FINAL THESIS: A Place To Be...

STUDIO CODE V8 

V8 Lauren Richardson 

FINAL THESIS 

A place to be…

  

Hypothesis

A space may exist in the urban context that offers a versatile place to be for everyone at any time for multiple coexisting commonly performed activities.

Modular private places in public spaces, such as sleeping capsules, are emerging in high density urban and transition areas around the world, such as in air ports and train stations. While currently, these modules offer temporary occupation of limited, specific amenities for rent, I propose that these types of shared services could be elaborated to offer communal urban activity stations with a range of specific environments available for temporary personal use.  

Site

The site is located at the periphery of the CBD, at the intersection of Victoria and Elizabeth Streets, in front of The Victoria Market. The site location and several existing site attractors determine the activities that currently take place here. Mostly the site is used as a transitional space, forming part of several pedestrian routes and providing a temporary rest spot for passers-by and local shop workers. 

I propose to extend the current site program to provide the city with a place to be. This place will accommodate the broader site’s homeless population, as well as people in or around the CBD who simply want to pass time or wait. It will provide facilities for people to perform various activities when they are unable to perform these activities elsewhere for various reasons, such as their current location, inaccessibility, homelessness or lack of appropriate space, environment or privacy. The site will act as a place to be when one has no place to be or has no place to perform their desired activity. This site will offer populations within the CBD mixed-use communal facilities available for temporary private occupation.

Programme

The scope of this project will accommodate activities derived from observations of the nature of the existing site. These activities will be associated with homelessness (including sleeping and personal hygiene), passing time or waiting, meeting people, working, eating, resting, recreation and exercising.

The project will materialise as a hierarchical hybrid building that is structured around the juxtaposition of environments conducive to different activities. Juxtaposed hybrids that will be considered include: private space and public places, transient, short term and long term stays, tranquillity and stimulation, outside and inside, light and dark, confinement and spaciousness. These hybrids will provide private space that is available for public use, public space available for temporary private acquisition, spaces to be, places for everyone, shelter, protection, refuge and facilities for mixed activities. 

The project will be centred around six key programmatic themes including self preservation, place, path, social engagement, service provisions and sustenance. This may culminate in IT/research hubs, sleeping modules, eating spots, hot desks, personal hygiene amenities, library, storage for personal belongings, exercise arenas, rejuvenation and relaxation retreats.

Method

Program generators will be used to establish program schedules and possible hybrids, and to determine which programs have shared activities and requirements. These results will determine program groups to establish which programs can share facilities and which will need to be isolated from others.

Rule based systems will inform diagrams that will generate spatial relationships and design outcomes for material systems.

Grasshopper will be used to generate multiple design outcome possibilities that will influence spatial layout, architectural forms and material systems. Inputs and coding for design generation outcomes will be determined by the rule based systems established to form spatial relationships and generate architectural form.

Diagrams will be used to describe, explain and rationalise spatial relationships. They will also be used to generate design outcomes for the final architectural form and material system. 

Diagrams will be employed to organise information that will feed into program generators to determine spatial arrangements. Architectural form will be determined by rule based systems that will organise material systems and drive grasshopper outcomes.