Week 13: Project 2 - Design Progression

The image below is a summary of my past few weeks design progression, showing briefly  and very succinctly where my initial concept design began and where it is now.

FACADE DESIGN

Regarding the arson attack which destroyed the Tram Depot located at the site and the development of the Paddington Central Shopping Centre that exists there now:

“After the remains of the depot had been cleared, which took some years, the City Council sold the block and a shopping centre, now known as "Paddington Central" was built on the site. This was redeveloped in the late 1980s, with the new building's roofline echoing the pitched gables of the tram depot.”

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_tram_depot_fire

EXISTING VIEW OF PADDINGTON CENTRAL FROM LATROBE TERRACE

Above is an image of the current Paddington Central shopping centre roofline which, as noted in the above quote, echoes the gables of the tram depot building which was destroyed in the fire. For the design of the transit centre, I have attempted to further echo this pitched gable design subtly through the façade of the transit centre. The design of the facade also endeavours to emulate the roof line of the existing character housing in the area.

PROPOSED VIEW OF PADDINGTON PRT CENTRE FROM LATROBE TERRACE

PROPOSED VIEW OF PADDINGTON PRT CENTRE FROM WARMINGTON STREET

Week 13: Project 2 - Preparing for the Presentation

Below is one of the images of my Power Point presentation which illustrates the progression of my form and how it relates to the existing nature of the site.

Regarding my presentation, I will be presenting with a Power Point Presentation and my 1 x A1 Poster.

Week 12: Project 2 - Design Progression

This week was spent on adding balustrades, windows and doors – small touches to enhance the overall feel of the space and also to give it a bit more of a sense of scale. Next week and the following, more time will be dedicated to photoshopping specific elements into scenes in order to illustrate the user experience of the Transit Centre.

ROOF TOP + UPPER LEVEL BEFORE

ROOF TOP + UPPER LEVEL AFTER

RAMP LEVEL BEFORE

RAMP LEVEL BEFORE

Week 12: Reading 01 - The Architect’s Role in Urban Regeneration, Economic Development, and Sustainability

The article talks specifically about the themes of urban regeneration, environmental sustainability and economic development and their relevance today. It discusses the issues that affect these three themes, specifically issues that occur well before the project is received by the architect. Due to this, the architect is viewed as having limited power. In saying this though, the article emphasises the importance of collaboration in order to achieve a successful sustainable project.

Drawing on from this, the proposed sustainable Paddington Precinct was seen, from the outset, as the precinct to set an example for the growth of sustainable cities in Brisbane. It is evident after reading this article however that without a holistic contribution, collaboration and approval, the precinct will stand alone, limited in its ability to affect how development occurs in outer Brisbane, Queensland and furthermore, Australia.

The article has got me into thinking that in order for the precinct to be successfully nationally, it has to be successfully locally. And not just statistically successful (how many units of electricity can be harvested by how many people to power how many pods) but have the approval, collaborative input and invested passion of local governments, architects, developers, investors, politicians, residents of the precinct and especially the general community.

Reference:http://pcparch.com/firm/bibliography/essays/the-architect-s-role-in-urban-regeneration-economic-development-and-sustainability

Week 11: Project 2 - Design Progression

As my concept design for my form drew heavily from the natural slope of the site, I researched existing architectural forms which dealt strongly with curved landscapes and slopes in order to gain some inspiration and knowledge as well as learning from what has been done previously and seeing what is possible.

The following exemplars are taken from http://big.dk

These exemplars were great in getting me thinking as to what I could do with my site. The following images shows the different stages of modelling and experimenting with my form. Drawing on from my blog post in Week 10, I have begun breaking down the concept mass into varying levels in order to start generating spaces and determining which spaces will go where and their relationship with other spaces.

Week 11: Reading 01 - Biomechanical Energy Harvesting

As mentioned in my reflection of my Week 7 Reading, I felt that more researched needed to be conducted into the idea of how the Power Generating Grid would work in order to make the concept more feasible. In my research I came across an article titled “Biomechanical Energy Harvesting” published in Volume 319 of Science on 8 February, 2008.

The first paragraph of the article starts with the sentence “Humans are a rich source of energy” which is the concept fuelling the Power Generating Grid from Project 1. My initial thoughts about the Power Generating Grid were that different pressure points would be created by people walking on it. The differences within these pressure points could then be converted into electricity. Similar to the idea of “Electric Clothes” in the article “Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow” by Maggie Koerth-Baker (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/03/magazine/innovations-issue.html). In this case, differences in temperature are converted into electricity, which I believe could also work for this proposed Power Generating Grid in Paddington.

This article however details the garnering of electricity through a device carried on the wearer; a “biomechanical energy harvester” used in generating and collecting electricity through walking via a device attached to the knee. The device is aimed towards charging prosthetic limbs and medical devices through minimal effort.

Perhaps our initial ideas for the Power Generating Grid for 2062 were a bit too ambitious for 2020 and this is a more rational alternative.

The biomechanical energy harvest that the article is talking about is one worn on the knee:

SOURCE: REFER BELOW

 The article also mentions that similar devices have been create that harnesses electricity from the compression in the shoe sole. However, in comparing one device to the other, this was not found to be as successful as the device that attaches to the knee. Drawing on from this idea though, the concept of having a device inserted into the sole of the shoe in order to generate electricity through compression could work successfully on a larger scale, especially if implemented in a sustainable precinct such as the one proposed for Paddington.

Residents/workers/occupants of the precinct could purchase the device which would be adaptable to a variety of shoe types, with some shoes being pre-fitted with the device. The device would connect wirelessly to the Power Generating Grid implemented into the existing road infrastructure and foundations, transferring the electricity into the main grid of Paddington. This self, sustainable supply of electricity would then be used to support the entire precinct (in particular the pods that make up the proposed Personal Rapid Transit System) without support from the main Brisbane Power Grid.

Walking, sports, gymming or any form of activity that requires physical exertion would be promoted in the Precinct which aligns with the precincts focus on health, social and environmental sustainability.

Reference:

Donelan, J. M., Hoffer, J. A., Kuo, A. D., Li, Q., Naing, V. & Weber, D.J. (2008). Biomechanical Energy Harvesting: Generating Electricity During Walking with Minimal User Effort. Science, 319(5864), 807-810. DOI: 10.1126/science.1149860

Week 10: Project 2 - Design Progression

At this point in time I feel it is important to start integrating the spaces I feel are required in my transit centre (detailed in a previous post) into my form and start defining boundaries and walls. This will be continued into Week 11.

Week 10: Reading 02 - The Bid to Ban Vehicles

One of the main ideas for the precinct is the phasing out of vehicles within the Paddington Precinct in order to make its proposed future of 2020 a reality. Thinking about how this would come about reminded me of the government’s initiative to phase out cigarettes.

Whilst researching I came across this article by Andrew Darby and Ami Corderoy titled “Big to ban cigarettes for anyone born after 2000” published on The Sydney Morning Herald on 22 August, 2012. The idea, as detailed in the article, is that anyone born after the year 2000 would be banned from purchasing cigarettes once they are of legal age.

It got me thinking – could a similar concept be use to phase out vehicles in the Paddington precinct? Perhaps only hybrid cars would be allowed in the precinct by 2010, perhaps only electrical cars by 2015 and then no vehicles at all by 2020?

Could this concept also be applied nationwide? Could vehicles that rely on fossil fuels be banned from being imported into the country and likewise, manufactured?

Reference:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/bid-to-ban-cigarettes-for-anyone-born-after-2000-20120822-24liy.html

Week 10: Reading 01 - Tsunami Warnings, Written in Stone

As there were no specified readings for Week 10, I have gone back and reflected on some from past weeks which had been assigned multiple readings. This week’s reflection is on the reading Tsunami Warnings, Written in Stone by M. Fackler, assigned to Week 2.

The reading is about “tsunami stones” situated along the coastline of Japan that mark the extent of inland destruction caused by past tsunamis. They stand as a reminder to future generations of the devastation made possible my tsunamis and warn not to build any lower than where the stones have been positioned.

However, as time goes on, the article notes that modern day Japan has become ignorant to the warnings of these stones and the message of their ancestors. Development spreads into low-lying areas, seawalls are built taller and reliance is put on advancing technology to quell Mother Nature. It was proposed by Masayuki Oishi that modern versions of these tsunami stones are needed.

This reading reminded me of the January 2011 Brisbane floods and the consequential debates that followed regarding the buying back of river side properties by the council and redeveloping them into recreational park lands or sporting grounds. A lot of conversations/discussions with peers, families and friends brought up similar viewpoints regarding the same issue of the inclination of future generations to forget what has happened in the past. Many of the people I spoke to seemed to believe that, although house prices in flood prone areas have decreased substantially, they are bound to rise again as the generations go on.

In this case, I believe there is a need for a “modern day tsunami stone” not only in Japan, but also in Brisbane and every other city prone to natural disasters. Although I admire the simplicity and straightforward message of the tsunami stones, I believe with the evolution of the way we live and the way messages are now conveyed in the virtual and digital sense, simple messages such as those of the stones can be so easily overlooked in today’s world. As also mentioned in the article, a heavy reliance on technology to prevent and repair everything will also eventually be out down fall.

What could be Brisbane’s version of the tsunami stones? Wivenhoe Dam was supposed to stand as a reminder of the destruction of the 1974 floods but how well did it remind us? Is changing legislation enough? What happens when the next generation is in charge of determining this legislation?

Week 10: Project 2 - Studio + Idea Development Log

Some tutor feedback from today’s Studio:

• Creating a place for people
• Significant centre point, a place for people (in the site and external context)
• Having forms of architecture that is interesting.
• Transit centre is the inspiration behind it but it needs a form in which people can interact with.
• Current technologies sees that the PRT system is possible.
• Increasing population means not everyone in the suburb can own a car.
• Not enough on-street parking.
• The urban plan of these older suburbs of Brisbane aren't catered for cars.
• Hilly area = not a lot of  parks, lacks people areas
• No height limit, ability to build out into the external context of the site but has to be justified.