The Travelling Side Show

Politicians are often seen arguing with one another and could be seen to be carrying on like clowns, seemingly reminiscent of a circus. The hubs could be seen as a travelling side show, one that pulls up, unfolds, conducts business, and then leaves as fast as it came.

  The travelling side show concept.

The hubs need to fit within the existing size constraints of a shipping container to be able to move on the road or by rail. Therefore I need to consider how these hubs will unfold and fit inside of themselves, and importantly how they will expand with minimal need of man power.   

 

The expansion of the Soap Box, Environmental Theater, and the Central Service Hub

Access & Circulation

The image bellow shows the Access, Public Circulation and the cross ventilation opportunities of the structure.

 

It is important to consider these things early on as to manipulate the design to best suit the use of the general public, by providing alternate access points, a comfortable place to dwell in and to support the functions of the building use.

Project 2 Assessment Criteria

Assessment 02: The Place To Be - Architectural Proposal

Project 2 Assessment Criteria

• Infrastructure 

1. Strategy (12.5%): Has the infrastructural strategy been developed and communicated well in the blog and final presentation/submission?

Description: What is your strategy for utilising an existing or newly proposed infrastructure? How does it influence the way you design an architectural entity and how it improves the way politicians, governmental institutions and others offer and people access parliamentary and/or governmental services?

Utilising existing and proposed rail network to connect to major cities. The Structure is designed within the dimension constraints to fit within this type of infrastructure making distribution more efficient to areas throughout Australia.

In doing so the governmental agencies will be distributed throughout Australia to allow more equality amongst communities access

2. Logistics (12.5%): Has the logistics been considered and well incorporated in the design? Has the development been well documented and communicated well in the blog and final presentation / submission?

Description: Your design is required to respond to changing needs. Whether it is an instantaneous, temporary or long-term change, it is needed to be a part of your design consideration. How is your architectural entity designed to change, move, shift, transform, adapt, interact, etc.? Where do components and/or information stored? Where are they generated or manufactured and delivered?

The design adapts to the variety of needs of different governmental agencies with several types of structural plugg-ins. Manufactured in a factory and delivered onsite via existing transport infrastructure and adapting onsite to physical needs.

The plugg-ins expand once onsite to create a more identifiable and unique structure within the public space.

• Tectonic Resolution

1. Purpose and Function (12.5%): Has the purpose and function of the architectural entity be chosen in response to (latent) needs? Is the design response appropriate? Has the development been well documented and communicated well in the blog and final presentation / submission?

Description: It is imperative that your design effectively provides parliamentary and/or governmental services in response to needs. You are to creatively investigate the (latent) needs, and it is essential that your proposed architectural entity provide solutions or opportunities for people to resolve issues.

This structure provides vital education, governmental accessibility and services to communities outside of the Australian Capital. In a similar way that the Capital is a meeting place for politicians the hub will create a meeting place within communities outside Canberra ensuring political equity for all Australians.

2. Circulation and Access (12.5%): Has the use of architectural entity been studied and the circulation within and/or access to it been studied? Is it evident in the design? Has the development been well documented and communicated well in the blog and final presentation / submission?

Description: No matter what you design, it will fail if people are not given appropriate access to, within and/or between your proposed spaces. It is very important that you provide enough evidence in your development stages and final outcome that your architectural entity has good circulation and access.

Access, amenity and appropriate circulation are vital to the success of the public space.  Entry access into the structure is made easy with generous ramp access for wheelchairs, the elderly and prams.

Internal circulation is open with minimal interfering walls to obstruct movement. 

3. Structural and/or Operational Integrity (12.5%): Has the structural and/or operational integrity been studied and made evident in design? Has the development been well documented and communicated well in the blog and final presentation / submission?

Description: How believable is your proposition? It is very important that the proposal demonstrates your design decisions are informed by clear understanding of physical and practical limitations. You are required to demonstrate structural integrity of your design proposal, and/or in some cases, operational integrity to show how the distributed or virtual artefacts work as an architectural entity.

Practical and Physical size limitations

Structural integrity

Operational integrity of distributed entity

• Poetic Resolution

1. Presence and Identity (12.5%): Has the impact of the proposed entity's presence been considered and its identity been chosen with strong understanding of what it needs to represent and signify?

Description: It is vital that the presence of your proposed entity is appropriate for the context and signifies the services it offers. It therefore is very important to give specific consideration to how people identify and recognise your proposed architectural entity as a whole and/or a part.

Signifying a meeting place for the community. Structure is to be situated within a popular public space to act as a beacon of sorts of information, activity and accountability. 

2. User Experience (12.5%): Has the experience of users been considered and effectively presented from the perspectives of users?

Description: It is imperative that you made your design decisions based on the requirements of people who will experience and use (a part of) the proposed entity. You need to demonstrate not only generic appearances of spaces with people, but also construct scenarios to orchestrate how specific people in specific need experiences and utilise services offered by the proposed entity or parts.

Users

Community, general public, indigenous communities, people with disabilities, the elderly, children and governmental workers.

EXAMPLE of USERS:

Indigenous people

People with diabilities

3. Aesthetic Rigor (12.5%): Has the effort been made to pay attention to detail in your communication?

Description: This criterion is to reward your attitude towards preparing successful architectural communication. As architects, you will spend majority of time communicating ideas to your peers, bosses, clients, engineers, contractors and/or other stakeholders. What and how you prepare and present directly influence how others evaluate the credibility of your claim. Your commitment towards visual communication during development stages (through blog entries), final presentation and in your final submission is to be assessed.

Development stages : Blog

Final Presentation : Presentation Communications

Final Submission : Overall idea

Top and Sides

Looking at the forms and shapes in plan and elevation. 

 

With the shards in a transparent material to show through into the inside and from inside out.

Module Opening and Expanding

Here I am looking at the central hub and how sections of it could break apart and be used as connection point to other hubs.

Each line throughout the hub can be a transparent material that allows snippets of light and visual access into the hub from the external.

Open and Shut

Early consideration of movement or attachment of the hubs to one another. Some other considerations are:

• Structures pull out like a Concettina
• Separate modules connect on site
• Expanding materials to grow on site
• Folding out structure - flat pac system

Modules and Access

Looking at the main access as well as different module plug-ins for the central service hub that would be utilised in all the different governmental hubs highlighted in red.

Materiality

Light Weight : Dynamic : Recyclable

Ethylene Tetraflouroethylene commonly known as ETFE, is a type of plastic that is extremely corrosion resistant and very strong. 

It has a number of material characteristics that are desirable for a project such as this. 

Image Sourced http://www.zigersnead.com/current/blog/post/what-is-ethylene-tetraflouroethylene-etfe/

• Self Cleaning
• Extremely corrosive, resistant and strong
• Completely recyclable
• Transmits more light than glass
• Weights 1% of comparable glass panel
• Installation cost 25-70% less than that of glass panels
• Can be treated to modulate light transmission and appearance
• Dynamic Facade translucent/opaque capabilities 

Water Cube image sourced http://arc5177.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/biomimicry-in-architecture-2/

  

ETFE characteristics are well suited to the hub structures for its ease of transport, durability, dynamic facades and flexibility. 

Module

 Considering different options of physically distributing the political insertion throughout Australia.  

 

 

By using the structural constraints of a shipping container the structure can fit on a variety of existing transportation infrastructures. Such as shipping vessels, train carriages and semi-trailers allowing for easy distribution to all corners of Australia.

In these sketches I am looking at maintaining a central energy module within the constraints of a shipping container size. The other sections are pluggins that attach to it to provide specialised functions to the specific governmental agency using it at the time.

Design BRIEF

THEME GROUP

Distribution // Transprogramming

The traditional symbolism of Governance as a part of the built fabric of the city of power.

Distributed, overlapping, complex, decentralised. “Transprogramming” overlapping program within the distributed network of the “Capital”.

ARCHITYPE

o  Practical Experience

This designs ultimately aim is to make politicians more accountable to the people of Australia. Through distributing governmental layers politicians can infiltrate into society outside of the Australian National Capital. In doing so politicians will be more accessible through the built environment

o  Aesthetic Impact

Lightweight flexible structure that is easily distributed and infiltrated into communities around Australia. A place that has a sense of community, respect and an ease of interaction with all who experience it. Robust and sturdy that is intuitive to its expansive range of users.

 

o  Symbolic Impact

Provides a social hub and meeting place outside of the National Capital that is equal ground for the politicians and the community users.  A place that is identifiably “Australian”, and that is accessible by all users within the community.

Must:	Primary practical, aesthetic and symbolic functions: o  provide a built environment that allows politicians to be more accessible within the public realm o  be able to be distributed throughout Australia by means of proposed rail line and/or existing infrastructure either train carriages, road train or shipping infrastructure. (size limit 19500 x 2400 x 3500) o  enhance communities experience and interactions with the government and politicians o  be intuitive to use - identifiable by the majority of community o  ergonomically correct for users - height size standards o  provide a meeting place outside of the Capital City for both politicians and the community o  enhance symbolic functions of the Australian Government and the specific governmental agencies o  fit the context in which it is placed - various locations and climates around Australia o  provide essential practical functions such as - shelter, protection, educate, facilitate whilst enhancing accessibility to politicians o  be accessible by all community users and provide in some cases amenities for community such as disability accessible amenities and facilities o  easy mobility and assembly and disassembly o  easily stored when not in use
Should:	Secondary practical, aesthetic and symbolic functions: o  be aesthetically appealing to community and politicians  o  be robust o  lightweight o  feel “right” o  fit the environmental context (pavilion style architecture, welcoming, intuitive, technologically advanced) o  offer useful information and education the community o  allow for easily accessible maintenance of structure o  allow pluggins to attach easily with minimal specialised trades people required
Must Not:	Things the design of the product must avoid. These things would cause it to function poorly, be misunderstood or unappealing. Examples: o  be hard to use and understand o  be unidentifiable o  be uncomfortable o  dictate usage or user type o  be unstable or unbalanced o  be dangerous - eliminate risk of electrocution when wet o  be heavy and hard to move around