Urban Cube

When you are working with a group of people that you can trust, that are honest and that are hardworking it can be a joy and very uplifting. This isn't always the case, especially at university and in ways it can be very demoralising when no one seems to be on the same wavelength. There is plenty to learn from both experiences but in the first semester of 2010 I was lucky enough to enjoy the former.

It was the first day of the first semester of our 4Th year design unit. Without warning we were thrown straight in the deep end. We were assigned a week long group project, a "design charette". The task was to design a small gallery, around 3m*3m to fit into the urban grunge context of Fortitude Valley's back alleys or "Forgotten Spaces". To design anything of note in a week is challenge enough but then thrown into this was that I was to end up working in a group with 3 people I had never worked with before. I knew two but to make it even more challenging was a language barrier to be broken. The fourth member Stefano was on exchange from Italy, and although he spoke pretty decent English, at times it would be difficult for us to convey, in design terms, what it was exactly that we were thinking.

Despite such challenges, the group of 4 meshed very well and by the end of the first day we had a concept we could launch into. Our concept evolved over the week and took on extra layers of meaning and complexity. Despite sometimes frustrating moments, we all played our part and the end result was extremely satisfying.

Our concept worked to the size restriction of 3*3*3. Simply, it was a cube. What came to be dubbed the Urban Cube had multiple layers and levels of use. We drew inspiration from the surroundings, which was beaten, decrepit and unfinished. To contrast the surroundings would be this pure white cube, but like the valley would have two very different faces.

When the Valley at night turns into party central, home to revellers, misfits and members that don't have a label the cube is closed tight. It becomes secure to protect that which is inside. However, to reflect the mood of the evening, its skin comes alive with dancing lights, changing with the presence of company.

During the day, when safety returns and the Valley conforms to its other face, the one involving business people, tourists and shoppers the cube unravels. Its walls fall away and the roof folds up. Inside is revealed a series of sliding slices, each with two sides for artwork. The artwork contained is that of the street. Reflective of its surroundings, the gallery is a testimony of the street art, the 'graffiti' that tags the walls. It is a gallery that exhibits the art tastefully, in a way that is respectful of its context. The cube is a chance for local artists to show their wares and have their ability admired, not shunned.

Each slice moves independently of the other. They can be pushed and pulled away from the others. A user can pull out a slice to admire the artwork on either side. But the cube isn't done yet. Each slice becomes part of an interactive medium. Each slice has two halves, pulling one away from the other separates it. Arranging all the halves on one side in such a fashion reveals the cubes final secret. The halves seperated form a type of gateway or tunnel with seating. It pulls users through it and it connects within the alley the different points of entry and exit.

The urban cube is designed in such a way that it is both wary and at home within its context. It is there to be noticed and it becomes at its height an interactive artwork that celebrates the surroundings.

At the end of the semester, the best projects were invited to display the work at an exhibit, hosted by the Brisbane City Council. Proudly, our Urban Cube was one of the one selected.

The project was fun in its way, and I was proud of the groups effort. But nonetheless, it was a hell of a lot of work for only 10%.

Cradle to Cradle

One of my greatest influences is the well known Architect William McDonough. His famous book 'Cradle to Cradle' is what I believe, one of the most important works for any upcoming designer to read.

It is necessary to read the book for the greatest impact, but his TED talk is a great summary of the idea, the principle and the philosophy.

e2

One of my favourite documentary series is a look into ways architects, engineers, councils and collectives are pushing the world in the direction that is sustainable and inspiring, solving problems with fresh, innovative perspectives, pushing the boundaries and testing what's possible.

This series is e2. With narrators including Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman it brings these ideas, this philosophy into the living room where it can have the greatest impact, on the people that become the clients. After all it is the client that has the first and last word and if their mindset is open to these ideas from the beginning it makes the designers much more capable of producing meaningful outcomes through the design process.

The first episode of the design series to wet the appetite...

Energy by Design or Design by Energy?

Mixed Use Transit Orientated Developement
View the complete assignment here.

In the second semester of 3rd year our design subject had a distinct focus of sustainability. I personally am always looking for ways to integrate positive ecological and social outcomes through my design but it was of great satisfaction that the university curriculum was looking to integrate such things into our education.

The final project was broken into 4 theme groups, each relating to a different aspect of "sustainable" building design. The group I chose was Renewable Energy. I had a good breadth of knowledge in this area and I was keen to push the boundaries of what is possible when integrating a renewable energy system and building design. For me it was never going to be about just throwing some Photo Voltaic Panels on the roof and sticking a windmill out the back and be done with it, this project was a chance to use a renewable energy technology to actually inform and control the design outcome. The project was to design a Transit Orientated Development near Milton train station which was also mixed use. The theme of renewable energy would push and dominate the design but all other factors of sustainability would need to be considered.

I ruled out the use of wind energy in its most common form (due to Brisbane's lack of any viable resource) and using the deep earth (geothermal) was too impractical. As a result I decided to utilise the energy of the sun.

Originally I played with the idea of using thermal chimneys to create air currents using similar principles to the Enviromission technology. However this technology would require a land area that simply didn't exist in a built up area. As well, issues of overshadowing would have hampered any significant energy output. I looked at Solar Furnaces such as the large one in France but that would also require too much north facing horizontal land, which was not available.

After much head scratching, playing with distance, height and the various technologies I finally made a breakthrough utilising solar thermal technology. I was originally toying with large heliostats (roving mirrors) which track the sun and reflect it to a tower. The size of the heliostats was restrictive and had a large range of movement. To utilise such an expensive technology the number of heliostats would need to be significant. My breakthrough believe it or not was simply to use smaller heliostats, but because of their size I could achieve a greater overall reflective coverage area. They were also of a size I could design around, achieving passive design principles, access and movement.

For the technology to work I still required a greater site surface area than what was available. In line with future potential use of the site, the space over the railway line was reclaimed into green space, creating a connecting crossover between Milton Road and the precinct. This additional space would give the additional depth of land required to harness the maximum output of the technology.

The focal structure which would be the dominant residential dwelling would be mounted with the heliostats. The building was broken into 5 equal sections with 4 levels of apartments based on the Le Corbisour Unité d'Habitation model. Each apartment was split over two levels to access cross ventilation, sunlight and views. The levels were offset back from one another with slanted faces to the north. This slanted face would become the mounting point for the heliostats. This offset also worked perfecting in shading the apartment below from the northern summer sun while angled in such a way to allow in light during winter. The 5 uniform sections were arranged in a gentle elliptical curve, open to the north. The heliostats would then have open access to sunlight through the greatest proportion of the day, tracking the sun as it moved east-west and reflecting the light back to a central tower.

The tower and heliostats become an architectural insertion and by calculations should create enough energy to power the site. Mounted Photo Voltaic's on other smaller structures increase further the energy output and create a surplus to be exported to the grid.

The heliostats are not just practical but become a dancing, constantly changing building facade. The form of the structure is not just a reflection of the technology but an inspiring structure of what is possible for architecture. It is a unique, innovative design outcome.

The lay of the land on the site was maintained as much as possible to allow for the normal flow of water. A pocket of green space nestled between the focal structure and retail buildings invites people off the street and sidewalk into the site, giving back further recreational park space to the community. Hydroponic farming on the lowest level of the focal building is lit from reflective sunlight combined with artificial lighting. The food produced becomes an additional positive output, with food for the residents and food grown for use in local restaurants and cafes. The site is designed without on site car parking to promote use of the public transport facilities and bike ways. The residential building manages its own car-sharing operation for resident use.

The design outcome is one not just about energy, but creating architecture that responds to place and to nature while creating net-positive outcomes. It proves green design can be innovative and interesting and can be a means of promoting a new chapter of architecture. Pushing the boundaries of what's possible and what's positive.

Embassy Design Presentation Pages

Example Pages from final presentation of the Australian High Commission in South Africa. Second Semester of 2010, 4th Year Design.

http://generaciti-designportfolio.blogspot.com/2011/02/australian-high-commission-in-south.html

Australian High Commission in South Africa

http://generaciti-designportfolio.blogspot.com/2011/02/embassy-design-presentation-pages.html

View the complete assignment here.

In the second semester of 2010 our assignment was to design an Australia Embassy/High Commission. There were a variety of countries to choose from in which to host our embassy and after deliberation I chose to host my project in the Republic of South Africa. The embassies in South Africa are found in Pretoria, the administrative capital. We were free to choose our site and I found an expansive site outside of the city centre and closer to the adminstrative departments and other embassies.

In plenty of past projects our site would always be either located within Brisbane city itself or in proximity to it. I took the opportunity with this project to exploit space, and work at a different scale of building structure. It would be more about flow, creating space rather than jamming everything into a tight packet.

The High Commission was to include office space for the everyday functions, but it was to also include a residential aspect for the Ambassador, his family and much of the staff to live. Added to this demand were recreational spaces, dining spaces and function spaces such as a ballroom, gallery and theatre.

Delivering a project in a foreign country, in a country realistically one had very little knowledge of, is a challenge. So to engage with the idea of having an Australian presence in a foreign land I sought to find the things that connected the two nations outside of politics and trade. The two nations in many ways are very similar. We have beautiful climates with large expansive skies and lots of sunshine. As a consequence both nations cherish the outdoors and have buildings that connect the exterior and the interior. We also have similar fauna and floral emblems, we both see the same stars and we both have long histories of indiginous, celebrated culture.

I also believed from the outset that although the building would host Australian diplomats and citizens it is still a building in South Africa and it should be a building that the nation would be proud to have stand in their capital, a building that they would be proud to inherit in the future. Furthermore I wanted the embassy to be a place people lived and also worked, rather than worked and also lived.

So I set out designing an embassy that reflected the ideals of the two nations. Most importantly in this was to celebrate the climate, which meant designing the building to work passively, using courtyards and well lit connecting spaces, giving views to the exterior, and maintaining outdoor space for recreation and celebration.

I restricted my height limit to meet the height of surrounding buildings. I also aimed to retain much of the natural site condition such as the slope of the land towards the natural water catchment. In this way the embassy respected its place and responded to its context.

The highest points would be reserved for the important spaces such as the main entrance, the Ambassadors office and formal meeting spaces as well as the residences of the Ambassador and the SES staff. Through this I preserved views across the site, as well as to the city skyline and up to the Capitol Building. This also acted to link the site and the embassy to its place and context.

Local materials such as Sandstone and Yellow Wood Timber were combined with the use of Adobe Compressed Brick to root the buildings to its land and also to reduce transport of materials. Natural materials softened the exterior but are resilient in the local climate while also against attack. The materials could also easily be replaced using local labour and would reduce the structures overall embodied energy.

Large courtyards between spaces helped establish secure zones and separated functions of the embassy. It also created inbetween spaces for people to congregate and for recreation. It also allowed separate wings of the embassy to access equitable light and breezes to passively light and ventilate the structures. Where light from the north could not be accessed or was poor, the use of atriums and skylights were used.

Seperate entrances for staff and residences kept the functions of the embassy seperate and allowed a level of security and privacy. Special meeting and recreational spaces within the residents wing maintained a level of peace and privacy for the non-working embassy residents.

The spirit of the embassy was lifted with an architectural insertion of an outdoor theatre that is modelled off a protea flower and the proteas species(inc Banksia, Warratah). The emblematic connection between the two nations is a point of reference and a centrepiece, but also a point of connection for staff and visitors to the commonlaties of the two lands.

The main entrance is a focal centre, connecting office functions, gallery and the upper courtyard. The entrance, gallery and courtyard connected becomes a single large exhibition and function space. The main entrance with its large areas of glazing both to the south and to the heavens gives visitors and staff a view to the southern sky. At night this spot draws the eye for people to view the southern cross, a common and important symbol that is again shared by the two nations but also gives Australian's a connection to home, across the ocean.

Green roofs were a technique to reduce the loss of open space but also to maintain local biodiversity and act as a cooling mechanism. A large Photo Voltaic roof would also reduce the energy use across the site and be a method of keeping the embassy independent of the grid and thus more resilient as a place of refuge.

Vertical Farm: Responding to the Food Security Crisis

Fortitude Valley Vertical Farm
View the complete assignment here.

The issue of food security is becoming a hot topic in world circles. With the likely onset of climate change, land degradation, increasing urbanisation, growing populations and chemical resistant pests our food supplies are under attack.

So what are the answers? Well I am not going to pretend to be an expert but one design fueled solution may be that of Vertical Farms.

In 2010 I was given the opportunity through the university course to explore such a concept. I had done much research into Vertical Farms prior to this assignment and had designed a version in a previous year. However this time was an opportunity to produce a detailed, innovative and out of the box solution. As a result of this project I and three other students were invited by Greenleaf Engineers to present our work to a large crowd of assembled built environment professionals.

The project location was the Fortitude Valley and we had to consider the changing context of such a dynamic environment. Coupling this with what I had researched of Vertical Farms I came up with the concept of an adaptable and modular system that could change as the needs of the population changed. That as new technologies were developed the system could be adapted to incorporate it.

The farm is based on modular pods that are held to a modular steel spine, held in place by large holding clamps. Each floor can rotate around the spine to access equitable sunlight during the day and also to align with the crane.

The crane is used to bring an individual pod down to a work platform on which a crew can modify the outer shell and the inner assembly. The shell, and interior are all modular parts that plug in and out of a steel membrane. Parts can be stripped away, repaired, replaced or modified. The space can also then be adapted to suit the growing conditions of a particular crop or to raise chickens and fish. The manure from the animals can be maintained within the system, fertilising the plants.

The pods on each floor join to become a single large floor or they can be closed off separetly to grow individual crops, maintaing specialised climatic conditions for the ideal growing of a crop variety.

The steel spine also acts as the service core connecting to the ground plane to deliver fresh crops directly to the consumer. The spine which houses the plumbing and piping connects underground to the concealed worm farm. Worm farming is an ideal method of breaking down food scraps into a high nutrient fertiliser. The farm acts as a green waste collection depot for the surrounding area. This closes the loop of nutrient input and output.

The farm can manage efficient use of water and energy, which is supplanted through grey and black water recycling and energy collection through the use of photovoltaics.

The large pods at the front of the site are adapatable housing for farmers and their families. This allows employed farmers to maintain a connection and watchful eye over their crops just like out on the land, and it connects the grower with the consumer, increasing the faith in the source.

The site also has offices, storage and a specialised science testing lab for developing and testing new technologies, crop varieties and growing conditions before upscaling them to the farm.

My design has also been featured here:
http://www.earthlyalternatives.com/page/422543798