Week #9

Presentations


Presentation screen shots here


Reflections

Week #8

Interim Presentation


Returning to the interim presentation and the consideration for the powerpoint slides for Wednesday, the following problems are analysed further through diagrams and text:


1. Title of the private library:
   - Brisbane Library of Publicised Flood Disasters
A library located at Howard Smith Wharves, designed to educate the unaware and spark remembrance in the eyes of those who had witnessed the Brisbane floods first hand. It will be a building twisted and turned like the debris that shattered against the cliff face over a year ago. It's interior spaces will provide an eerie sense of familiarity for the destruction washed upon these banks, but also a sense of safety and warmth in realising it's an event the world shared with us and we pulled through. 

2. Summarise Folie CONCEPT
   - An instillation instilling shock and fear of the disasters of floods

Warnings Precipice - My Folie

My Folie design "Warnings Precipice" resembled a cluster of everyday artefacts, personal possessions and pieces of our heritage, twisted and rearranged in the wake of the devastating Brisbane floods. Its delicate position imbedded upon the face of the cliff suggests that a great force has brought it this far, and now everyone can see just how truly violent the floods were. 

Warnings Precipice - My Folie

3. Library of what objects? CONTRIBUTION
   - Newspapers on floods in the Brisbane region from over seas papers
A library of newspapers focusing on the traumatic flood events that have haunted Brisbane's past from the perspective of foreign countries. These papers provide old information to the people of Brisbane but in a new light, showing them how we are perceived to the rest of the world during the time of need.


4. Extent of objects?
   - Approximately 50-100 newspapers from overseas
A majority of newspapers will be in foreign languages so these will need some kind of conversion through interaction in the library. This interaction will be a digital experience and kept in a separate section of the library for those interested in translating the newspapers. As for the rest of the newspapers that are provided in English, these will be viewable in a variety of interesting spaces. 

5. Location on site CONTEXT
   - On the Cliff
The location of the library is directly related to the positioning of my Folie from project 1. Because the library covers content on the Brisbane floods, it was important to continue the theme from the design of the Folie and position the structure in an area where debris would have washed ashore. This allows for flood wise design should a natural disaster occur again and also leaves the Howard Smith Wharves site relatively untouched. 

3 sections to build upon in HSW, red square represents library positioning.

6. Size of program TECTONICS
   - Smaller then 350sqm
Because the library will be home to only 100 newspapers or less the size of the project will be reduced in order to create a much closer and personalised experience. The administration, storage and amenity areas will be reduced to allow for maximum play with the 3 main areas:
- Space for contemplation
- Space for study/thought
- Space for sharing knowledge

7. Experiences with the three study spaces FUNCTION
   - Intimate, quiet and somewhat disturbing in some areas to reflect the events of the floods
- Contemplation
A small area where few individuals can escape the rest of library and relax privately. The area will be a comfortable retreat allowing the user/s to interact directly with the structure/forms/contours of the building in order to find a relaxing niche to hide away in.  
- Study/thought
A larger space compared to the previous, allowing people to spread out and once again find somewhere to retreat and study. The area will be both exposed and hidden, allowing a variety of groups to take the newspapers and find somewhere to sit and read privately or in a small group. 
- Sharing knowledge
The largest space of the three areas will be an open area, possibly an entire floor of the library dedicated to providing a space that recreates the emotional qualities expressed in my Folie. This space will provide multiple areas for groups of people to come together and share the resources as well as interact with the papers in various formats. 

Week #7

Design Process

Context:

The HSW site has a rich history behind it dating from the 1930's when the Story Bridge was constructed. This history directly relates to my proposal for the tectonic qualities of the library, as well the the items the library will have available to the public. The HSW has been the victim of Brisbane's vulnerability to flooding numerous times in the past and has become the resting ground for the debris that wash down the river.

Howard Smith Wharves

The site is also central to the Brisbane area, surrounded by a variety of suburbs, industrial areas and also directly linked to the heart of Brisbane city. For this purpose newspapers seemed to be a fitting commodity that the local population may find an interest in as well as the topic of flooding in the area.

Concept:

The Brisbane floods and the shock of the powerful currents and continuous downfall of rain that lead to the loss of many homes and properties around the Brisbane area. The design from my Folie has followed through into my library design and shaped the media I will be displaying inside the structure. Its all about awareness and an appreciation for the power of nature.

Function:

To provide a library to the local public that offers people a unique opportunity to view newspapers from over seas that focus on Brisbane's natural flooding disasters. The exterior and interior spaces will provide both a calming and disturbing experience to the user, to help reinforce the devastation that the floods have caused. 

Interior Spaces

Floor Plans

Sections

Tectonic: 

Materials that I'm interested in using are shipping containers, for two main reasons, the location being Howard Smith Wharves and the relations to shipping history as well as the idea of objects being washed ashore or into the cliff face. The image below demonstrates how far raging waters can carry these large containers. This idea also relates to my Folie design of debris washed ashore. 

Boxed in (2012)

Designing with shipping crates

Some interesting websites and blogs showing architectural uses for shipping containers:

http://contained.tumblr.com/

http://www.minimalisti.com/architecture/02/shipping-containers-architecture-house-modern.html

http://gizmodo.com/5817002/a-building-made-from-shipping-containers-would-probably-scare-dexter-witless

http://designlike.com/2012/04/12/solar-powered-house/

Contribution:

The library will contribute to the public by providing a new user experience and an unusual platform and material to interact with. The information is already widely known and understood by locals, but the opportunity to reflect and remember the hardships and how far we have come will be ever present.  

Break

Design Process


The important part of this weeks design process is to set my own design parameters so that I can focus on the elements of my library that interest me and reinforce my theme. I believe the most effective parameter to set for my design would be the use of light and especially the resulting shadows. Some thoughts:


- Presence of shadows/shadow print newspaper? 
- illusion of underwater at flood heights
- Creating sharp shapes in shadows, avoiding sharp shapes in materials
- Light for relief? Don't create an unpleasant study space


Creating order from chaos:

How do I design a user friendly library based on the chaotic nature of the Brisbane floods? 

The image below is an interesting way of depicting chaos vs order and has provided me with  a useful way of considering how I might design either my light and shadow elements or how I might organise the spaces within my library. Could there be something in this piece of art that resembles the floods? It seems almost like the left side is the debris and the right side is it's resting place on shore. 

Fiona Taylor (2011)

Interim Consideration


The following problems need to be solved:


1. Title of the private library
   - Brisbane Library of Publicised Flood Disasters
2. Summarise Folie
   - An instillation instilling shock and fear of the disasters of floods
3. Library of what objects?
   - Newspapers on floods in the Brisbane region
4. Extent of objects?
   - Approximately 100-200 newspapers from overseas
5. Location on site
   - On the Cliff
6. Size of program
   - Smaller then 350sqm
7. Experiences with the three study spaces
   - Intimate, quiet and somewhat disturbing in some areas to reflect the events of the floods

Week #6

The Library


We were required to decide on the type of private library we wanted to design by selecting a specific intention and objects for our library. I decided to keep with the theme of my Folie, which demonstrated the shock and severity of the Brisbane floods over the many years. The name of my private library will be:

Brisbane Library of Publicised Flood Disasters

This library will be home to thousands of newspaper articles from across the globe, primarily focusing on the Brisbane region and the flood disasters that have occurred here. An example of such an article is shown in the image below:

Brisbane Floods (2011)

Finding Inspiration:
Before I can begin my design process, there are a few key questions that I need to answer in order to design this private library to the best of my ability. Currently I'm new to the idea of designing a newspaper library and I haven't previously paid much attention to the detail involved in a successful one. These questions include:


What is a newspaper library?
Most newspaper libraries today have the hardcopies of the prints digitised so that users can access them via a computer or online from home. Prior to this technological development, newspaper prints were stored (and in most cases sill are) on bookshelves much like the library systems we see today. Below is an image of archives of newspapers in the British Library:

Newspaper digitisation (2011)

Are there other examples of libraries containing tragic events?
After searching the internet for awhile, there appears to only be solid examples of museums around the world that contain information on tragic events. However this isn't all bad, the example of the Jewish Holocaust Museum in Germany, provides an interesting example of creating interior spaces to create a particular emotion (see image below). 

Jewish Holocaust Museum (2011)

What examples of libraries are available?
Now to look at libraries in general, particular the designs that contain spaces for printed works such as the original newspapers. I believe this would be the most suitable option for my private library, as I want the people to be able to see and touch the old newspapers rather them have digitised copies. There is something about smell and decay of old newspapers that will also add to the emotion my spaces will require. Below is a floor plan of the library at the University of Western Australia.

University of Western Australia (2009)

Design Process


The initial sketching process has been based solely upon my previous work with the Folie exercise and the location of the private library on the cliff face of Howard Smith Wharves. 

Howard Smith Wharves library location

Potential cliff face location

My idea is to make use of the cliff face location which is currently unusable on the site due to corrosion and debris. This location will also provide a prominent position and the ideal view across the river without interfering with the heritage listed properties located on the site. Below are some of the first process sketches and diagrams of the libraries structure, I'm aiming for the look of debris washed against the cliff face much like in my Folie design. 

Week #5

What next?

After the week of the exhibition we were given a small break within which to consider where we wanted to take our Folie next. The unit offered a variety of themes within which we could further develop our Folie ideas and take them to the next step of designing a Library for Howard Smith Wharves. The themes included:

- Through the eyes of a child....

- Education with commerce

- Tabula rasa

- Four dimensional diagramming

- Library park

- Volatile bodies

- Buildings as diagrams

- Inter-cultural community

- Learning from nature

Two of the above themes really caught my attention and these were buildings as diagrams and library park, both of which involved hands on design and interesting approaches to realising a structure. We had to select in order of preference our three most favourite themes so that we could be allocated in to our tutorial groups, mine were as follows:

1. Buildings as Diagrams

2. Library Park

3. Learning from Nature

I ended up with my first selection, buildings as diagrams (see image below), which I'm very happy about as diagramming and scribbles are one of my favourite past times.

Buildings as Diagrams (2012)

Buildings as Diagrams

What exactly does this theme cover? The brief describes it as a theme that encourages students to think critically exploring designs in architecture as a problem solver. We are to explore this process of problem solving by designing a library that can be directly related to our diagramming process (see the above image for clarity).

We are also given three separate zones within the Howard Smith Wharves location to place our library (see the image below). I think the best location for my library would be based along the cliff, as my Folie was related directly to the impact of debris along the face of the HSW cliff.

Project Brief (2012)

Week #4

Exhibition


The final week leading up to the exhibition was exhausting and multiple last minute touches were done to the panels prior to submission. Finally the time came to set up our panels in J-block along with 40+ other groups. This provided an interesting opportunity to wander around and view the quality of work that other students had presented. 


Our Design


300 Words:
Most members of society choose to process the trauma of disaster by rebuilding their lives anew, washing away the past, leaving little or no reminder of the event. Others choose to erect structures, which remind us of the physical and emotional scars inflicted by these disasters.

Our Folie aims, through remembrance and experience, to prompt visitors to understand and respect the natural, destructive power of the river and the devastation brought with it throughout Brisbane’s flood history. The Folie’s structure, thrust into the cliff face, allows visitors to experience and remember the impact of the predominantly dormant river, which has and will continue, to unleash its destructive power upon those who live and play near its banks.

The literal translation of flood ravaged Brisbane, provides a clear and unmistakable image of the devastation caused by the floods. This is a message our group didn’t want to stylise, as an abstraction of the concept would lose its effect and confuse the general public.

To achieve this literal translation, the Folie’s tectonic arrangement placement within the context, replicates the violence of debris being catapulted into the cliff face by the force of the flood.

This debris, such as structural elements and items of personal value, stripped from residences upstream and convulsed out of the mouth of the river into Moreton Bay, are items impregnated with personal stories of remembrance.

The collection of debris that forms our Folie is cantilevered out from the cliff face creating a structure still in motion, as though the impact of the flood had only just occurred. The function of the Folie provides the opportunity to walk under the structure, which accentuates the uneasiness of the cantilevered design, and provides the irony that beneath its roof was once a shelter and place to call home. 

Final poster design

Reflection


The design Folie was an interesting and fun piece of assessment, providing another opportunity to get to know more students within the degree and allowing us the freedom to create a structure that has few boundaries. This assignment has also presented an opportunity to further my design skills in photoshop and other programs as well as improving  and building upon my already acquired multimedia design knowledge from my previous degree. I also managed to get into an awesome group this time, huge thanks to Joel, Rob and Carol!

Week #3

Folie Design Process


The Folie seeks to instil remembrance and provide an experience of the force of nature and the loss thousands of people suffered through-out the years of severe floodings in Brisbane. Below is a link to footage on Youtube demonstrating the horror of Brisbanes 2011 floods.

Video of flood chaos in Australia (2011)

This week we focused on finalising the design concept and perfecting the appearance of the Folie in sketch-up. We wanted to created a literal piece of work that demonstrated the shock and terror that the gushing flood waters brought with them. The final rendered version of the Folie can be seen in the image below:

The Folie incorporated a combination of design qualities as mentioned in the design brief:


- tension and compression (supports)
- heavy and light (material weight, yet floating)
- bright and dark (light access)
- natural (floods destruction) and artificial (materials)
- hard (rough edges)
- disturbing


Group Meeting


On Saturday we had an 8 hour group session to tie together all our components and begin designing our posters. Robert and Joel worked on the model through sketch-up and other various programs to play with lighting and other images, while Carol worked on our 300 words and I began to compile the posters. Below is a diagram of my initial poster design layout and the components I wanted to include on each poster. There is also an image of the layout I originally came up with, with random images inserted into the template to demonstrate the general idea to my group.

Poster design sketch

Initial poster design 

Hero shot

Week #2:

Group Work
The tutorial session provided our group with ample time to throw around design concepts and extend our individual ideas into suitable Folie proposals. During the tutorial we considered the topics of Brisbane flood awareness and Brisbane's heritage trail. Below is an image that shows how we played with the idea of boundaries within the context of the site and how these lines could form the perimeter of our Folie or shape the journey through its interior. We used the walking trail from our walkshop journey in order to plot out the red line which resulted in an interesting artificial vs natural footprint.

Discovering boundaries

Folie Design
During our own time outside of university, we each had an opportunity to develop the initial ideas further to provide multiple design concepts for our elimination process at Mondays group meeting. I decided to play with the idea of flood awareness because of its direct relation to the context and the interesting experience it could provide for the Folie's users. 

Flood Folie design idea

The above sketches show the elevation and floor plan of my flood design Folie and how it works within the 5 x 5 x 5 metre allowance. The concept of this design was to capture the brutal truth of past flooding events by erecting a Folie that functions as a platform showing the destruction or disrepair in the wake of a flood crisis. The users could then interact with the space by walking up a series of platforms and experiencing for themselves the various heights that the water has reached in this particular area of Brisbane.

Transition Folie design idea

My second concept revolved around the idea of transitional spaces and providing the user with an experience of familiar space within an unfamiliar object. In this example, the user would experience the tectonics of the Folie and various spaces within and be able to link those experiences back to a particular area of Brisbane city. 

Transition Folie design developments

Concept Finalised

Our Monday group meeting resulted in a firm grasp on our concept idea, which put us back in the direction of flood awareness and the difficulties locals have faced during these times. We believed it was important to acknowledge the hardships Brisbane has faced and the context of Howard Smith Wharves was the perfect location for this Folie.

Town of Grantham devastated by floods (2011)

The groups idea was to create a Folie that resembled a house or shed smashed against the cliff face after being washed away in severe floods. This structure would be located at the base of the cliff along Howard Smith Wharves and provide an interior space within which to learn about these tragedies. The above photograph shows an example of the type of tectonic elements we will be aiming for.

 

Week #1:

Introducing the Folie
Paris / La Villette assisted me in the clarification of the term "Folie" and provided an inspirational example of "discontinuous, dislocated,  dismantled, disjoined,  deregulated deconstructed  and disassociated architectural sculptures designed by the architect Bernard Tschumi (Bure, G. 2008). The image below demonstrates Tschumi's artistic incorporation of landscape and structure to create an amazing display of architecture influential to my design.*

La Villette (Bure, G. 2008)

The discussion of Tschumi's work sparked an interested in the idea of a 'Folie' and resulted in numerous searches for similar examples online. The following images captured my interest and may contribute to the ideas that flow from my initial design process. The thought of designing a structure that allows people to interact with it by climbing or standing on it seems like an appealing option.

Sur Le Projet (H20 Architects n.d.)

Folie example (Creapole n.d.)

Site Visit

This week a group of us went on a walkshop around the Brisbane city centre analysing the elements of the urban environment and taking a closer look at the Howard Smith Wharves. Below is a series of sketches on sticky notes that I recorded during my city walk on Monday. The route we took depicted an interesting journey across the city, revealing many hidden elements that could influence the projects design. Each of the sketches below depict some type of strong edge or frame to the site, such as the over powering presence of the Story Bridge.

Experiencing the city by foot

Quick sketch of the wharves and evidence of the strong influence of the Story Bridge

Design concept of growth

Story Bridge and surrounding buildings

Interesting pattern and colour palette  

Direct view of the immediate site

Complete view of the river and Story Bridge

References

Bure, G. 2008. Paris / La Villette. In. Bernard Tschumi. ed. G. Bure, 71. Birkhauser: Basel.


H20 Architects. n.d. Repère Olympique. Retrieved on February 29th 2012 from http://www.h2oarchitectes.com/projet/1/h2oarchitectes_recherche_mobilier/Repere_Olympique.html


Creapole, n.d. Folie example. Retrieved on February 29th 2012 from http://www.creapoleblog.fr/


Town of Grantham devastated by floods. (2011). Retrieved on March 13th 2012 from http://www.abc.net.au/am/indexes/2011/am_20110112.htm


Video of flood chaos in Australia (2011). Retrieved on March 13th 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDip6a9kfB0&feature=player_embedded


Buildings as Diagrams (2012). Retrieved on April 13th 2012 from http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_81324_1%26url%3D


Project Brief (2012). Buildings as diagrams. Retrieved on April 13th 2012 from  http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_81324_1%26url%3D

Brisbane Floods (2011). Brisbane floods controlled by La Nina. Retrieved on April 14th 2012 from http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/brisbane-floods-controlled-by-la-nina/


Newspaper digitalisation (2011). British Library launch historical newspapers website. retrieved on April 14th 2012 from http://museumpublicity.com/2011/11/29/british-library-launch-historical-newspapers-online-website/


Jewish Holocaust Museum (2011). Abroad in Berlin. Retrieved on April 15th 2012 from http://sjsperl.blogspot.com.au/


University of Western Australia (2009). Medical and dental library. Retrieved on April 15th 2012 from http://www.is.uwa.edu.au/images/images?result_396520_result_page=18

Fiona Taylor (2011). Order, chaos. Retrieved on April 16th 2012 from http://drawdrawdraw-drawdrawdraw.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/fiona-taylor-order-chaos.html


Boxed in (2012). Retrieved on April 18th 2012 from http://contained.tumblr.com/