WEEK 13 LECTURE & TUTORIAL / CONSTRUCTION FINALISATION:

The following notes/diagrams are some final details of the construction and materials of the exhibition space and different elements of design and research that I have taken from other projects to help me. These are some things that me and Jane discussed in the tutorial that I have cleared up ready for modelling in Revit. The base will be made from plywood and an aluminium top layer that connect together with each wall/roof layer to create the carcass. I have chosen to use aluminium frames for each layer featuring cables and rods for bracing and support, and then use a fabric membrane stretched over these structures. This is two ensure that it is as light weight as possible, and that it can be transported on the light rail. For the fabric membrane, I think I will use a transparent material for half of the exhibition space to create an open and light space, and use either white or green/gold colours for the rest of the structure. LED tube lighting will be fitted into each aluminium frame to create colour at night time and bring the exhibition space to life:

After Yasu's lecture about submission requirements for the presentation, I have done up another quick sketch of my new panel layout in a1 paper size:

SPATIAL PLANNING:

After the tutorial on Friday I listed all the spaces that I would need so that the exhibition space would be useful for all different functions- parliamentary forum, Q and A, information/education, performance, gallery, market etc. From here I modified my original exhibition form to suit all of these needs and also to fit the site better as now I am not featuring a light rail station:

I was also flicking through my portable architecture book and found some diagramming showing the assembly of a portable architecture project. This is the kind of imagery that i want to achieve in my panels, so it is clear exactly how my entity works and fits together. This is also similar to my project so I might use some of their construction methods and materials for the exhibition space:

MOVING PLATFORMS CONCEPT:

So, my original idea was to design each train station to be able to be moved further down the line depending on Canberra's development patterns. Since I am now only designing a platform for each station as it isn't really viable to construct large stations for each stop, I will design this to be moveable. Since this platform is only small it will be able to be transported on the light rail, so i'm hoping this is easy enough to design. Here are a few sketches of the concept at schematic stage:

WEEK 12 TUTORIAL:

Today's meeting with Jane was good as it cleared up a few things to send me in the right direction. As shown in the previous posts I was going to design the platform in the centre of the road, the station with basic amenities and the portable exhibition space to connect with the it. Jane questioned if I really needed the station as Tom is proposing his high speed rail terminal next to the site, so there will already be enough services to cater for the area. So from here I will remove the station building which was going to be permanent, and replace this with an extended exhibition space that features a small cafe/kiosk and toilets. These will all be included in the mobile exhibition entity like the orginal idea, but maybe these additional services will be one entity that sits under the exhibition roof and can be portable by a truck. These are new problems I now need to solve and map out so I can start to model up the design in Revit!

The following is a basic design layout for my panels which will help me develop the correct drawings and detailing on the model. I have gone over the brief again so I think I will form the panels to have a big focus on the parliamentary function and how it is used to serve parliament. I need to show the need and purpose of the light rail and exhibition space and how it is used by politicians and members of the public. I may also do some kind of explanation/comparison of traditional forum methods in a traditional building, and my new proposal for a future concept- creating some kind of mobile structure that provides a common ground for all parties where different people can come together and discuss parliamentary issues in a more informal way so everyone can have a say? The structure can also be used for many other things, so showing its versatility/flexibility in the panels is important as this is main concept of the brief. I think at this stage I will produce 4 a2 panels- 1) infrastructure and stragey and purpose and function, 2) circulation and access and purpose and function , 3) poetic resolution and purpose and function, 4) logistics and structural/operational integrity. This is a starting layout which will probably change, but at least I have a starting point so I know what to show to portray my message effectively.

FORM DEVELOPMENT- EXHIBITION SPACE:

The following are some sketches of the exhibition space and how it will connect to the station. I have figured out the general concept of how it fits together, and have now got to really nut out the construction and materials to make it really believable. I also have to work out how it will assemble on the train and how many loads/how the space will be broken up tp move from one place to another.

I have also been tryning to think of ways to design something that represents Australia and that people will easily recognise. I'm thinking that I will take the Australian colours- green and gold and create some kind of pattern/design that it used for the actual construction and exterior shell of the exhibition space. I don't want this to come across as being too obvious so maybe I might  use many different shades of these two colours so it blends with the landscape, but also creates something that will stand out in Canberra. This is a starting idea so hopefully I can develop this idea more to truly sum up Australia and relate to parliament. Here is a quick sketch of the colour patterning concept:

I have also been thinking of an idea to include a 'light box' within the pavilion shell, that is used as a structure that a screen projects onto. This can be used as an educational feature or to enhance a show or performace, or as an aesthetic feature that can change with every location the exhibition space moves. It can be constrcuted on wheels so it can move within the space depending on the function. Here is a quick sketch of the light box concept:

 

FORM DEVELOPMENT- STATION:

After some more planning of the site, I have come up with a basic outline of the station building. This is very sketchy at the moment, but has given me an arrangement of spaces and sizes to work with. I have used the perforated metal panels in the entry to the building to help link the platform and station, and used a smaller version of the wavy roof used for the exhibition space to relate the two together to form one entity. The way I will design the exhibition space is to line up behind the station so when viewed from the front, they work as one building. These are some sketches of the station concept:

FORM DEVELOPMENT- RAIL PLATFORM:

So, I think I have come up with my concept for the light rail platform that sits in the centre of the road, in between both directions of the light rail. These will either be in the centre of the road for other stations in Canberra, or off to the side of the road, depending on the placement of the light rail line. An example of this 'platform' can be seen in the Adelaide example shown in a previous post. Since this platform will only be 4m wide, there is no room for station support services like toilets etc. so as stated previously, I am designing a station on the side of the street to connect with the exhibition space. This will be the same for all light rail terminals around Canberra- the station will be designed to allow a connection with the exhibition space and will be generally the same. I am thinking if possible, I may try to make these stations as portable as possible so they can be relocated depending on developments patterns of Canberra in the future. As the station and terminal will be connected and will have the same kind of structure anyway, I'm hoping it will be easy enough to make them both a portable entity. The concept for the Platform design uses perforated metal to act as a leaf canopy for the roof/shade structure. This has been chosen to immitate the nature orientated city and create a structure that is interesting but doesn't clash with the city too much. The structue will be designed using perforated metal panels to create shade but allow some light to shine through, a PVC cover on top to create shelter from rain, and LED lights under the metal panels to light it up at night time. Im still un decided whether to alloctae a colour to each platform around Canberra for the colour of the metal and lights- Parliament House- green, Commonwealth Park- blue etc, or create a combination of colours for each one. Maybe these could be the colours on the Australian Flag- red, blue and white, or green and gold, or maybe this kind of concept could be left for the exhibition space. I will also look into the possibility of having sensor lights to create a pattern or change of colour at night time when the light rail comes into the station. These are some sketches of the platform design at concept stage:

Here are a few images of the perforated leaf metal panel pattern that has been used on a residential project:

http://www.architecture-view.com/2010/11/21/breathtaking-ladderstile-house-in-london/

SITE ANALYSIS:

As I haven't been to Canberra before, I am just trying to firstly familiarise myself with the site for the proposal around Parliament House. My exact location for the light rail (red dash), changes to the road (grey line and black arrow) the station (maroon) and the exhibition space (purple) is shown below in the diagrams, as well as some google snap shots to gain a better understanding of the area. I chose this position as it doens't interfere with any existing views between the Parliament House and other buildings in the area, it is flat which is essential for the pavilion, and it is also prime location to create an integrated network with Tom's high speed rail proposal. This is just a quick analysis done using google earth to work out my arrangement of spaces and help me work out roughly how much space I have to work with for the site. I will continue to develop this further using contours and exact measurments etc. to design the spaces specifically for the Parliament site. I also looked into images of the Adelaide Light Rail and found that all of their stations are simply a landing with a few benches in between in directional lane that makes up a shared zone between all forms of traffic. I think that I will provide this platform in the middle to get on and off the train, as well as a actual station with toilets, a kiosk and ticket office/information centre as the Parliament station will be a main stop and mainly catering for tourists.

LIGHT RAIL RESEARCH:

To design an exhibition space that travels on the light rail, and to design the terminal for the light rail, I have to develop the finer details of the light rail itself like dimensions, number of carriages, road placement etc. The Sunshine Coast proposal uses two exemplars to support their elevated system and their at grade system. Since my new site is at ground level, I have done some research on the Gold Coast light rail proposal which is currently being constructed. This uses the Bombardier Flexity 2 light rail system, which is a good design to go off and develop my construction investigation, as it has been used all around the world. These are some images of the Bombardier model from a pdf brochure that explains all aspects of the system:

http://www.bombardier.com/files/en/supporting_docs/FLEXITY2.pdf

The following images are a few scans of some sketches of the light rail and how it will work with the storage carriages for the exhibition entity:

Adelaide is a city in Australia that currently uses this system. The light rail looks as though it is very much part of a shared zone with pedestrains, cyclists and motorists, and this specific station ( Entertainment Centre) looks like it isn't so much totally enlosed, but very much an outdoor space. This is what I want to achieve in my station design- semi open/outdoor public spaces to invite people into the area:

http://210.247.132.180/alt-host/assets/pdf_file/0007/39247/Brochure_single_pages_for_web_April_2009.pdf

This link is also great in providing lots of examples of light rail technical drawing which will help when I am drawing up my design:

http://greg-vassilakos.com/traindwg/traindwg.htm

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:

I was just flicking through one of the books that I borrowed from the library and found this floating pavilion that travels on water and can also be moved onto land to be used as a performance space or as a quiet retreat to read in the country. I thought the idea of the travelling space could be applied to my exhibition space, where a part of the exhibition structure could be permenantly assembled and used as an additional 'tourist' carriage of the light rail. Obvioulsy this would be quite small width direction, but could be quite long, so I will investigate the exact sizes for the light rail and see if this is viable for people to use. If not, it can still be incorporated into the light rail so people can see it moving from all over Canberra to represent a part of the exhibition entity. This could create intrigue to use the light rail, use the exhibition space, and also create a more interesting light rail structure. It will only be part of the light rail when it is travelling to another position around Canberra (along with the other kit of parts to the exhibition entity on the train) but maybe it could always be used in the light rail when there is no specific function at the exhibition entity and it is just used as a public space. These are just a few ideas, which brings me back to my original idea of the travelling restaurant to create a truly mobile entity. By today I need to have finalised the form of the exhibition entity and light rail station, as well as nut out the construction details of how the entity travels on the light rail while incoroporating this new idea. This is the project (Floating Pavilion by Fumihiko Maki + Maki and Associates)  that sparked the idea:

Portable Architecture- and unpredictable surroundings: Pilar Echavarria M.

This is an image of the pavilion being used as a stage that I found from a web site:

http://been-seen.com/travel-blog/art-and-design/floating-pavilion

The following scan is just a few thoughts on the idea and some sketches relating to one of my original exhibition forms:



LIGHT RAIL TERMINAL:

I found this light rail station interesting as the coloured cubes change when the train comes into the station. I think if I incorporated this into my design somehow, that also ran in conjunction with the exhibition space lighting, a real presence could be felt around the area. The thing I have to be careful with though is relating the design to Parliament House as it is visible at each place, and somehow capturing/imitating the view:

http://www.architecture-page.com/go/projects/frankfurt-heddernheim-tram-station__all

It could also be benefitial if the station acted as a technology or communication hub, where people could go to charge the phones and laptops? Could this be possible through extensive solar power or some kind of sustainable energy? This is just the start to an idea, but I think something that is added to the station function could work well with the exhibition space and also push more people into using the terminal and exhibition space as an actual public space, and use public transport as it caters for more people and their needs.

WEEK 11 TUTORIAL:

There was no lecture today but the tutorial was really beneficial in refining my idea. I was just going to focus on the portable exhibition space to support the light rail, and it was going to be transported via truck. After speaking with Jane, she directed me more to use the light rail itself to transport the entity to justify the concept and bring it back to the light rail idea. She also suggested that I actually design the light rail terminal to see exactly how it connects with the exhibition space. I think this is a good idea as it makes the entity a little bit more technical and a more holistic design concept. I also got speaking to Tom in our tutorial who is proposing a high speed rail that connects underneath Parliament House. He thinks it would be great if the light rail was to connect above this position to create a more integrated transport network, which I think is a really great idea. So this has given me some direction with what site to choose and focus on and the exact position that the parliament station will be. The site will be on a car park next to the large grass plane that is flat and easy to work with, as well as close to parliament house with views of the water. This will be a prime location for the exhibition space as it will be in an aesthetically appealing and well visited area. The light rail though will need to be incorporated at ground level and not elevated, as an elevated system will be too imposing on the area and disrupt vistas and views between the civic and parliament house. From here I will start to do a proper site analysis, design the light rail terminal which will be a generic form that can be used all over the city, and refine my exhibition space to attach to the terminal. This is the new site proposed, with the two carpark options available for the exhibition space: