arrconnectionsIntroduction

Introduction

The Architectural Resilience Research Centre, endeavours to inform and teach it’s in-habitants and the general public through thought-provoking methods. By embracing

the important linking features of Kulgan Park, ARRC aims to connect the greater public to the research centre by expressing its extremities into the surrounding context. ARRC

provides the opportunity for not only the public to learn about resilient design but encourages the students within the commune to express their ideas on a much larger

scale.

This book outlines the process undertaken to create the dsign proposal dubbed “ARRCONNECTION”

It will explain my involvement in the class and individual work in regards to the three filters

LOGICAL | SPATIAL | FORMALresulting in the formation of an overall design.

client

Tutorial group 3 consists of 18 students all majoring in Architectural Design. As we are all Architecture students this greatly enhances the possibilities of a flood-resilient design response. This also means the accommodation requirements of the 18 students are somewhat different to the normal elements of a student commune. Studios and workspace are vital for proper work to be conducted, while reflection

spaces are also crucial to counteract the work ethic of a typical design student.

Schedule of AccomodationSpace for ReflectingSpace for SleepingSpace for Living, Relaxing, Partying etc.Space for Uni WorkSpace for ExhibitionsSpace for Preparing MealsSpace for DiningSpace for AblutingSpace for LaundryBonus Spaces x2GymPoolHerb Garden

Group 3 Requirements- each person requires their own bedroom- at least 6 toilets- kitchen, living and dining can be communal- must have break away zones for quiet study and reflection

Note: Although one rule of having carparks was agreed upon I believed that due to satisfac-tory street parking and sufficient public trans-port in the surrounding area that this would be highly unsustainable for the archi-commune.

context

Kelvin Grove Village is a master-planned urban community made up of residential, educational, retail, health, recreational and business ventures. The community is aimed towards sustainability, acting as an urban environment in which other developments can model themselves off.

Other Key elements of the Kelvin Grove Urban Village are:• Thebuildingmustbeovertlysub-tropical.• Itshouldfocusactivityonthestreetstoprovidesafetyforthepubliccommunity.• Roofscapesshouldbedesignedtoensuretheyareathoughtfulandattractivepartofthedesign.• “Alldevelopmentsmustachieveaminimumof1residentbicycleparkingspaceper4lodgingrooms and 1 visitor bicycle parking space per 16 lodging rooms.”• Buildingsmustberesponsivetotopographical,functionalandclimaticinfluences.Accordinglyeach elevation of a building must be different from, though related to, the others and be varied in form and detail.

Original Site

site

Situated at the corner of Curraway Street and Victoria Park Road, Kulgan Park is a small recreational space nestled in between several tall apartment buildings.

siteEnvironmental Analysis

siteSite Model 1:500

siteFlood Water Path

site

December 21st

June 21st

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8am9am12pm3pm4pm

Shade Diagram

site

Zoning of Kelvin GroveKulgun Park is at a cross-road of uses. It is also part of the vital green network in Kelvin Grove.

site

Views and Axis

The axis and view over the golf course is vital in the overall feel of the site therefore it is important it is unhindered as possible.

theme

A place which informs the community about resilient ideas in an interest-ing/innovative way.

Develops ideas about flood resilience

Informs the community about flood resilience

Inspires the students in relation to flood resilience

reflection

The “ARRC” design theme, which although was difficult at first to understand worked out to be a pretty interesting way at looking at flood resilience instead of the typical norm of raising

or blocking the water. Instead of avoiding the flooding we will be looking at ways in which we can utilise it for our own and the greater populations benefit.

The site itself is quite interesting and there appears to be about an equal amount of con-straints and opportunities which I can work with. This notion of the site (or Kulgan Park) being at the crossroads (or core?) seems like an interesting concept. Kulgan Park connects

with the environment, commercial enterprises and residential sectors.

arrconnectionsLogical Design

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OrientationTo average out the temperature levels within the living areas, they should be located on the northern side of the site to allow for winter sun penetration.

Bedrooms should be on the south side as they require the least ther-mal comfort within the house.

The Eastern and Western Walls will require some shade due to hot morning and afternoon sun.

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Circulation

Types of Transport Within SiteBikesCarsBusWalkWheelchairs

It is important to provide access points at the defined points as this will benefit the users the most.

Ventilation

As all the summer winds come from the South-East, openings should be directed accordingly to embrace theses breezes thus lowering the overall running cost of the building.

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Materials

Material selection is highly important within this context as there are many variable which can greatly effect the integrity of some more porous materials. Local vernacular materials should also be used to minimize on the amount of embodied energy used to ship materials to the site.

Examples of the materials can be seen below.

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Copper Selection

Much of the buildings exterior is covered in Copper. This is due to its unique aging process where it eventually turns a bluey green. Much like the people that will inhabit the archi-com-mune, the building itself will evolve over time, always changing.

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Pillar Angle

The pillars supporting the southern side of the building are slightly angled. This is due to a major view crossing through the point in which they have to be. The angled pillars result in direct views towards the golf course.

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Facade TreatmentTo combat the sun angles the facade changes from vertical slats on the east side to horizontal slats on the north side. The diagram below shows the issue when direct sun enters into a room.

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Logical design is highly important to the overall project yet throughout my process it did not make any significant changes to the overall design. Although the little changes like facade

treatment and angled pillars may not have been to drastic they make the project unique. It is important we understand the necessity of employing logical solutions within our designs.

reflection

arrconnectionsSpatial Design

Individual

After looking into the adjacencies pre-sent in the building it was decided that some areas needed to be quiet therefore there placement could be heavily de-picted by this.

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Spatial diagramming suggested that there were 3 main types of uses within the space; Sleeping, Living and Study. This led to the example above of how the groups would diagrammatically link.

Individual

After more thought I needed to look more into the concept of these networks of the site therefore started to look at abstracting the zones present in Kelvin Grove.

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By diagramming the zones of Kelvin Grove a layer of networks seems to appear (seen in the top left corner).

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Initial Floor PlansAlthough done very quickly they show how the network seen in the previous page will influence the layout and spatial relationships of the design.

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Secondary Floor PlansThis started to look at the plans on the vertical scale yet due to size issues I was starting to real-ise that following the “RULES” of the layered networks was just not sufficient for my design.

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Breaking of the “RULES”After recreating the zones surrounding the con-nections I split it up into a more abstract form, allowing the exhibition space to be the center of attention as it is the main tool for the ARRC centre to interact with the general public.

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After breaking the rules of the net-work I had set out earlier it seemed that the concept progressed rapidly from here. The layout of the layered networks still connected/viewed with the necessary areas but now evolved to accommodate the inte-rior spaces like bedrooms etc.

Final Level 1 Floor Plan

Reflection

I benefited greatly from the spatial side of this project as my concept had a lot do with con-nectivity and axis. Although at times I was my own worst enemy as I put too many con-straints on my ideas. Once I started breaking those rules of the general spatial code I had outlined, the final floor plans began to form and the final product is a direct result of the

work which was done in this section. In some way the spatial composition of my project was the most important part to the conceptual and final output of my design.

arrconnectionsFormal Design

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Conceptual Form Sketch done in early stages of assignment.

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Abstract drawing looking for inspiration during early parts of assignment.

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Attempting to incorporate conceptual form into an ac-tual building form.

Process of form making was done to early on the process of the design of the Archi-commune.

class

One of the final weeks of our dedicated tutorial time we conducted a form making workshop. Concep-tual models were made to help us inform the direction of the form in our design of the arch commune.

Conceptual Model 1

Although this model had no real form it was interesting to see the effect it had on its sur-rounding. Its composition framed certain things as well as creating interesting textures when coupled with a light source.

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Conceptual Model 2

With a light source underneath this model it greatly enhanced the edges the model had with the card. This could also be achieved via the use of natural lighting. Although the alfoil is completely random there is some beauty in the patterns which form inside the chaos of composition.

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Conceptual Model 3

The organic form in contrast to the more constructed box creates this kind of parasitic tension within the model. The notion of organic vs structural has been talked about consistently for a long tim now yet still this simple contrast of the two very different forms creates a very interesting structure. In some ways both the organic and structural parts cannot survive without each other. It would be interesting to be able to apply this to my proposal in some way.

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To highlight the axis within the building, a rift should be created to enhance a strong sense of contrast from what is connection and what is space.

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A more advanced sketch of the idea on the previous page.

individualSketch showing intended form. The points aim to lengthen that view from within the building thus enhancing the overall view. Note the contrast of materials between corridor and other spaces.

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The rooms on the south side extrude out from the con-necting corridor, utilizing the large amount of circulation within.

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Taking the idea of organic vs structural seen in conceptual model 3, the facade moulds over the living and work spaces creat-ing a contrast.

Reflection

Due to the nature of my concept a lot of my formal design followed from my spatial con-cepts. This was due to the fact that the spatial concept was so strong. Although this was the

case there were some moments in my formal design process which dramatically changed my building. The facade on the final design of the ARRC, is inspired by the idea of the organic vs the structural seen in the conceptual model done for the class workshop and although they

still compete, they both rely heavily on each other for support and shading strategies.

arrconnectionsFinal drawings

Floor plansGround Level

Floor plans

Level 1

Level 2

elevations

East Elevation

North Elevation

sections

perspectives

perspectives

conclusion

Overall this project has been very difficult to grasp yet it is the challenge that was presented which made me love the project from start to finish even when I didn’t sleep for two nights. The workshops were a great tool to see the different approaches to design and individual can take. Personally the spatial filter served as my most vital in the development of my concept. This was due to my original intentions to draw attention to the vital connection point Kulgun Park is. Although the 2 other filters didn’t play as large of a role as the spatial filter did they were always present in my mind and I ensured that I never focus too much on one thing in case the opportunity for a great idea went missing.

At certain points I became quite stuck, and progress defiantly became an issue. This is mainly due to my-self being too literal at times and creating rules for myself that are impossible to meet. After conversing with my tutor about breaking those rules and not constricting yourself to one complete idea my design process began to pick up again.

In the end I ended up with a consolidated design which sufficiently meets the requirements set out for us in the brief.

Note: There is no grass on my model... :)