the six 's's of stewart brand

the first thing our tutor said to us was that the six 's's of stewart brand were incredibly important to understand and in order to achieve flexibility, these would have to be kept separate.


[i] site
[ii] structure
[iii] skin
[iv] services
[v] space plan
[vi] stuff


keeping these as individual elements will increase flexibility of a building/space, for example; if the structure of the building is incorporated within the skin, to change one element (skin), both elements (skin and structure) will have to be changed.


moral of the story:


think in layers!


you can watch a series of videos on stewart brands 's's (how buildings learn) here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8639555925486210852

jelly mould studio

notes taken from the first tutorial class.
the permanent groups we are to work in were established,
my group members are:
Stewart Langton
Tahni Jensen


we need to come up with a problem statement regarding Canberra, and an architectural solution, keeping in mind the theme of flexibility.


the most obvious problem statement was that Canberra is 'not the place to be' as the capital city of a nation it is unappealing and not a desirable destination.


why is it not the place to be?


Canberra is related to the government
in tutorial discussions proved that people are not educated or interested in parliamentary matters


to make canberra the place to be, it must appeal to many people, include spaces related to them, educate them, be engaging.


possible solutions: 
- centre for asylum seekers and immigrants, to educate and assimilate them into australian culture
- mini-embassies which are modular spaces, which join together regarded the space and size needed
- transport system and plan as Canberra is too distributed and not 'pedestrian-friendly'
- master plan Canberra and allow for flexible use 


we could masterplan Canberra and respond to the other possible solutions


flexible; physically flexible, flexible mobility-wise, flexible use-wise, flexible space-wise
as our group theme is flexible a multifunctional space that adapts to its needs
WHILST STILL maintaining and preserving the identity of the nation.


plans and maps of Canberra were studied and we decided to focus on this large empty outer circle as our primary anchor point.

rough ideas on how the modular spaces would work surrounding the parliament house. 

nb.// the squares represent the modular spaces. 


oh and as an afterthought: the space must also be flexible in the way that it will respond to future developments, technology, environments and needs.

flexible

the first theme group i have chosen is flexible.
flexible...flexible...flexible... plus architecture.
i can only think of the cliched moveable partition walls, curtains, light responsive materials, modules and moveable elements...
but that's what flexible is right?


in order to broaden my mind and thinking i have searched for inspiration:

Text related to flexible architecture:


http://iaaa.nl/rs/autrearcE.html : Article: Towards a Different Architecture, 
Scha & Vreedenburgh 
this article explores different types and approaches to architecture, from post war to artificial.


http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2007/07/book-review-fle.php : Book: 
Flexible, Architecture that responds to change, R. Kronenburg 
explores 4 key factors: Adaptation, Transformation, Movability and Interaction. 


http://www.bookdepository.com/Responsive-Environments-Lucy-Bullivant/9781851774814 :
Book: Responsive Environments, Architecture, Art and Design, L. Bullivant
gives examples to how space can respond to people and activity

week three studio

tutorial workshop: 

week three group: Kat, Clint, Steve, myself

architecture should be a solution

...it should have presence, it should add identiy to fixtures.

we were required to create archi-fictions. taking a random context, user, situation and strategy to create narrative architectural solutions.

the first theme we addressed was flexible:

 Context:

The year is 2250. Aliens are invading earth to enslave the human race.

The current super power is Korea [Korea has signed a treaty with the aliens. Exchanging the earth’s resources (people) for food.]

            World Famine

            One currency

            Fossils fuels are depleted.

Apple is the biggest company, bought out by LG, holding 30% of the current market.

World Environment:

            Average temp increased by 6%

            Corn does not grow anymore

            Sea levels have risen by 3 m in the last 4 years

            No polar Icecaps

            No more Panda

            No more Bees

            No more Tigers

            No more Elephants

            No Koalas

Users:

            An Australian Family

-       Mum [Sharon Smith age. 62]

-       Dad   [Bob Smith age. 45]

-       Child 2 [Mable age. 24]

-       Child 1 [Keith age. 16]

-       Child 3 [Dave age. 6]

-       Child 4 [Libby age. 2]

Current Address:

45 Pioneer dr,

Giraween,

Northern territory

Situation:

One world government – Based in Canberra

Aliens communicate through this entity.

The aliens have established a brief for human selection. 

The Smith family meet the criteria of this brief and have received a letter of conscription.

They have been instructed to collect their belongings and prepare for eviction.

The family has two options of approach.

1.    Go underground with a nomadic resistant approach.

o   Receives a modular pod to live in

o   Part of the resistance

o   Humanities only hope.

2.    Follow the letter of conscription...

      Certain Death

     Naturally we opted for the first option. And now for the fun part. 

      DESIGN THE MODULAR POD! 

     This exercise, although seemed pointless in the beginning, allowed us to explore and brainstorm how the government might work in different situations and what may eventually occur in the future. it allowed us to create possible governing strategies, organisational structures and methods, and how they can be assisted through architecture. 

     

     architecture with presence, architecture with identity and architecture in accordance to what the nation is aiming for.

Questions and Ponderings

the idea of the parliament was explored. How do we think the future parliament will work? will there be a globalisation of one leader? will there be an extended democracy? is there need for a built parliament infrastructure? could it not all be done virtually? as public information and networking expands, the public voices grow and their opinions become easily expressed. the parliament could eventually become similar to an internet forum, discussing amendments to bills in a chat group. digital security could become more crucial than physical. the need to gather elected leaders in one location could be dismissed, each region gathering in a local hub, all connected to each other (other hubs).  The hubs could be portable, modular - fitting together to create flexible spaces. 


politics has never been so interesting. 

Constantly keeping the context of Canberra in mind, the city and its design was investigated. 
A paper called 'Design Quality in the Capital' was found, and it had many interesting examples and explored qualities that describe good design for the city. 
                                                  
Good city design is about more than just buildings. 
It is about the creation of a quality public domain that is attractive, accessible 
and pedestrian-friendly. The procurement of good design outcomes depends 
upon more than just good designers. It must have an intelligent planning and 
approval process, conducted by skilled development assessors. It also needs 
enlightened clients and active stakeholder cooperation, and at all times it must 
have the capacity to foster and respond to innovation and excellence.


Canberra is renowned for its quality of life. 
Fine buildings, parks and places continue to grace the most important areas of the capital. 
It is a uniquely beautiful, efficient and livable city. Good urban design will ensure such qualities 
are enhanced and protected and that Australia’s capital will continue to be 
planned and developed in accordance with its national significance.


It became evident that the city as a whole should be considered rather than single individual architectural constructions. 


Here is the link for the pdf of the paper: http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/downloads/planning_and_urban_design/Good_Design_Guide.pdf

week two studio

Initial ideas regarding mobile, virtual, flexible and distributed were explored.
Groups for this week were established. My group consisted of:
Cat,  Catherine,  Clint and myself.