Friday, November 9, 2012

Alterations to the Design

Mark up to the Gym level Plan
In the diagram above I have remarked the floor plan with necessary columns which would exist within the structure. With the limited knowledge that I have with regards to a buildings structure I feel that the columns would be placed around the outside of the floor plate to withstand the load. Also, within the diagram I have outlined the track of the Woolworths services truck, clearing up the issue of the access which was raised by the tutors. By also noting dimensions for these spaces it also provides an understanding of how the truck would move throughout it.

Mark up to the Ground Level Plan

Again within the floorplan above I have marked in the necessary columns on the floor plate which will ensure that the building will be structurally sound. Furthermore, I have highlighted the entrance space as a possible location for co-curricular activities such as markets which would help to activate the somewhat blank space currently within the design. 

Mark up to the Level 1 Plan
Floorplan has been marked up with relevant columns. Within the presentation the tutors felt that by shortening the distance to the cafe/bar would delight the users of the space. As a result, I have roughly sketched out a proposal which reveals the relocation of the cafe/bar down to the lecture room space below. As it can be seen the topographical roof has been cut in half allowing for an entry way to be created for the new cafe/bar space. Stairs will continue on the left hand side, where the user will reach the lookout point which will offer a great view of both paddington and the city.

Mark up to the Long Section

Upon being notified that my urban park trees would not grow due to an insufficient slab depth I have completed some research on the matter and remarked the section as a result. In the section it can be seen that the slab has definitely deepened which requires the need for extra and more larger structural columns to withstand the new load. I have also added a detail of the green roof which will help to explain the idea to the tutors.

Mark up to the Topographic roof over building
Within the diagram above it can be seen that I have tried to rectify the "meaness" of the topographic roof by nominating spaces for new greenery to be placed. Vegetation and grass additions will help to activate the space, soften the roof and also provide a functional and visual benefit for the user.

Mark up to the Topographic roof over building
Within this diagram I have begun to think and play around with the idea that the tutor developed regarding the penetration through the skin of the building to provide a greater view of the urban park beyond. I believe that the space I wish to penetrate is best for the user as it is the shortest and quickest route upon entering the topographic roof. Also I have begun to think about the needed activation of the somewhat dead roof space. I feel that a outdoor cinema would fit best as it would allow for the space to be activated during the night and the roof would naturally accommodate this with the angle.


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Week 15 - Crit

After the presentation the tutors offered some valuable opinions towards my design, explaining that the idea and scheme was strong and exciting but in certain areas it did lack the necessary detail to truly tell the story. Some positive ideas/suggestions which I took away from the critique were;

  • Add columns to the floor plans to show how the structure works
  • Develop the Warmington/Latrobe Tce entry into a more multipuposeful space (e.g. markets) 
  • Activate the topographic roof with greater functions, looking into options of an outdoor cinema or performance space (music stage) 
  • To invite users to hidden spaces by allowing them a view of the space (rooftop park)
  • Make the topographic roof less mean by adding greenery space to it
  • Moving the cafe from the roof to the lecture space (slicing the roof in half)
  • Making the green roof more believable (greater research in detail)
  • Tracking the services vehicles access to Woolworths
These suggestions I believe would not only help to enhance the current Wellfit Centre functionally and aestetically but the advice will also allow me to grow as a designer and become more "critical" about my designs in the future.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Week 15 - Exhibition

Walking around the exhibition it was interesting to see how each person had individually developed their futuristic scenario and as a result had formed an architectural entity fit for the Paddington central site, in the future (short and long). What was noticeable was that there were varying solutions, with many students offering unique forms and functions for their buildings. These ranged from cultural centres, secondary schools, urban parks, etc. Without reading in detail, it appeared visually that the future will be very sustainably based with many students opting to focus on involving green energy, technology and farming/produce in their designs. From my perspective the best design outcomes were achieved  through the development of;
  • A well constructed scenario
  • A well constructed character
  • An interactive and friendly user experience
  • A building which imitated the site conditions (topography)
  • A building which considered its adjacent buildings (size and height)
  • A building which improved the community connection and interaction

Week 15 - Final Presentation

Final Presentation Panel - Wellfit Centre
The image above is the final panel which I developed for the final presentation on Tuesday. As you can see I have tried to keep the panel very simple from a visual perspective whilst also trying to communicate as much needed information to the viewer as possible. I believe by including a large heroic shot and various other renders it best helps the tutor to understand the design and allows them to obtain a greater realisation of what exactly I am trying to achieve. Also including images such as sections, elevations, floor plans and masterplans only adds to this understanding.

Coupled with the panel above is the below powerpoint presentation which I also delivered to the tutors. Whilst the panel was to provide a sort of "summary" of the design the powerpoint definitely delves into greater detail with a greater number of images provided.



























Sunday, November 4, 2012

Week 14 - Final Images

Over the last couple of days I have begun to develop my drawings, images and renders for the presentation next Tuesday. These images truly inform the viewer exactly what is occurring within the architectural entity from a visual perspective, user experience and a functional point of view.

Final Masterplan developed in Photoshop
The final masterplan has been photoshopped to show how the Wellfit Centre fits within the surrounding context and the relationships it forms with the street, people and adjacent blocks. As it can be seen the building although large in scale, nestles neatly within the old Paddington Central site. It offers a great connection with the Latrobe Terrace, Warmington St and Morris St with multiple entry points allowing the access of users/deliveries. Specifically there are two main seamless entry points along Latrobe Terrace which actively and effectively captures the hustle and bustle of the pedestrian traffic throughout various times of the day. Another note to add is the various visual links the building has from the surrounding paddington streets. This showcases the buildings prominence within the context and automatically attracts users to the space due to this visual link.

Final Gym level floor plan developed in Photoshop

For the floorplans I have tried to include as much surrounding context as possible to show the relationships with the streets, users and public corridors. Within the floorplan above it reveals a close link to these elements with entrances for Woolworths deliveries from Morris St and also carpark entry from Warmington St. 

Final ground level floor plan developed in Photoshop
This floor plan actively reveals the spaces and function relationships on the ground level. The sloped entry attracts users into the space, with the retail aspects (woolworths) allowing the non-building users to not disrupt the internal flow.


Final Level 1 floor plan developed in Photoshop

This floor plan actively reveals the spaces and function relationships on the first level. The spaces offer both views and access to the surrounding urban park and topgraphic roof.

Final Eastern and Western Elevation developed in Photoshop

Final Southwest Elevation developed in Photoshop

Final Long section developed in Photoshop

Final Short Section developed in Photoshop

Final Wellfit Centre render
This render successfully showcases the seamless entry to the building via the topographic roof from Latrobe Terrace. As it can be seen in the image the pedestrians are attracted and directed onto the building.
Final Rooftop cafe/bar render
This render showcases the view from the rooftop cafe/bar. It effectively captures the steady flow of people to the space and also the steady incline to the top of the roof.

Final Rooftop park render
This render is taken from the eating area about the linked hallway between the first and second building. It certainly captures the great view which would certainly delight the viewers whilst they eat.

Final Latrobe Terrace entrance render
This render captures the new entrance to the building from the corner of Latrobe/Warmington. It also shows the vertical fin facade in operation, from both a visual and function sense.

Final Rooftop Park Render
The above image showcases the interaction of the community within the urban park. 

Final Cafe render
This is another render for the cafe space on the ground level. The vertical facade creates an amazing filtered light entrance into the space which instantly creates a exciting atmosphere and mood.

Final Gym pool render
This gym pool render also captures the filtration of light into the space, especially the entrance of light through the double height (void) ceiling.

Final Gym render
Showcases the operation of the gym on ground level and its view to Morris St

Final Wellfit Centre render
This image reveals the entire Wellfit Centre operation from entry ways, to the topographic roof, to the eating area and also the urban park. It also showacases the connection with the public corridor.

Final Lecture room/Rooftop park render
This renders effectively captures the relationship between internal and external spaces within the building, with each room providing some sort of view.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Week 14 - Progressive Images

This week I began to work on my final images for the presentation. Currently I am working within Autocad, Sketchup and Lumion to complete my images on both a 2D and 3D level. Specifically, I have developed my floorplans within Autocad, I have been massing and modelling in Sketchup and I have just begun to export the model into Lumion where I can begin render my building spaces (and possibly create a fly through). The following images are very raw and require photoshopping to make them more detailed and specifically contextual for the site. Hopefully in the next couple of days I can have these images finalised so I can begin to collate my panel and powerpoint presentation.  


Gym level Floor plan exported from Autocad


Ground Level Floor plan exported from Autocad

Level l Floor plan exported from Autocad
 
Western elevation exported from Lumion 

Northeast elevation exported from Lumion 

Southwest elevation exported from Lumion 

Long Section exported from Sketchup

Short Section exported from Sketchup

Progressive 3d perspective image of the building within Sketchup.


Progressive 3d perspective image of the building within Sketchup


Building model has been imported into Lumion. Some features have been added to the scene. 

Latrobe Tce entrance. Missing scene elements like people, etc.

Overall view of building in lumion. Greenery and people to be added to the scene to make it  realistic