes through natural succession.". I had never heard sustainability defined in such terms and I felt that this particular notion could help to add an environmental perspective to my design, allowing it to become more wholesome as a entity overall. 

The Wellfit Centre which I have chosen to design offers itself as a place where the user is valued, in order to improve one's wellness and health through education and recreation. It can be said that in turn this definition of ecological balance above could transcend through to the "users" of the building where in such they as a result of their experience can develop a sense of equilibrium with themselves both mentally and physically (figure below). I feel that this strong sense of balance must be investigated and researched as it could potentially create a powerful explanation and experience for such a building within the future context.   

Week 7 - Scenario/Characters

This week I have begun to develop my future scenario, its characters and the architectural entity which will respond to this.

SCENARIO:

My future scenario has been developed for the year 2025.

The scenario suggests that the Paddington community will continue to grow in density with the small amount of green spaces/parks/empty lots seized up by developers to construct new infrastructure which is needed to cater for the population expansion. Individually, people will begin to lead more privatised lives at home (due to lack of space), opting to remain indoors rather than to go walk the dog or take their kids to the playground. People will also have to take on stronger responsibilities at work due to the new competition of workers as a result of the population increase. As a consequence this will lead to people working longer hours during the day, leaving no time to relax, interact or have fun with friends and family. This new intensive lifestyle will lead to a dramatic decrease in people's health and wellbeing from both a mental and physical perspective.

CHARACTERS:
I have decided to develop two characters for my story, female and male, in order to get a broader perspective of views, actions and behaviours from the characters. I believe that both Chloe and Michael (as husband and wife) will be able to actively use the Wellfit Centre for both their individual needs and also their needs as a family (two kids). The profiles of these characters can be seen below.

I believe Chloe will actively use the Wellfit Centre to shop for groceries and to catch up with friends for coffee on the weekend. As she is a studious person and has a passion for cooking I feel that she will also participate in taking advantage of the educational facilities in order to improve her health lifestyle and also her family's. Furthermore, it is noted that she will also take her two sons Jack and Chris to the rooftop urban park, to ensure that they can have fun as a family.

I beleive Michael will actively use the Wellfit Centre to improve his health mainly from a physical point of view. I believe that he will consistently use the gym to help improve his fitness whilst also possibly using the urban park to exercise. He will also use the bar at nighttime to catch up with mates for a drink when he can. Like Chloe he will also take his two sons so that they can have the experience as a family every once and a while.

Week 7 - Progress

Week 7 - Lecture

Yasu played a short video for us today in the lecture, on the Greenland Migration project by Henning Larsen Architects. Although this project was in a different climate and remote location, it acted as a subtle form of inspiration for my project. The architects' propose "a series of programs that functionally and politically inspire migration to Greenland". The series of programs have been masterplanned to create “interconnectedness” within the community. These projects were planned successfully to integrate multiple functions, and work to bring the community together in a cohesive way. Multi-functional buildings are sustainable socially, by bringing an assortment of people to the one area to interact in a variety of ways. They are also physically sustainable as their multi-purposeful spaces and flexible nature allows them to stay relevant in society over time.

A building which is mutlipurposeful in its functions, whether permanent or adaptable, will help to activate the paddington central site by attracting a range of users to the space. It seems that it would have to have some form of flexibility in its form/function so as to develop overtime with the culture of the current community.

Week 7 - Project 2 Understanding

From my brief look at the project task, we are to create an architectural entity and place it within our future scenario between the years of 2020 and 2030 (Figure below). This is to be communicated like a story, showing the evolution of spaces through the eyes of the character/s, as well as showing how the building works within its context. 

The three main aspects that the project includes are; 

SCRIPT

Reality: needs to be believable, based on realities of today (future scenario is essentially an extension of this) 

Creativity: imagination, logical senses

STAGE

Purpose: justification and relevance of the building in the site

Navigation: access, circulation, entrance (communication of these through the story)

Integrity: structural integrity, sustainable building, combination of elements to create a successful building

SCENES

Presence and Identity: how the building is perceived in its context

First person experience: how reality this is in its context