14 : Final : Panels

I put a lot of thought into my panels over the entire semester.. and after much deliberation I went for a inverted split composition.  I was aiming for only 1 A1 sheet.. but as my drawings grew I had expanded to 2 A1 sheets.  I was pleased I got to reuse the diagrams I did for Project 1.

The text on the panel reads:

Canberra was Australia’s first planned city and as such should hypothetically be an exemplar to the rest of the cities of Australia. However its scattered design and its inability to adapt has influenced its identity and precence as the countrys capital. Its most significant function is the necessary parliamentary services that take place in Canberra. Politicans fly in and fly out on a daily basis which impact their connection with the people. The Woden Valley Depot is one of many proposed locations for a light rail infrastructure to increase peoples mobility in Canberra. By servicing the existing and future population, you can achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Woden Valley Depot is supported by various existing systems such as extensive cycle
routes, the Westfield Woden bus interchange and Athllon Drive which connect Woden
town centre to Tuggeranong. On an urban scale, the depot is located directly opposite
the Westfield shopping centre and town centre which is a central access point for residents in both east and west locations. The light rail carriages itself become parts of the circulation of the station. The structure of the depot allows for a variety of configurations and is designed to a grid system which allows the light rail carriages to line up and connect to form these integrated corridors between the permanent structure and the ‘mobile’ carriages.

14 : Final : Carriage

this is my favourite image of the project.

14 : Development : Carriage

In an earlier post I decided that consertina doors were the simplest way to I started by developing the section and then made quick decisions from there - absolutely no time to waste!  The basic carriage design itself is a modified version of the Bombardier Light Rail System.

14 : Final : Station Section

I order to fully convey my approach, I also drew some line drawings with annotations of a short and long section.  My process was to cut the section in sketchup first, and then trace in cad.. and then ifnal touches in illustrator.

14 : Exemplars

Structural principles such as repetition evoke a sense of movement within a design.  I am inspired by the use of materials and spatial arrangements of these projects:

Centre d’Examen du Permis / a+ Samuel Delmas / France

Puerta Umbría High Speed Rail Station / Rafael de La-Hoz Arquitectos / Spain

Infostructure / Manifesto / London

Infostructure / Manifesto / London

BA_LIK / Vallo Sadovsky Architects / Slovakia

BA_LIK / Vallo Sadovsky Architects / Slovakia

Temporary Hotel / IAA Architects

Flederhaus / Heri & Salli / Vienna, Austria

Cadiz Temporary Pavilion / Breathnach Donnellan with EASA Participants / Spain

Temporary Art Pavillion / 4F-K

Temporary Art Pavillion / 4F-K

Temporary Art Pavillion / 4F-K

Design Miami Tent / Moorhead & Moorhead / Miami

China Agricultural University Gymnasium

China Agricultural University Gymnasium

China Agricultural University Gymnasium

13 : Structural Composition

13 : Split Personality

Over the past few weeks I have been establishing a portfolio and I stumbled across an old project I did named 'split personality'.. which was a convertible hotel/office space which catered for students, as they usually hold the characteristic of having two personalities.. one for study and one when they relax.  I suppose this is true for other profession, namely politicians.  They have their public professional persona, and then they have their home personal life... I suppose these lines are beginning to blur with the increased use of social media (Twitter updates 24/7)... but the split will remain..

Here are some of my explorations about this idea:

12 : Schematic Masterplanning

12 : Final Design Brief

My design brief has been a bit all over the place, just a whole lot of buzzwords like 'design for dissaembly', 'mobility of people' etc.. so I've written a more extensive brief which address each criteria, just so that I can stay on track over the next two weeks.  All of these criteria answer the questions in my lecture notes found in 07 : Lecture

INFRASTRUCTURE

• STRATEGY: Woden Valley Depot is supported by various existing systems such as extensive cycle routes, the Westfield Woden bus interchange and Athllon Drive which connect Woden town centre to Tuggeranong.  On an urban scale, the depot is located directly opposite the Westfield shopping centre and town centre which is a central access point for residents in both east and west locations.
• LOGISTICS: The light rail carriages itself become parts of the circulation of the station.  The structure of the depot allows for a variety of configurations and is designed to a grid system which allows the light rail carriages to line up and connect to form these integrated corridors between the permanent structure and the 'mobile' carriages.

 TECTONIC RESOLUTION

• PURPOSE AND FUNCTION: To simplify the built form for the presentation, I will use a basic greyscale format for general information and colour where necessary.  I will use an exploded diagram to demonstrate the three structural elements of the Woden Valley Depot, The internal steel framing, backlit skin of perforated steel as cladding and concrete as overall structural base.
• CIRCULATION AND ACCESS: axonometic floor plans will be used to help illustrate how users move from one for to another, through the use of elevators, stairs and ramps.
• STRUCTURAL / OPERATIONAL: I will endeavor to display a variety of possible operational outcomes, such as displaying simple diagrams with convey how the structure will react and move in relation to the people who are using the space.

 POETIC RESOLUTION

• PRESENCE AND IDENTITY: I will present my proposal in a variety of scales.  On a ACT scale, on a Woden Valley scale and from the user perspective.  This will allow me to show how my architectural entity is integrated with the existing context.
• USER EXPERIENCE: My whole panel will be based on how a variety of people interact with the light rail system over a 24 hours period.  This project diagrams on how the interior spaces of the light rail cater for a variety of needs during the day, as well as how the depot is activated at night time for public forum events.
  
• AESTHETIC RIGOR: As with all of my projects, I take a lot of pride in how I communicate my ideas.  I have decided to do one continuous landscape panel, possibly equivalent to 2 x A2 panels which will feature a train line down the centre of the panel, explaining the different stops with icons the represent the needs of that particular area.  It will also include maps of existing cycle/bus routes.  Above the train line with be images/sketches/plans of the light rail carriages.. and then below will have images/sketches/plans/diagrams of the Woden Valley Depot.

12 : Tutorial

Here are my scans from the tutorial this week, very messy I know - trying to get whatever was in my head out onto the paper.  I quite like the diagram I finished with and I will use this as my base circulation pattern when organising my programs.

11 : Tutorial

During the Tutorial, I spoke to Jane about focusing on the Tuggeranong area as a regional place of interest to focus on.  Feedback was that realistically, it wouldn't be liable for a light rail system would extend that far.  So we decided that it would be best to focus on Woden instead, as it is the first major residential area outside of Canberra, as well as being central to the international embassies and government buildings.

11 : Exemplar : Macro-Micro

Macro Micro isn’t a master plan, but a network of open spaces at macro scale, intensified by micro interventions at particular places. We propose a coherent network based on existing morphology, open spaces structure and landscape qualities. To boost various initiatives we propose to intervene at specific points in the city and the surrounding landscape to stimulate the revitalization process.

We perceive the railway not longer as a rupture in the tissue but exploit it as a landscape continuity: a new generator of urbanity. The different existing open spaces along the railway are connected and form a continuous landscape park. This new continuity intercepts the different transversal corridors and makes it possible to traverse the railway. It becomes an important buffer zone between the city centre and the railway infrastructure. The interventions various from a complete restructuration.

Their structure in wood permit to built it with little technical resources The corten steel, covering the exterior, is coherent with the industrial atmosphere, particular to the site. When the box is closed, it becomes a sculpture in its environment. When it is opened, the box becomes alive and invites

10 : Research : Loop City by Big

Really liking these diagrams, I hope to practice something like this for the presentation: