Friday, August 22, 2008

ARCH1202 Exercise 1 - Week 4

A1 POSTERS




Brief Site Analysis:

Coogee Beach:
  • aboriginal meaning of the word ‘koojah’: ‘stinking seaweed’ or ‘smelly place’
Coogee Oval:
  • a coastal void
  • a place for international, state, & regional sports, namely cricket, rugby league & rugby union
  • Cogee Oval’s principal role – to serve the needs of rugby union in the area
Roof -shapes:

___ , --^-- , ^

Surrounding buildings:

  • emphasis on verticality
  • medium -rise buildings with big windows facing the field & sea

Figure Ground Drawing

  • showing the solid-building forms & open spaces (voids, alleyways & back-door courtyards)
  • red represents buildings on site

Coogee Oval - field analysis:

A combination of a square/rectangle with a circle

  • Rectangular: masculinity, vigour (rugby), competition
  • Circle (curve): femineity, soft (kid’s little football field/playground – family quality time), relaxation
  • Metaphor: ‘sea & waves’, calm vs. vicious
  • H2O – continuity, changes course if a rock is in its path, but slowly deforms the rock à soft & strong at the same time
  • Note: curve = community, peace

Grid System


As portrayed by the satellite, the urban fabric around Coogee Bay is constructed according to a grid system, but in reality it's a different story


Physical & Visual Permeability



Mapping

  • showing location of trees & how nature seems to blend in with the built environment by 'moving' diagonally
  • trees closer to the beach provide less shades (pines & palm-trees) compared to leafy plants (Eucalyptus etc.)

Contours


  • the field seems to exert an attraction force to its surroundings

Major Arteries

  • busiest roads: Arden Street & Coogee Bay Road

Density

  • from left to right: population/human activity, noise level created by human, noise level created by cars
  • the top row is of day time while the bottom row is of night time, say from 7-9pm


KEYWORDS:


Reciprocity

  • Aboriginal art - 'Fragmentation & Multiplicity'
  • fragmented architecture, blending in with its landscape

  • Ambiguity

  • Section of the site viewed from the sea showing reciprocity
  • dark charcoal lines - buildings; grey pencil lines - natural elements like trees
  • both grew/built according to the land form

Materiality

  • Coogee = cultural hotspot (tourism)
  • different currencies represents people of different countries & backgrounds that visited this place

  • relates to the human senses: touch, feel, see, smell etc.

Threshold


  • layerings
  • aware of change
  • different shapes, different sizes, different experiences

  • relates to distance, passage (activity), transition
  • defines boundaries where things start to change

Insertion

  • represents a sculpture (in squid form) that's placed in the public open space
  • based on the Bali Bombing Memorial erected in Dolphin Point to commemorate those sacrificed during this sad accident, whereby 6 members of the Coogee Dolphins rugby league
  • an introduction of new things, a break, but at the same time trying to link things with its surrounding, a continuum --> 'Duality'

Infrastructure


  • passages, corridors & links --> communications
  • program that links culture with nature
  • the drawing shows a wire-circuit: red circles represents a gathering place filled with excitement (here it's the Coogee Oval where the Rugby teams play)





  • alphabets & symbols: indicating roads & streets as a 'communicator' or 'link'. Also shows the traffic flow around this area
  • gold & silver dots: places where people tends to spend most of their money (usually round commercial areas)

  • Red: commercial blocks which are more rowdy with more happening things
  • Blue: residential areas that are more relaxed


Sketch Model









I tried to combine all the keywords & how I feel about the site into the design:
  • Reciprocity: curve & fluidness of the sea & waves
  • Threshold: transition between interior & exterior
  • Insertion: sticks penetrated through the paper, as if holding up the structure
  • Materiality: literally a 'map' for this is a tourist spot
  • Infrastructure: a community centre (design still in progress...)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

ARCH1202 Exercise 1 - Week 1

RECIPROCITY






MATERIALITY






THRESHOLD






INSERTION






INFRASTRUCTURE