Suture
Inhale
Play
Showing posts with label Urban Stitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Urban Stitch. Show all posts
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Team 9 Ups and Downs
Last night provided many challenges, to say the least!
Door goes up wind comes in, face gets wind burnt, temperature drops to -20, wind rips through our souls.
Would the joys of working in Docklands biggest wind tunnel prove too much for us?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Team 9 Day 2 - Take a deep breath...
Now exhale…
Why don’t you sit down and take a look at that view!?
That’s right, busy office worker, just relax.
Can’t you hear the wind on the water, the rustle of the leaves, the flapping sails?
The wind doesn’t like your daily routine, your boring schedule, your busy life, that’s why she rips straight through your belly. We can hear what she’s saying…Come out of that stuffy air conditioned office and consider yourselves lucky, how good is it to have the sea breeze filling up your lungs!
What are we beginning to understand about our site?
What do we know about the world?
- how good relaxation is for health
- the need for a healthier way of life within the city
There are more than a few things we want to achieve...
- connecting the daily grind of the city, to the seaside
- providing alternative experiences to the normal working day and the coldness of city life. Yeah we know you are at work, but why cant you sit back and enjoy it?
- Chance meetings and playful interactions
- Highlighting colour and joy of natural elements.
- Vertical interactions, stitching the surrounding buildings to the public environment, the human scale, through the thread of human interaction
- Escaping confines for the fresh air outside, taking a moment to breathe within our site.
- Harness the framed site views, taking a moment to stop and enjoy what’s in front and above you
- Discovering senses through natural elements
We are investigating the idea of breath and breathing. Not only for our site but for the Docklands precinct as a whole. We want to breathe life into Docklands and use our site as a vehicle to demonstrate this. This idea of breath sits well within our site. A thoroughfare between office buildings its extremely windy, air passing through. We want to drag people between Bourke St and the Harbour Esplanade through our site. A transitory space, drawing people in, a breath.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Team 9 - 72 hours begins… Day 1
It was a beautiful start to Day 1 - sunny and still...(or so we thought)!
Team 9 (SH10.K) received our brief for site 4:
Urban / Stitch:
Sculpture thoroughfare
Fixing, a temporary procedure to affix one to another,make mend or join something, suture.
Your challenge is to create a weave using the existing threads to offer an alternative experience to the thoroughfare.
You are required to tap into the physical and invisible site conditions.
You must consider the dynamics of time; Eg, night and day, site conditions, seasons etc.
Our Site:
Is really interesting! A thoroughfare between the two National Australia Bank buildings linking Bourke St to the Harbour, along Captain's Walk. Although our site is outside (has an open roof), unless you actually look up you might not even realise this? It feels very enclosed and separated from the outside world. It is a transitory space, almost entirely surrounded by the built form and its main occupants are office workers coming to and from their buildings. Our space is not highly visible to the public from the Harbour and completely invisible from Bourke St. It is however, extremely visible from the office floors above with any meeting rooms and corridors overlooking our site.
We spent a lot of time walking around the site and talking with office workers and general passers by.
There were some really key elements that stood out to us:
- Even when it is calm and still outside, within our site there is always wind. Wind comes in from both directions. There is even a ‘wind door’. When this is down the main circulation is through a small revolving door.
- It’s dark and cold with no life and all hard paving.
- Our site has slope and framed harbour views. It is mostly office circulation, and a smoking corner.
Ideas:
We talked about A LOT. in brief...
- Connections: bottom to top, left to right and through, the need to attract and distract people into our site, the idea of bring people in and spitting people back out. Do we want to create a usable space?
- The relationship and different experiences of Bourke Street and the Harbour boardwalk - what is the role of our thourougfare/corridor/ system
- Wind and sound. Stitching people together, stitching people to place.
- Work versus play, the head versus the heart, creating different environments
Monday, July 25, 2011
Team 9 - Discussions on Docklands
Jimmy - Landscape Architecture Student, mid 20s, Parkville VIC
Jimmy: 虽然docklands附近的景观比较平淡， 但是沿岸的步行道行走起来还是比较舒适的。Even though the landscape is a bit boring around docklands, it is quite comfortable walking along the piers, 步行道比较宽阔，沿路绿化比较充足，遮荫比较好。It has wide footpaths with sufficient greenery along the sides that provides nice shading
T9: Do you have any suggestions to improve docklands?
Jimmy: 驳岸太高了，亲水性不好，建议可以建和水面持平的平台。停船的突堤太密集了，建议减少停船位，
提供更多的开放水面。Provide larger water body by having less jetties for boats, and decking that is more levelled with the water surface which would bring people close to the water
Will – Golf Designer, 30s, Fairfield VIC
Will: Only been there once, I wasn’t able to appreciate the recent development as the weather was poor… Haven’t been back since as there is no real attraction to visit or maybe it isn’t publicised enough
Gemma: Little bit, everything you need is in the city already, there is not much reason to go.
T9: Yes, where is the incentive for people?
Gemma: Something unique, like the big ferris wheel, but it didn’t do a good job at attracting people.”
T9: So, would you live there?
Gemma: No, it’s like a ghost town.
T9: Come on, something positive?
Gemma: It is good that they are doing something about the area! More thoughts need to go into the development.
Akihito – Landscape Architect, 20s, VIC
Ian - Contract administrator, 50s, Mount Dandenong, VIC
Ian: I applauded the move, but the site lacks cohesion and balance of space.
T9: How can we improve it?
Ian: Start knocking down the buildings, haha... no I think the space between the building are to close together and too high. It needs to be more vibrant! It’s all about critical mass, you can go down there and shot a gun and not hit anybody
T9: Haha, it is quite empty when there is no activity at the stadium
Ian: Exactly, its like a cork in the middle, and you got to ask you self why you are going there? Given the arrangement of the site it would have always been a challenge to develop a strong cohesive feel across the whole of the site, this has been exacerbated by the use of different developers (and consequently planners and architects).
While some may feel the stadium is a focal point for the area however for me it acts as a plug which impacts on the physical and visual flow through the area.
I cannot comment on the residential area (although I do like a few of the buildings) as I have not been there for some considerable time however I am prepared to comment on the northern sector which contains the icehouse, Ferris wheel etcetera. Again this area lacks character. There is not a lot in the architecture to excite me, the access feels constricted and the buildings overpowering and the ground plane loses its way in the pedestrian carriage ways.
Finally I feel they face a disconnect with the city. Part of it is a result of the train lines and roadways that transect the area and the other is the pedestrian access from the city centre to the docklands area (tram access is OK if not well advertised). Finally you have to have a reason to go there and unless you live there I cannot see why you would leave the CBD to travel there and that is the crux of it in my mind. The area has got to offer some thing more or something different or most likely something of both. What has it got (actually or potentially) that the CBD and other areas do not??? How do you develop/bring that out (promoting it is for others)?
Victor - 23, Melbourne, VIC
Victor: The place is cold and windy. Buildings are too big, however, it has a really interesting plan, with the end of the Victoria harbor precinct physically connected by the column of the Bridge. That is a really interesting connection. First of all, I don’t go to clubs or shop or even watch AFL, so the main activities in Dockland do not attract people like me to visit.
T9: Why do you think docklands is the way it is?
Victor: The place is not rich in culture or activities. Since it is a new place, a unique or a very strong attractor is required to pull the people into the city. It's the star Architecture which will eventually follow by a series of developments like the Bilbao effects. However, Bilbao effect does not sustain the place for a long time. A rich and diverse city has to be nurtured. I guess the place was developed too fast, too focused on the plan. There needs to be a reflective process after a each phase of development.
T9: What kind of activities, in your opinion, would activate the use of public space in docklands?
Victor: I think more communal interaction is important. A sense of belonging for the people of Docklands who are going to be more passionate about development instead of a 'foreign' developers and external 'intelligence'. I think any new activities will be a plus point to Docklands. I'm not sure what activity will be effective to revitalise the place instantly, but i would say it has to be something that the city doesn't have or never have. I would suggest to look at docklands as the entire area...the Toll Road, Footscray Road, Wurundjeri Way, Lorimer Street. The point is to see the water as a future habitable space to generate new and funky activities.
Macus - 22, SCIARC, California
Macus: Beautiful, and a bit classy. It has nice views, and large open spaces.
T9: Why do you think docklands is the way it is?
Macus: It has the river next to it. And a stadium as the main event stage.
T9: What kind of activities, in your opinion, would activate the use of public space in docklands?
Macus: Flying kites, nursery for plants, dating hotspots, live tv shows (like cooking)? Yoga classes?
Justin: Expensive? Luxurious?
T9: So you don't like spending time there?
Justin: Well, I do but if you ask my opinion, I'd say those 2 adjectives.
T9: What kind of activities do you think will attract you to spend time there?
Justin: Not quite sure what we can do now in the winter though, windy and cold. Food will definitely bring me there, cultural related festivals, food stalls.
Sean – Student, Master of Architecture Melbourne University
Sean: As a university student, I feel that is not such a pleasant place to stay due to the lack of the amenities the city has mainly the entertainment outlets, cafes and bars.
T9: Any thoughts about the open and public spaces in Docklands?
Sean: Public open spaces in docklands are in abundance but I feel that they lack integration with the overall built form of docklands. Whenever I’m there over the weekends, most of the areas around docklands with the exception of the harbor town precinct feels dead making the open spaces feel desolate.
T9: How do you see Docklands in 5 years time?
Sean: Unless further improvements are done to make the streets and open spaces more lively, that is with more cafes, bars and entertainment, it will remain as it is.
T9: Name one aspects of Docklands you think needs improvement.
Sean: More diversed programs to encourage people to visit the area.
Serena - Accountant
Serena: Very expensive! The cost of accommodation and daily expenses are relatively high compared to surrounding suburbs. So not a lot people I guess could afford to stay there.
T9: Any thoughts about the open and public spaces in Docklands?
Serena: More open spaces compared to the CBD based on the area ration. But there aren’t any larger parks around, mostly small green open spaces scattered around. And to be honest, not really useful. There aren’t enough trees within those small ‘parks’. It doesn’t attract me as a place to hang around or jog.
T9: How do you see Docklands in 5 years time?
Serena: I guess when the residential and commercial projects complete within the next few years, maybe it will be more lively.
T9: Name one aspects of Docklands you think needs improvement.
Serena: More trams. It is quite hard to get around in Docklands, especially from one end to the other.
Praveen - Student, Business Economics and Finance
Praveen: Since it is located right next to the CBD, not as quiet as the suburbs and not as crowded as the CBD, I would love to stay there. Also, I study in RMIT city campus, so it takes around 10 minutes to travel between my apartment and university.
T9: Any thoughts about the open and public spaces in Docklands?
Praveen: I don’t really have much comment about that since I hardly use open and public spaces. One thing I notice is it gets really dark at night, there are lack of street lights.
T9: How do you see Docklands in 5 years time?
Praveen: When they are done with the constructions then I think the whole area would be livelier. But they definitely have to develop the Victoria Harbor area. Seems pretty dead when compared Harbor Town.
T9: Name one aspects of Docklands you think needs improvement.
Praveen: I think they should increase the frequency of trams travelling between the CBD and Docklands.
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