CAP down under by Ashley VanMeter

CAP down under

Ball State University Center for International Programs Australia Centre: Spring Semester 2010

CAP down under

Ball State University Center for International Programs Australia Centre Spring Semester 2010

SUNDAY 24 jan 2010

01 st

WEEK

[Indianapolis, IN]

[Chicago, IL]

[Los Angeles, CA]

TUESDAY 26 jan 2010

[Australia Day]

[Brisbane, QLD]

[Auckland, NZ]

[Lennox Head, NSW]

Table of Contents

Lennox Head, NSW, Australia Community Projects Surf Life Saving Club Shelter Installations Portable Classrooms Masters Thesis Independent Study

001 004 010 012 014 016 018 020 022 024 026 028 030 034 038 042 046 050 052 054 056 058 060 062 064 066 068

People Lennox Head, NSW, Australia Week 2 Lennox Land Care Week 3 Lennox Head Public School Week 4 Sustainable Home Design Week 5 Environmental Education Week 6 Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club Lennox Head-Alstonville Surf Life Saving Club Lennox Head-Alstonville Surf Life Saving Club Ballina Lighthouse and Lismore SLSC Ballina Lighthouse and Lismore SLSC Week 7 Lake Ainsworth Management Plan Week 8 Shelter Installations Tallows North Tallows South King’s Beach Seven Mile Beach: Sustainability Installation Lake Ainsworth Beach Installation Seven Mile Beach: Lennox Head Installation

070 072 074 076 078 080 082 084 086 094 096 100 104 108 110 112 114 122 126 132 134 136 138 140 142 144 146

Boulder Beach Sharpes Beach Flat Rock Beach Angel’s Beach Shelly Beach Week 9 Sustainable Schools Rain Garden Week 10 Lennox Head Community Proposal Week 11 Tri-Pod Green Street Lennox Head Portable Classroom Skennars Head Learning Sanctuary Week 12 A New Housing Paradigm Weaving Teaching and Learning Culturally Responsive Design Architecture Adventure Down Under Abroad Down Under Events Management Plant Biomes Water Aboriginal Culture Thank You Index

WEDNESDAY27 jan 2010 Kevin T., Ray, and Zach K on the hike up Lennox Head Point on our first walking tour of the town.

rofessorPamela Harwood

nd grad Darrell

1stgrad 4tharch 3rdarch

Landarch

Scott

Luke Christen

Steve and Stacy exploring the beach the first weekend

Lyn Lockrey

ippers Njunior

Coly Tabberson

Matt Van Soest Sam Vonderau

igital Dmedia

Kimberly Lytle

Ryan Hanigan

Tayler Mikosz

Kevin Price

Ashley VanMeter

Mishayla Binkerd Amanda Bosse

Eric Lindner

Nate Schlundt

Nicole Tavernier

Ashlyn Ackerman Ryan Anderson

Courtney Basile Fiona Cahill

Nick Croyle

Nathan Geller

Zachary Henley Zachary Kendall Patrick Laughlin Steven Lentz

Ashley McClure Mickey McGlasson

Sean Morrissey

Kevin Tempelman Erika Tishner

Raymond Wilk

Lindley Harmon Kendra Prather

Kyle Rader

Stacy Rorick

Andrea Borkowski Joel Burg

Kaitlin Vaughn

Nippers (Noun): in surf lifesaving are young Surf Lifesavers aged between 5 and 13 years old.

James Richman

THURSDAY 28 jan 2010 [A Scavenger Hunt]

“

Our first “pre-studio” assignment: A Scavenger Hunt thru Lennox Head, including hiking up to the top of the head….and this was our view.

”

FRIDAY 29jan 2010

“

First Kangaroo in Australia

The first weekend in Australia it poured : ( so we pretended to be five again and made a fort in our living room to pass the rainy Saturday afternoon.

”

SATURDAY 30 jan 2010

[Surf Life Saving Competition]

SUNDAY 31 jan 2010

[Surf Life Saving Competition]

002 page

Byron Bay

NT QLD SA

NSW VIC

Broken Head

Pacific Highway

ACT

TAS

Lennox Head

Ballina 01 WEEKS

http://lennoxheadnsw.com.au/index.html

Lennox Head, NSW, Australia Our Australian Home Town

Source: Lennox Head lennoxheadnsw.com.au

Lennox Head is a small beach community on the East coast of Australia. It is part of Ballina Shire in New South Wales located on Seven Mile Beach. It is 750 km north of Sydney and 200 km south of Brisbane. The town is named after the headland Lennox Point, located on the southern end of town. This headland divides Seven Mile Beach from the beach south of town. Lennox Head is home to many natural plants and ecosystems. Lennox Head is designated as a National Surfing Reserve. On good surfing days we could see cars parked along the road at the top of Lennox Point and all the surfers trying to catch the waves in the water. Surfers are drawn to the area for the right hand break. Lennox Point is also great to see the sunrise, dolphins and to watch the annual whale migration. A Bora ring is also located in the town and has significance for the local Bundjalung tribe. Lake Ainsworth is a fresh water lake that sits on the north end of town. It has a unique tannin color that comes from the tea tree leaves that fall from the surrounding tea trees. A caravan park borders the south end of the lake and is a popular holiday destination for families. The Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre sits by the lake and was our home for the three months we lived in Lennox Head. The centre is a camp for kids during their vacation time from school. They have a pool, sport facilities and cabins for the kids to enjoy. We lived in stand alone cabins

at the far end of the camp. We had access to the facilities as well as the lake and the ocean. Dowtown Lennox Head consists of a main street that runs parallel to Seven Mile Beach. This street houses most of the shops and restaurants for the town. Open corridors between stores lead to Williams Reserve. This reserve is an open sports field that borders a rain forest which extends west toward the outback. The town holds a farmers market on the second and fifth Sunday of every month. We were able to find fresh produce including fruits that are unique to Australia. We were also able to get macadamia nuts, ice cream and kangaroo burgers. While living in Lennox Head we were able to explore the town. We volunteered our time with several organizations in the community. These activities allowed us to give back to the community and to interact with locals. The studio course incorporated unique building types common in Australia. We met with the local surf life saving clubs (SLSC) to learn about their importance in the Australian culture. After that we designed surf clubs for the three local towns and then invited the public to see the new designs. We also designed new portable units for the local schools. We were able to visit the schools and learn about their curriculum and teaching styles. By being so involved in the community. We were able to represent Ball State University and get an in depth look into life in Australia.

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LENNOX HEAD_NSW_AUS

sunrise from our spot at Seven Mile Beach

Lennox Head-Alstonville Surf Life Saving Club-nippers

surf life saving club banana pancakes...YUM

01 WEEKS

downtown Lennox Head

lunch and gathering space at the school

outdoor corridors at the school

Lennox Head Public School mosaic

caravan park

gymnasium at the rec centre

our cabins at the rec centre

Ball State University students on Lake Ainsworth

Ball State University students working with the local kids

Lennox SLSC members look at studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SLSC proposals

Ball State University students share SLSCs with local students

BSU students share SLSCs with local architect

01 WEEKS

downtown exhibit of semesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work

our studio space on Lake Ainsworth

studio/classroom space

Ballina Shire Mayor looks at students design work for Lennox Head

WEEK

MONDAY 01 feb 2010

[Dorroughby]

“

” “

Giant crickets?!! that are probably poisonous along with the other 90% of Australia’s critters.

In Lyn’s Class, learning about the plant life…… …..and the dangers…..and the GIANT bats.

TUESDAY02 feb 2010

In class, we went on a bike ride to try the “bike path,” but we did not go far. FAIL

WEDNESDAY 03 feb 2010

”

THURSDAY 04 feb 2010

Studio site visits to the surf life saving clubs in Ballina, Byron Bay, and Lennox Head.

FRIDAY 05 feb 2010

“

On one of my morning walks during the first couple weeks, I was excited to find a turtle, but then my smile was turned upside down when I realized it was either dying or dead.

”

SATURDAY 06 feb 2010

“

Nate and I went on an adventure, bravely bicycling to Boulder Rock along a winding highway with little shoulder room. We soon discovered the rough ride was worth the effort as we climbed atop the rocky cliffs to watch the waves crash into the thick foam.

”

SUNDAY 07 feb 2010 Students in scuba certification class finish their theory tests and complete the swimming test. A group of us on our way to our first surfing lesson in Byron Bay.

01 WEEKS

Lennox Landcare

A Hands-on Experience Eric Lindner | Kyle Rader | Nate Schlundt Client: Lennox Head Landcare Group

Lennox Head Landcare Group is a volunteer organization that works in the Lennox Head community to restore the natural vegetation of the coastal area. This group of volunteers have taken it upon themselves to rid the coastal biomes of invasive plants. Lennox Head is home to Big Scrub rainforest, headlands, bays, wetlands and secluded beaches, all which are in danger of being taken over by invasive species.

project. Their site had invasive vines growing all over. The group pulled up these invasive vines and used them to tie their shelter together. While learning about the plant species of the area the students also got to know the local volunteers on a personal level. They were able to share information about the area and the town.

Eric Lindner, Kyle Rader and Nate Schlundt, three Ball State University students, worked with this organization each week. The students met with the organization once a week for a couple hours to plant native species. They planted along the dunes by the Lennox surf club, at Boulder Beach, and along the south side of Lake Ainsworth. Along with planting native species, the group also pulled out invasive plants. The students learned that invasive species are mainly spread through their use in cultivated landscapes. The plants are either carried off by birds or dumped illegally by humans. In order to kill the invasive species the students would pull out the weeds and then hang them in the crook of tree branches. This way the weeds would dry up before they had a chance to grow back. At the end of the experience, the group knew more about native plant species and were able to identify them. Two students were able to use the knowledge they gained from this work in their shelter

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

WEEK

[Wildlife Biology: Rainforest Adventure ]

“

Just as our teacher was about to release us on our own into the thick rainforest to bird watch, we cautiously asked if there was anything we should look out for, like poison ivy or something. He was like, oh yeah, don’t touch this tree. It is a Giant Stinging Tree that will sting you like a jellyfish if you brush up against it. “In theory,” he added as he had his fingers so dangerously close to the enormous, elephant-ear like leaf, “if you were able to touch the top and the bottom of the leaf at the exact same second and spot, the leaf’s reactions would cancel each other out and would not sting. But I would not recommend it,” as he pulled his hand and fingers safely away. Only Australia would have such a tree and people so nonchalant about its dangers.

”

MONDAY 08 feb 2010

Watching our Indianapolis Colts play in the Superbowl at a pub for our Aussie sports lecture.

TUESDAY 09 feb 2010 [Brisbane, QLD]

WEDNESDAY10 feb [Brisbane, QLD]

2010

THURSDAY 11feb 2010 [Wildlife Biology: Rainforest Adventure ]

On our way, in our bumpy white bus to the rainforest, we stopped by the koala care center.

“

We went through Nimbin for lunch. Amanda and Mishayla were asked if they wanted/had ‘shrooms twice.

”

FRIDAY 12 feb 2010

“

Our teacher picks up a large, wild snake like it’s nothing and then lets us pet it.

”

Preparing for night trapping in the depths of the dark rainforest amidst the leeches, mosquitoes,…..

Friday = Official grocery day for BSU Aussies! Look out Ballina, Here we come!

SATURDAY13 feb

2010

[Tenterfield field trip]

[Bald Rock] We hiked up a huge, steep rock face to an amazing view of the bush lands. Then we had to go back down which was a bit scary and was definitely a work out for our calf muscles. At the end we had tea time with juice and Anzac biscuits. Some of us even saw two wild wallabies!

SUNDAY 14 feb 2010 [Tenterfield field trip]

[Sapphire Fossicking]

Lennox-Head Plastic Bag Free

Sustainable Computer-Based Curriculum

Lennox Head Public School Sustainability Initiatives

WEEKS

Clean Up Australia Day

Going Green Curriculum

Lennox Head Public School Sustainability Initiatives

Lennox Head Public School Classroom Experiences

Andrea Borkowski | Lindley Harmon | Kendra Prather | Kaitlin Vaughn Client: Lennox Head Public School

The Lennox Head Public School emphasizes the importance of a more sustainable community. Throughout the year students participate in a variety of activities that try to make a difference and reinforce sustainable practices to the students, families, and community. Lennox Head Public School surrounds itself with sustainable aspects: plastic bag free movement, Clean Up Australia Day, going green curriculum, a Lake Ainsworth Field Day Visit, and sustainable assessment of students and community. During the Lennox Head plastic bag free initiative students are educated on the effects that each produced product has on the earth both in the short-term and long-term. After becoming more informed about the issue, students participate in creating different prints on tweed canvas bags. After the canvas bags have been decorated by the students, they take them to the community and sell each bag at the local grocery store. The students end goal is to influence people to reuse the canvas bags as opposed to using a different plastic bag for each trip to the store.

forest. At Lake Ainsworth students create “Sustainable Flags” which inform the community about how they are becoming more “green”. The education in the classroom and the adventures the students take throughout the school year help them take pride in becoming more in tune with the environment. This education continues throughout the different years of school much the same as math and science do. Their environmental education helps them to live more efficiently in the harsh solar environment.

This hands on approach is carried throughout the curriculum and implemented in various field trips to the local area that emphasis sustainable practice. Lake Ainsworth is located within a ten minute walk of the school. It allows students to see how the recreational facility protects its surroundings through the built environment and shows the importance of sustaining the coastal

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

WEEK

MONDAY15 feb 2010 [Tenterfield field trip]

TUESDAY 16 feb 2010 Pam: “Can’t someone put the flash drive in their computer?” Ashley V: “No one wants your virus, Pam.” Playing volleyball by the cabins.

WEDNESDAY 17 feb 2010 Working on precedent studies for studio... Just like we do in Muncie.

THURSDAY18feb 2010 Luke, Ashlyn, Tayler and Ashley V on their first day of diving in the pool. We wore our wetsuits to get lunch and no one even noticed us as we walked down the street.

“ ”

FRIDAY 19 feb 2010

SATURDAY 20 feb 2010

First day of diving in the ocean for our scuba certification class.

Zack H doing OK in the water.

SUNDAY 21 feb 2010

Butters and the turtle.

Ashley V and Luke on the line descending to the bottom.

Ashley Presents to Students

Ryan Explains How Solar Panels Work

Students Present House Project

Luke Helps Student Attach Roof

Students Present House Design

01 WEEKS

Group of Students Working on Their House

Sustainable Home Design Lennox Head Public School

Luke Christen | Ryan Hanigan | Tayler Mikosz | Ashley VanMeter Client: Lennox Head Public School

Four Ball State University graduate architecture students, led by Professor Pam Harwood, gave a presentation at Lennox Head Public School educating students about sustainable housing. The presentation informed students about everything from rainwater collection to solar and wind power applications. Each Ball State graduate student was then paired with a teacher and a class of Lennox Head students to design sustainable houses. The Lennox Head students split into groups and were asked to design and construct a model demonstrating the sustainable principles they had learned. The assignment lasted five weeks from initial design to final construction. Every week the Ball State graduate students returned to Lennox Head to help the children along the way.

understanding of the material and had heaps of fun along the way. This became a wonderfully rewarding experience with many lessons learned by all. Ball State looks forward to remaining involved in the future of Lennox Head Public School.

The students were allowed to work on the project only in class. This challenged the students to make the most of their time and to use their teachers and the graduate students as resources. The models could be constructed of almost any material. The children were asked to be as creative as possible in this construction and to explore new ways of representing their ideas. Finally each design group composed an oral report outlining their understanding of the sustainable principles demonstrated in their house. All the graduate students and many parents attended the final presentation which were a great success. The designs and oral reports showed that the students held an impressive

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

WEEK

MONDAY 22 feb 2010

TUESDAY23 feb 2010

Sand Snowman!

WEDNESDAY 24 feb 2010

THURSDAY 25feb 2010 Grad students, Ashley V, Luke, Ryan H and Tayler, present sustainability concepts to the LHPS 4th and 5th year students. The LHPS students applied these concepts to their sustainable house project.

FRIDAY 26 feb 2010

Cheeky Monkey in Byron Bay What a great night!

SATURDAY 27 feb 2010

“

YUM!

”

SUNDAY 28 feb 2010 Mishayla and I rode bikes down the beach to Broken Head.

We walked to town to go shopping and we didn’t wear our shoes. No shoes. No worries. But lots of pain!

Solar Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mores

Earth Day Everyday

Rainforest Hikes

Sailing/Canoeing

01 WEEKS

Marine Studies

Rock Climbing

Environmental Education Lessons from Lake Ainsworth

Ashlyn Ackerman | Ashley McClure | Erika Tishner Client: Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre

The children that visit Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Center experience an abundance of outdoor activities. The childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; physical interaction with the rainforest, canoes, rafts, rock wall, and other facilities is unique to this centre. The inclusion of additional pointed lessons and experiences could enhance the learning environment at Lake Ainsworth. The raft building program presents a variety of opportunities to teach the kids about the environment. The instructors could further educate the children on the variety of recyclable and quickly renewable materials that are available and explain the importance of being conscious of what they use in their everyday lives. Bamboo is a great material to use as an example of renewable resources and the instructors could educate the kids on why it is so eco-friendly. Bamboo grows very quickly and can be grown as fast as it is used. The lake can also be used as an opportunity to educate the children about ecology and how to protect the fragile ecosystem. The children could be further educated on wind energy and the power that comes from it. A short lesson at the beginning of the class could educate the kids on the wind resources for this area and include specific exercises for determining wind direction. The instructors could also incorporate how the sailboats work and what other things could utilize wind energy. Benefits to wind power should be discussed and include clean energy and wind as an unlimited resource.

The current rock climbing lesson is very educational when it comes to the propers way to put the rock climbing gear on, climb and descend, and the various ways to stay safe while climbing. An additional lesson that the children could be taught is how to minimize their effect on natural rock formations if they were to ever climb them. Short discussions about how we as individuals effect and eventually wear away the natural formations, how to safely climb the rock, and how to preserve the various natural rock formations that can be climbed would be very beneficial. Children could also learn about the existing landforms in their area and can learn about what they can do to make a difference. As a whole the rock climbing activity is taught well and is very educational. The existing program is very thorough in educating the kids about the environment. They touch on a variety of different subjects and the snorkeling activity enhances the short educational lesson. The instructors should explain the reasons that preserving marine life is important in more detail and what the kids can do in order to protect the delicate habitat. Though educational lessons would be difficult in the water, some instruction while snorkeling would be beneficial to point out certain animals and explain some of the things they see happening. Overall, the program does a great job in educating the children and allowing them to explore the exciting local ecology.

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

WEEK

MONDAY 01 mar2010 [Ballina Shire Council field trip]

We went to Ballina to talk with the Mayor of Ballina Shire. Then we walked to the Naval and Maritime Museum to see the naval display.

TUESDAY 02 mar2010 Beach installations get postponed due to rain;(

WEDNESDAY 03 mar2010

Locals came to see our surf club design proposals. We were surprised by the turn out. It was interesting to get feedback from the community. They were really excited to see our work and our ideas for their local surf clubs.

THURSDAY 04mar2010 [Sydney]

Leave for Sydney! We took the public bus to the Ballina Airport. Everyone had to drag their suitcase to the bus stop in Lennox Head. The bus was crowded and the other passengers did not appreciate all of our bags begin piled in the front of the bus.

FRIDAY05 mar 2010

[Sydney]

Fiona, Lindley, Sean, Ashley V and Tayler explore Watsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bay and discover a great view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House. Studio site visit day. Each group traveled to a different bay to study its unique qualities.

SATURDAY 06 mar2010

[Sydney]

Whole group trip to the zoo!

SUNDAY 07 mar2010

[Sydney]

Stacy, Kevin T, Steve and Zach K in front of the Sydney Opera House after the group tour of the famous Sydney Opera House.

01 WEEKS

Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club Main Beach

Luke Christen | Ryan Hanigan | Zack Henley | Patrick Laughlin Professor: Pam Harwood

Byron Bay is a vibrant community full of shops, balcony space. Events can spill out onto the cafes and restaurants. It is popular holiday open area allowing people to experience the location for backpackers to sun bath and surf. sun, the activity below and views of the ocean. The design of the Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club was influenced by the strong winds driving off of the ocean. The canopy covering is designed to ventilate the spaces while scooping the excess wind up and over the building. The rib structure holds up the canopy resembling the changing of the sand dunes that are manipulated over time by the wind. These rib manipulations have an inverse relation to wind shifting the sand as the “sand” is now shaping the wind. The ground floor of the east building is designated as storage for equipment for rescues and little nipper events. Having the equipment focused on the ground floor allows for the nippers’ families to load their gear for weekend events without interrupting any life saving services. This also places the life saving services close to the beach, minimizing response times and allowing for spotters to see potential dangers. The upper floor holds all the offices and workout spaces needed to develop children into better surf life savers. Some of the different spaces include: weight room, lookout area, conference area, changing rooms, office space, and living quarters. The west building houses the restaurant and cafe that feed the sun bathers, surfers and the nippers’ families. The banquet and function space is located above the restaurant and cafe. The function room is surrounded by a

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SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB

01 WEEKS

Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club Main Beach

Ashlyn Ackerman | Nick Croyle | Ashley McClure | Kevin Price | Erika Tishner Professor: Pam Harwood

The main concepts for the Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club are to connect the city and the beach through the use of roof forms and building design aspects and to incorporate the lively atmosphere of town into the surf life saving club. These design strategies create an axis from Fletcher Street to the beach. This axis allows optimal views to Julian Rocks and the Byron Bay lighthouse. This axis provides a direct route for a bike path to lead people from town to the beach, passing between the two surf life saving club buildings. This design also incorporates a restaurant and reception hall placed closer to the city for public use, while large balconies and views out to the ocean draw the user to the beach.

is storage for the surf life saving clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety equipment on the ground floor of the east building. The first floor of the east building contains the classroom and a meeting space. The two building are pulled apart to allow the bike path to engage with the building. A trellis covers the bike path allowing bougainvillea vines to grow on the structure. These vines act as a filter to shade the bike path and the walls. This cools the breezes from ocean creating a comfortable microclimate for cyclists.

The division of the public and private spaces allows for each building to be open or closed whenever it is needed without disturbing activities of the other building. The surf life saving club building is placed close to the beach for easy beach access and views across the whole beach to safely observe the activities happening below. The restaurant and reception hall are pushed further back from the beach and are much closer to the city for easy public access. The surf life saving club is broken into two separate buildings. The west building is the more public part of the complex with the reception hall on the ground floor and the restaurant on the first floor. Between the west and east buildings is the horizontal axis that connects the city to the beach with public restrooms and a bioswale that filters the runoff water. There

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SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB

Site Plan:

safely observe the activities happening. The restaurant and reception hall are pu further back from the beach and is much closer to the city for easy public acc

Site Plan:

Site Plan: down

Ventilation:

Water Collection:

Ventilation:

Water Collection:

Sun Diagram:

Ventilation:

Water Collection: 2

Sun Diagram:

Physical

Model

Sun Diagram: 01 WEEKS

Cross Section G

East Section

Beach View

01 WEEKS

Lennox Head-Alstonville SLSC Seven Mile Beach

Ryan Anderson | Courtney Basile | Eric Lindner | Nate Schlundt | Nicole Tavernier Professor: Pam Harwood

The new surf life saving club for Lennox Head responds to its unique site conditions, between Lake Ainsworth and the coast on Seven Mile Beach. The club responds to the lake and beach through multiple apertures that open and close depending on how the building is being used. The cafe is nested within the building and becomes both a community meeting place and a connecting element between the lake side and ocean side.

in the upper floor plane connect the activity on the upper level with that on the ground level. These opens also create air flow to keep the building cool through passive ventilation.

Rotating screens on all sides of the surf club allow for views and breezes to change to accommodate the current use. Sliding doors make it easy to transport equipment to and from the lake and the beach for training and carnivals. Louvres along the walkways allow views and ventilation while diffusing the light to eliminate solar gain. Large roof overhangs on the upper level shade the spaces from direct solar gain. The roof monitors direct water to the collection tanks that store the water for future use. The lower level is arranged in an open floor plan with all of the interior spaces opening onto the outdoor circulation space. Outdoor covered seating surrounds the cafe. Some seating is left uncovered by the lake, while covered seating is located closer to the ocean. The staircase leads to the upper level where there is more seating and function spaces. This additional outdoor seating is available on the upper level near the restaurant. The upper seating deck overlooks the beach out towards the ocean. Openings

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SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB

Site Plan

North Section

01 WEEKS

Beach View

Lake Side View

sustainable systems

exterior view 01 WEEKS

town side view

Lennox Head-Alstonville SLSC Seven Mile Beach

Mishayla Binkerd | Amanda Bosse | Fiona Cahill | Nathan Gellar Professor: Pam Harwood

The Lennox Head-Alstonville Surf Life Saving Club is located in Lennox Head Australia on Seven Mile Beach. The West side of the surf life saving club is located across the road from Lake Ainsworth. The current club focuses solely on access to the beach even though the lake is frequently used by the club for swimming events. The entrance to the Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre is to the north of the club at the end of the road, Pacific Parade, between the lake and the surf life saving club.

This open plan allows for passive ventilation to cool the spaces. The roof structure is angled to direct water to the rain garden. Here the water is directed from the roof to the ground where it is filtered by the plants and soil. The rain garden helps to deal with the water that is collected after rain storms, while providing a green space in the midsts of the surf life saving club.

The proposed surf club sits on the same location, but removes the road. The road becomes a pedestrian pathway that leads from downtown Lennox Head to the Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre. The club is placed around the pathway, addressing both the lake and the beach. The club is organized into two stories. The bottom level is an open air plan with separation between each functional space. All of the spaces are connected through the outdoor walkways. This plan allows for movement through and around all the spaces. The main pathway runs north and south with smaller paths running east and west and around the lake and beach sides of the club. The second floor maintains the open feel by connecting its spaces through a deck that is open to the air. While maintaining this open feel, vertical circulation is more confined by the sole staircase that rises above the rain garden.

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SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB

site diagram

rain graden diagram 01 WEEKS

circulation diagrams

section

final model

combined group study model

street side view 01 WEEKS

group A preliminary models

group B preliminary models

Ballina Lighthouse & Lismore SLSC Lighthouse Beach

Tayler Mikosz | Stacy Rorick | Kevin Templeman | Ashley VanMeter Professor: Pam Harwood

Ballina, NSW is in need of a new surf life saving club. The previous surf life saving club was built on the headland at Lighthouse Beach, but was torn down when it became too deteriorated. Lighthouse Beach is named after the lighthouse that still sits just up the hill. The project began with two separate groups of two students each. Images of the resulting study models are above. Each group built concept models of ideas for the site. Both groups agreed that the surf club should be in a similar spot as the previous surf club. The groups joined together and worked to combine their separate design ideas. The best ideas of each group were brought together to form the final surf club design. Images of the final model are at the top of the opposite page. This proposal for the Ballina Lighthouse and Lismore Surf Life Saving Club is placed on the headland in the location of the previous surf club. Its location at the end of the beach takes advantage of the views down the beach. This is important for patrolling the beach for potential dangers. It also allows views to the water during Carnivals.

The surf club is organized into three stacked layers, crawling up the black rock of the headland. The bottom level stores all of the surf gear and equipment for easy access to the water. The upper level houses the functional spaces such as: workout space, office, cafeteria and two conference spaces. The headland side of this

level connects to the bike path that comes from the north, Angels Beach, and continues through the site towards the river mouth and downtown Ballina. The third level houses only the community space to be rented out for events and gatherings. The patrol room and offices are located in a smaller building that is set away from the main structure, but is connected by the first floor walkway. This void creates a gateway to the beach that frames the entrance. It also provides gathering space for families to barbecue after weekend nippers events. The tower element on the surf club is iconic of the old lighthouse. It serves as a circulation core and a patrol tower. The upper deck provides gathering space and viewing space for carnivals. A large roof overhang shades this deck onto which all interior spaces open and use as the main circulation space. The community room reaches out over the water creating views to Lighthouse and Angelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beach on either side of the headland. Moveable panels around the community space, allow for flexibility to open the room to the outdoors. At night the semi-opaque wall panels glow emulating the beacon of a lighthouse. The large roof covers the interior space, shading the building and lowering cooling costs. The roof shape also helps to channel breezes through the open spaces, further cooling the building. Water is channeled down the roof and into water tanks that store rain water for later use as grey water.

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SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB

second floor plan

first floor plan

ground floor plan

01 WEEKS

section through the community room

natural ventilation

rain water collection

beach view

Ocean View From Deck

Surf Club Entrance

Beach View 01 WEEKS

Ballina Lighthouse & Lismore SLSC Lighthouse Beach

Zach Kendall | Steve Lentz | Sean Morrissey | Ray Wilk Professor: Pam Harwood

The Ballina Lighthouse and Lismore Surf Life lifesavers patrol deck is perched on the top Saving Club was originally formed in 1933. The of the beach allowing views down the length site of the building sits where the mouth of of beach to create the safest beach possible. the Richmond River originally met the ocean. After years of falling into disrepair, the city council decided to demolish the old building in 2004. Located on Lighthouse Beach, the site is rich with healthy beach dunes and a scenic headland. These restrict the area for possible new construction, but create individuality and allure that is a wonderful opportunity for the new club building. With shire populations continuing to increase, this design proposal will have ample room to serve both members and the public in order to regain the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place among the other 242 surf life saving clubs in Australia. A healthy building contours to the land that it sits on and blends into its natural surroundings. It resembles an extension of the earth, and entwines into its networks, keeping them alive. Nestled up against the headland wall, this design proposal embraces the topography of the site while displacing minimal vegetation. The main deck splices into the bike path without ending it, but rather creating a destination along its way. The design is modeled after the healthy dunes that line Lighthouse Beach. The club is ordered with a human influence that nicely contrasts the irregularity of nature. Its exterior wooden structure is rooted in the ground and creates a nest in which to build. Most importantly the

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SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB

Site Influences Diagram

Circulation Diagram {People + bikers + cars}

{Southern winds + Views + Headland protection}

Daylighting Diagram

01 WEEKS

Deck Perspective 08

WEEK

[Spring Break]

MONDAY08 mar2010 [Spring Break]

TUESDAY09 mar2010 [Spring Break]

WEDNESDAY10 mar2010 [Spring Break]

The Lismore Northern Star published an article called “US Students Not Out of Their Depth” about our surf life saving club design proposals.

“

While in Melbourne we decided to go to a Cricket game. We picked a rainy day and there were about 15 total people watching the game. The stadium was empty and we all fell asleep.

”

THURSDAY 11mar2010 [Spring Break]

FRIDAY12 mar2010

[Spring Break]

SATURDAY13 mar2010

[Spring Break]

SUNDAY 14 mar2010 [Spring Break]

Diving Platform in Lake Ainsworth

Diving Platform Assembly 01 WEEKS

Diving Platform Construction 05

Road Diversion Proposal

Propos ed

Road

New Access Point

Existing Road (Demolish)

Lake Ainsworth Management Plan Outlining Goals

Nick Croyle | Zack Henley | Patrick Laughlin | Ray Wilk Client: Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre

The Lake Ainsworth Management Plan is put together with five goals in mind. The first goal is to inform and educate the public on the ecology, history and value of Lake Ainsworth. The second goal is to design signage with maps that suggest ways to keep Lake Ainsworth healthy. The third goal incorporates higher quality barbecue gathering areas around the lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perimeter. Fourth is to create a healthier connection been the automobile traffic and parking around the lake. The final goal is to propose a safe alternative activity to the popular rope swings. Lake Ainsworth is composed of a complex history, ecology and is a valuable resource for the area. There is evidence to suggest early aboriginal use of the lake. The Jali people are the traditional occupiers of the area around the lake. The area still has special significance to the Jali people. The lake contains a wide diversity of native flora and fauna. It provides recreational activities and is one of the few fresh water lowland dunes in New South Wales. The lake is a tourist destination and holiday spot. The lake is frequently used by the Lennox Head-Alstonville Surf Life Saving Club.

side of the lake. A new road would be built on the West side of the lake creating a new access point to the Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre. The old road path would be replaced by a boardwalk to allow pedestrian access to the beach and recreation centre. The rope swings were recently removed due to unsafe conditions. A new diving platform was designed as a safe alternative. This platform represents a diving tower that existed at Lake Ainsworth many years ago. This platform will be placed in deeper water so it has taken on a form of a floating platform instead of a tower as the previous structure. The deeper water is much safer for diving and jumping into the water than the four meter depth by the old rope swings. The platform can be towed to shore when not in use and is made of recycled and relatively inexpensive materials.

The team worked together to design a new path for automobile traffic around the lake. This is needed due to the erosion caused by the automobile traffic on the fragile ground. The paved surface also drains contaminated water into the lake. The proposal is illustrated above and calls for the removal of the existing road on the East

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

WEEK

[Outback]

“

We were warned of the dangers of looking out for brown snakes, thorny devil lizards, spiders, and wild dingo packs. I managed to survive without being in danger of any of these. HOWEVER...I managed to get attacked by a lethally poisonous tree. A Mulga Tree, one of the hardest woods around and is also toxic. The Aboriginals for thousands of years and up to this day use this tree to make spears to capture kangaroos... Kangaroos will die within four hours of being stabbed from wood from this tree. I am unloading firewood from our tour bus and somehow trip into the firewood pit, impaling myself with Mulga wood. Skip, our tour guide, cleans it and DIGS out my splinters with tweezers and tells me, "Kaitlin, we'll look at it in a few hours, and if it is pink around the wound, we will need to fly you to the hospital by airbus." Luckily, it seems to be healing well and I just need antibiotics. All in all, a fabulous trip and a fantastic learning experience.

MONDAY15 mar 2010

”

Studio visits Lennox Head Public School to speak with the Principal about our demountable classroom project.

TUESDAY16 mar2010

Beach installation day! We were dropped off at our site where we built a shelter and had lunch before we got picked up a few hours later. Luckily the rain held off for most of the day.

WEDNESDAY17 mar 2010 [St. Patrick’s Day] Celebrations was the one store in town that sold green food coloring. The cashier couldn’t figure out why so many people were buying green food coloring. Ryan H had to explain that it is a tradition to have green beverage on this day at home in the US. She thought that was a great idea!

THURSDAY18mar 2010

The LHPS sustainable house designs are looking good!

FRIDAY 19 mar2010 In the afternoon we got a group together and went kayaking. The kayaks were really wobbly, but luckily the lake isn’t very deep. We paddled out to the middle and just relaxed while floating on the water.

SATURDAY 20 mar2010

[Outback]

SUNDAY 21 mar2010 Ashley V and Tayler hiked up to the Byron Bay Lighthouse. We could see dolphins in the water below and a great view of Byron Bay from the top of the hill.

“

”

Sean, Courtney, Kevin T, Zach K, and Stacy woke up early to watch the sunrise over our beach.

Tallows North Beach

Tallows South Beach King’s Beach

Seven Mile Beach (North)

Seven Mile Beach (Lake Ainsworth) Seven Mile Beach (South) Boulder Beach Sharpes Beach Flat Rock Beach Angel’s Beach

Shelly Beach 01 WEEKS

Shelter Installations Expressions of the Beach

ARCH 498/598 Sustainability in Place and in Practice Associate Professor Pam Harwood, AIA, NCARB, LEED

In this course we discussed existing and emerging environmental and social sustainability programs in Australia, specifically in the context in which we lived, Ballina Shire. Prior to arriving at our beach sites we looked at indigenous culture, cultural and social diversity, community partnerships, economics of the built environment, human well-being, as well as more environmental or â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenâ&#x20AC;? aspects of sustainability on our sites. The shelters gave us a real-world application for our academic studies in sustainability.

Making notes, sketches, and taking photographs helped to clarify and express design intents, successes and failures. When we arrived back at our cabins we put together presentations to share our experiences with the rest of the group. It was interesting to see how everyone responded with their creative expressions. Each shelter proved to be just as unique as the individual beach that inspired it.

This exercise was completed as a part of our Sustainability Seminar. It was a day-long event on the beaches in and around Lennox Head. The beaches spanned from Tallows North near Byron Bay all the way down to Shelly Beach near Ballina. We worked in small groups where we designed, built, inhabited, and disassembled the shelter in a single outing. Each group was permitted to bring a maximum of three items to the site to use as either tools or materials to form the shelter. All other tools and materials would have to be created from items found on the beaches. Each beach we inhabited had its own unique conditions and identity. The groups analyzed the conditions and built shelters to respond to them. Each group documented their building process from the time they arrived to the time of their disassembly. The goal was to leave the beaches in the same condition we found them in with no evidence of our temporary habitations left behind.

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Tallows North

Temporary Beach Installation Ashlyn Ackerman | Ashley McClure | Erika Tishner

Tallows Beach was given its name when a ship called the Volunteer capsized off of Cape Byron in 1864. One hundred and twenty casks of tallow (barrels of beef fat) were washed ashore and the beach was given its name. Tallows North is part of Arakwal National Park which was taken from the Arakwal aboriginal tribe fifty years ago and was returned to them in 2001. The northern end of the beach is called Cosy Corner because of its shelter from the wind. The sites assets were dry tree branches, sand, water, vines and dunes. The three man made items used were sarongs, a shovel and a bucket. The goal was to use natural materials to minimize the need for dismantling once completed. The location chosen for the shelter was up against the dunes to take advantage of the natural wind shelter, existing vegetation and added stability. The first strategy was to make sand bricks by using the bucket as a mold and stacking the bricks to form a wall. This was meant to reference the sand mining which forced the Arakwal tribe off of the land. The dug up sand was used to build the sand brick wall to reference the land being given back to the aboriginal people. Building the bricks proved to be very difficult. It was hard to get the right consistency and the bricks could not stand up to the pressure after being stacked.

back wall and to limit the height the walls would need to be packed. The sand that was dug out was piled and packed together while water was poured on top from the bucket to act as adhesive and add stability. For the roof structure branches were collect from the dune and the small twigs were removed, leaving only the strongest parts. The branches were stuck in the sand and tied in place with the vines of the existing vegetation. Then the sarongs were tied together and then laid over the branch structure. At the end of the day the shelter was dismantled. Not much had to be done since it was made of mostly natural materials. The sarongs were removed and untied. Because the branches were already dead they were left tangled with the vegetation as they were found. The sand wall was left to dissolve with the rising of the tide. Sun and wind were the primary environmental factors considered with this shelter. The sun was shaded by the sarong canopy overhead and by the high walls. Most protection from the wind came from the dune itself, but was aided by the sand walls.

The next construction method was to create a packed sand wall. Sand was dug from the dune and the floor surface to make a straight

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Tallows South Beach Shelter

Courtney Basile | Kyle Rader | Kevin Tempelman

Tallows South has a rich aboriginal history. The story is that a woman named Gorgogan magically became a spirit. During the day she appeared as black rocks, but at night she appeared as light to men at sea. She has loured many men to their deaths.

and we left it in the same condition we found it in.

Our shelter felt private and had distinct boundaries, but it was still close to the ocean and to other users of the beach. The proximity to the ocean and the addition of a fire place When we got to the site, we looked for a place promoted the idea of surviving as a fisherman. with adequate protection from the sea. We brought a hatchet, a shovel, and a sheet to the site with us. The high tide was a major determining factor for the site we chose. We found a small cave that was easily accessible and provided natural shade and ventilation. It also had a rock pile nearby, which we used to help build our wall against the tide. We were also able to find logs for the structural frame of our shelter near our site. The first step in our construction process was to stack rocks for a wall against the tide. We then used logs to create a structure and also to provide seating. We used a sheet to sheathe the structure and create shading and privacy for our shelter. We used rocks to form a fire pit in the sand which could be used to create light and heat in the darkness. Overall, we felt our solution was very effective. It rained while we were at our site and we were able to use our shelter to protect us from getting wet. The shelter felt private and secluded but from the inside we were able to see people approaching our space. We were able to use all found materials with the exception of the sheet. We did not disturb any living organisms in the making of our shelter

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

King’s Beach

Byron’s Secret Refuge

Luke Christen | Ryan Hanigan | Kevin Price

King’s Beach is sandwiched between Suffolk Park to the north and Broken Head to the south. Our climatic response to this area was to create a low thermal mass and maximum breathability. We achieved this by lifting elements off the ground. The culture of this site is unique due to its clothingoptional nature. The beach is somewhat secluded and there are minimal footpaths to get to it. The first thing we did to respond to the culture of the site was to take time to interpret it. We decided to create a semi-private space that could become a pleasant node for human interaction. We also wanted our space to be flexible. To accomplish this we installed a screen and a hammock under the canopy of the Pandanus Palm trees on the site. This helped to create a sense of place and establish temporary ownership on the site.

cooled the wind as it entered the shelter. The tree canopy protected the shelter from rain and framed views of the surf. The branches provided space for patrons to hang towels and other possessions to dry and lift them out of the sand. Our shelter welcomes the cool constant breeze off the ocean. It sweeps under the leaves and up the sand dunes. The trees act similar to the native Queenslander Houses, which are set off the ground to pick up the cool breezes. Trees block the western light and frame views of the beach. Our operable screen shade allows for multiple light conditions controlled by the user.

Our screen was formed by stringing dead leaves from the palms together and tying them over our entrance. The hammock was installed using a fitted bed sheet with smooth stones placed in the corner and wedged in the tree trunk system. The raised seating system allowed the user to be removed from critters on the ground and from water on the site. The order of the landscape was established mostly by the geometry of the Pandanus Palms. The trees created small zones for several activities including viewing, relaxing, and stretching zones. The water created calming sounds and

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Seven Mile Beach Sustainability Installation Stacy Rorick | Kaitlin Vaughn | Sam Vonderau

With this shelter we wanted to create an intermediate headland between Lennox Head Point and Broken Head. We also wanted to disrupt pedestrian traffic in the same way high tide has the ability to disrupt it around the points and the headlands. We wanted to create an iconic “eye stopper” between the two headlands and create a visual connection between the dunes and ocean.

and vehicular traffic around the site. It also noticeably interacted with high and low tide. Both anchoring headlands were easily viewed from the shelter as a means of context and enclosure.

Our installation process started by using twine to string together our anchor points. Then we tied the sheet to the supportive, connective twine. We used support sticks on the edges of the shelter for wind control and stability. We located the horizontal, less prominent “headland” anchor near the ocean. The intermediate headland became the dominant feature. The sand mound we formed became a wind barrier for the shelter. It primarily blocked the southern winds due to its semicircular shape. The shape also allowed for a better sense of enclosure within the space. The sheet we brought to the site was our primary sun barrier. It allowed us to adjust the shade depending on the time of day and the angle of the sun in the sky. In our final solution, the shelter appeared to be suspended between land and water. The intermediate headland was clearly visible from higher elevations. It successfully diverted foot

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Lake Ainsworth Beach Installation Seven Mile Beach

Gardner Burg | Eric Lindner | Nate Schlundt

This area is surrounded by trees, thicker to the west and shorter, stubbier trees to the east. Our specific site is surrounded by many dead trees with no leaves growing on them. This is due to the inherent winds on the site. Sunlight hits the ground on this site and gives life to the ground cover, which used to be non-existant. The ground cover takes all the nutrients away from the trees, keeping them lifeless among the forest.

to re-direct the ocean breezes. The fore dune diverts wind blowing in off the ocean. The rear dune creates a depression for the installation to be completely sheltered from breezes.

We chose not to disassemble our structure because we wanted to have the opportunity to revisit it and observe its changes over time. We found that it was mostly in tact one week after it was complete despite the rain and the We chose not to work directly on the beach, but winds it was subject to. Its natural destruction adjacent to it in the brush. We made this conscious created an interesting dialog with nature. decision because in our experience working with Lennox Land Care here in Lennox Head, we know that the area in the brush contains more resources for building. It also has more potential for unique conditions and a natural undisturbed environment that will allow our installation to hold its own place amongst its context. Our building process started with the discovery of a fallen tree for an arch shape. We found dead plant matter to use as natural fiber for a light structural tie. We tied and weaved secondary members (branches) perpendicular to our primary arch. Then we weaved in smaller branches as our tertiary structural members parallel to the arch. The skin of our structure was primarily made of dead leaves and was woven through the members of the structure. Its primary function was to create shade amongst the dead trees. The arc shape of the installation aids in its ability

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Seven Mile Beach Lennox Head Installation Coly Tabberson | Bill Tabberson

Our first step was to walk on the beach and find a place to build. We chose our location based on the close proximity of local materials we wanted to use. Our most useful surroundings were a tree and rocks. First we dug a pit into the beach sand. Then we used rock buttresses to hold up the ridge beam. Then we laid rafter sticks and palm leaves to shade the shelter. We piled rocks to use as a base for our structure. Then we built the main part of the structure out of sticks. We were able to collect enough dried leaves from the tree to form the roof of our hut. We used leaves for shade. The sand made a nice cushion on the ground. When we finished the structure we hung a towel on the entrance to shade us from the sun. Then we ate an ice block to cool down and enjoy our hut.

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Boulder Beach

An Interactive Study of Place Making Mickey McGlasson | Sean Morrissey | Ray Wilk

Our first idea was to use Sharpes Beach as our site and create a shading shelter incorporating stone formations. Our second idea was to move to Boulder Beach and create a perched shelter bordered with pegs following the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s path. We finally decided to stay at Boulder Beach and abstract our idea a little more. Our final solution became a shelter over a tide pool. The concept was to consider nature as a network and unity of sky, water, and land. Our construction began with the materials we brought with us to the site: twine, burlap, and scissors. We also collected rocks to use for construction from the site. Our construction method began with laying out a triangular border in twine. We then tied chords, creating smaller geometry and a network. Then we filled it in partially with burlap shapes, which were tied with twine. After that we had to attach rocks by tying them with twine at various lengths. Our final step was to stretch the network by tying each corner to a rock anchor.

highest anchor point and held onto the net. Sean and Ray stood at the other two anchors removed the loop of twine from their rock anchors. The net fell into the tide pool, and Mickey pulled it up. Looking back, we are pleased the instillation was so interactive with the elements of the site. The surf was rough, causing the shelter to move in the wind and be constantly battered by the waves. The twine quickly frayed and the soaked burlap sagged. The sun cast shadows onto the tide pool, connecting the sky and the water. The hanging rocks swung in the water, connecting land and water. From underneath the shelter, the overhead plane connected the land and the sky. The installation made the unity of the elements apparent.

We faced several challenges during this installation. It was high tide which created a turbulent tide pool below us. The rocks were slippery and sharp all around us. The waves battered the net causing it to sag. They also knocked off the hanging rocks in our shelter. The final step in our process was deconstruction, which proved to be very easy. Mickey stood at the

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Sharpes Beach Shelter

Ryan Anderson | Nick Croyle | Patrick Laughlin

We chose the location of our shelter on Sharpes Beach based on several different factors. Pandanus Palm trees are quite abundant on our site. We decided to take advantage of the shading they provide as well as their ability to screen the wind and shelter from the rain. The palms were far enough off the shore line that they would stay dry even during high tide. The site was also elevated, providing views up and down the beach. Building materials including smooth pebbles, ground vines, and dry palm leaves were also prevalent on the site.

together with this vine rope. Brute man-force was used to relocate hand selected rock pavers.

There were several goals we had in mind while building our shelter. It was important for us to respond to the site’s natural transitioning of materials and spaces. We wanted to clearly define the space and the entrance to the space. We also wanted to provide a view of Skennar’s Head. Our final goal was to place emphasis on comfort without sacrificing function.

A central space, defined with an elevated ground plane and log, served as the center for activity. The area was the terminus of the path and was characterized by large flat rocks as a base. From this area there were full views of the beach. This area received full benefits from the wind screen and the shade of the trees.

We tried to focus on the transition between natural and created space. The entrance was marked with a recognizable point. The beach was chaotic with rocks making it difficult to walk across. The entry to the space was where the stones began to be organized and were easier to walk on. The stones were laid smooth so they could be easily walked on due to the regular pattern of texture between stone and sand.

The assembly process of our shelter began with selecting stones and moving them to the building site. A bed of sand was moved on the site to act as a foundation for the stone cobbling. We assembled a wind screen by weaving dead tree branches and palm leaves. Our team relocated a couple large logs for use as seating, terracing and definition of space. The seat orientation was the primary means of honoring the view of Skennar’s Head. We gathered vines and de-leaved them to use as crude rope. Our tarp was strung

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Flat Rock Beach Shelter Installation

Tayler Mikosz | Kendra Prather | Ashley VanMeter

Our shelter started with the materials we brought from our camp to the beach: a sheet, a ball of twine, and a saw. We selected our site near an elevated dune because it was far enough off the shore line that the shelter would be protected from water even during high tide. The dune also provided a natural block to the wind. We discovered almost immediately that there was no natural shelter from the sun on the site, so our sheet would need to provide our shading.

main beach activity area, making our shelter more private. It is still connected to the culture of the beach visually because it faces people using the beach to walk, sunbathe, and surf. It also responds to the context by acknowledging views to the water, the headland and most of the beach.

The tied branches were excellent for filtering the breeze through our shelter. It did not allow any debris from the beach to be blown into the shelter. The truss on the north side provided a After selecting a site, our first step in building beautiful framed view of the headland up the was to cut branches from a dead tree near the beach. The sheet protected us from the sun dune to use as a wind barrier on the south and even from a light rain in the afternoon. side of our shelter. We found a large piece of driftwood down the beach to use as an anchor on the top of the dune, so we carried it to our site. We then piled the cut branches and used the twine to bundle them together creating a more controlled facade for the south side. We used sticks to build a truss for the north side of the shelter. The joints were tied together using twine. Then we draped the sheet over our structural elements and tied it down. We used the driftwood to anchor the sheet on top of the dune. Our shelter successfully responded to the climate, culture, and context of Flat Rock Beach. We used the dune to our advantage when attempting to block the wind and we supplemented it with our branching structure. The dune also helped to block the harsh afternoon sun coming from the west. The shelter was located away from the

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Angel’s Beach Installation

Zach Henley | Steve Lentz | Zach Kendall

We chose our site based on the location of the dune, the sun’s direction, the location of the breeze, and a plot of sand that didn’t have a lot of vegetation on it. We didn’t build in the dune because there was limited ventilation there. We based our location between two extremes: the sun and the water, thus allowing us to balance our thermal comfort.

posts. This was a rather important step to our design, simply because it was the main way to block out the sun and create shade and protect us from the rain. We tied the sheet to the posts using three simple knots: the clove hitch, the taut-line hitch, and the sheet bend. Seeing as we did not have any means of blocking the north facing sun for the lower part of our shelter, we constructed a wall by tying strings between the two north posts and putting sticks and brush in it. This still allowed breezes to flow through since it was not completely solid. Our last step was purely for entertainment. We made a checkerboard in the sand just outside the shelter.

We gathered fallen timber from around the site. We found several large pieces of driftwood along the beach and several fallen branches among the dune. We tried to use a majority of natural materials, excluding the rope and the blanket. We wanted to balance artificial and natural. We did our best to have an interaction between the natural surroundings of the Deconstructing the shelter took considerably dune and the breezes coming from the south. less time to do than putting it up. We returned all of the timber to the dune and collapsed our A problem with our site was that it started sand walls. The only evidence that we were to delve into pluralism. We had a residential there was that the sand did not look settled, but culture behind the dune, a beach culture, and over time that would be remedied by nature. an aboriginal culture to the place. Rather than letting our structure become empirical, we Overall, we fulfilled the program of creating decided to use just the micro-culture of the a shelter, were culturally responsive to the beach since the residential area was separated by beach, and above all, were environmentally site the dune and the aboriginal culture could only be specific. We were in tune with the landscape found in research. So we dug a hole. We used by using natural formations and materials from the excess sand to make walls surrounding the the site. These strategies allowed us to provide area our shelter would encompass. We then put shelter that responded to the wind patterns in four primary posts to hold up the structure. and enhanced the characteristics of the site. The next step was to tie the sheet to the

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

01 WEEKS

Shelly Beach Shelter

Andrea Borkowski | Lindley Harmon | Nathan Geller

We discovered a large part of this beach was covered with broken rock fragments that were unpleasant to walk on. There were also undesirable polluted water pools along the shore. We noticed the raised, vegetated dunes provided us an elevated escape from the before mentioned circumstances. Whether paths were built or not, beach visitors tended to naturally stroll along the higher ground.

side of the shelter is located to the north. We intentionally left the east and west ends of the shelter open to allow ocean breezes to flow freely. The north and south ends were blocked off to help guide the breezes in the desired direction.

The first part of our building process was to build a structural frame of sticks. Then we collected palm leaves to weave into the structure. We started by weaving the roof of our structure and finished by continuing the woven roof to the ground. Our installation creatively harmonizes with its environment by addressing the beach’s unique climate, context, and culture. It transforms space into place. The shape and fluidity of the installation’s form focuses the eye on the easterly ocean as well as on each headland and the lighthouse beyond. Shrubs to the west and trees to either side further frame views. Our shelter is quite reminiscent of the surf lifesaving club’s “overseeing all” mentality. Our slanted roof line merges with the ground to provide optimal shade from the sun’s harsh rays. The overall orientation is intended to utilize shade in the best way possible. The installation is situated to the south of an existing tree to take advantage of its shade and the most covered

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SHELTER INSTALLATIONS

WEEK

“

[Uluru] After arriving in Uluru we all boarded the bus that would take us to the different hotels within the resort. There was one other passenger that caught our eye. She was from Ireland and was traveling with a friend. As we stopped at each hotel she got off the bus and took photos. At one of the stops a lady that was not the friend of the lady from Ireland told the bus driver that we had left someone behind. The friend acted as though she didn’t even know the Irish lady who was her traveling partner. She was a constant source of entertainment for the next few days at Uluru.

MONDAY 22 mar2010

[House With No Steps Field Trip]

Australian Life and Culture field trip to the House With No Steps and Southern Cross University. Several people had an “American Brownie” at the university. They we were obviously confused because it was more like fudge than a brownie.

TUESDAY23 mar2010 Pam and Coly are stuck in a hotel at the great Barrier Reef in the middle of a cyclone. The rest of us do a site visit to LHPS before we head off on weekend adventures.

WEDNESDAY 24 mar2010 Tayler, Ashley V, and Kevin P spend the night at the Brisbane International Airport on their way to Uluru.

”

THURSDAY25mar 2010

Kevin T snorkeling

Zach K snorkeling

Sea Turtle

[Great Barrier Reef: Town of 1770]

FRIDAY26 mar 2010

Zach K, Courtney, and Kim on the beach in the Town of 1770.

Sean, Mickey, Kevin T, Zack H and Zach K playing frisbee on the beach in 1770.

[Uluru]

SATURDAY27 mar 2010

Mishayla and Amanda spent all-day on an excursion, aboard the Osprey V. We went to 2 reef locations, North Hastings and Saxon. Mishalya went scuba diving while Amanda snorkeled.

SUNDAY 28 mar2010

Evil kangaroo

Ashley V, Tayler and Kevin P take a quick weekend trip into the heart of Australia to see the magnificent Aboriginal site of Uluru.

“

The German family we were sitting with gave me some concerned looks when I emptied five sugars into my coffee and then proceeded to sugar my unsweetened muffin.

”

“

Amanda and I went to a zoo in Cairns that allowed us to feed, pet kangaroos and, yes, even HOLD koalas!

”

Lower Rain Garden

Upper Bowl

Dra ipe

in P Lower Depression

Upper Rain Garden 01 WEEKS

Sustainable Schools Rain Garden An Ecological Approach

Gardner Burg Client: Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre

The Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre has a unique placement between the ocean and a substantial recreation lake. This allows for a wide range of user opportunities but also requires special considerations when dealing with water resources. It is extremely important that the lake be protected from the salinity of ocean water and the contamination that storm water runoff can create. Establishing a two-tiered rain garden system in this location is a perfect opportunity to create an example for similar projects that could be integrated throughout the Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre.

primarily from erosion due to storm water runoff, the space for the lower rain garden is where that water settles. This has caused the turf grass in the area to grow in more fully than in the surrounding areas. Also, standing water means that the space goes through periods of time when it can not be comfortably inhabited or used by the staff and students of the recreation centre.

The introduction of a lower rain garden in this location will help to solve both of these problems. The garden will absorb the outflow of the drainage pipe from the upper garden, as well as, the water that naturally drains into The upper rain garden should be placed into the the low spot from the surrounding grounds. existing bowl that is located between the cafeteria building and a series of dormitory facilities. This location receives large amounts of rain water runoff from surrounding roofs and from the higher paved and turf areas in the immediate vicinity. As it stands, the grass is patchy and the space has an overall messy and unused appearance as a result of erosion caused by all the running water. The addition of a rain garden in this location will not only improve the aesthetics but will also add a significant positive usefulness to the space. The garden will absorb the majority of the water it takes in. Converting the drain in the bottom will allow for excess water to feed the lower rain garden if necessary. Unlike the upper rain garden, which suffers

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

WEEK

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

[Blues Fest] Eric talked me into going to the Blues Fest at $150 per ticket so he could see Gogol Bordello. It was awesome. I totally enjoyed all of it, even the long stand so that we could be in Row 5 while The Fray rocked!

â&#x20AC;?

MONDAY29 mar 2010 Another exciting night of BSU Aussie intramural volleyball!

TUESDAY30 mar2010

WEDNESDAY31 mar 2010 Ashley, Tayler, Luke and Ryan H watched the LHPS students present their sustainable house projects. It was great to see the kids incorporating the ideas from our lecture into their designs!

THURSDAY 01apr 2010 Darrell and his girlfriend, who is visiting from home, head to Sydney for the weekend.

FRIDAY 02 apr 2010

“

I took a walk all the way around Lake Ainsworth. On my way back up one of the trails I almost stepped on a brown snake! Yikes! That could have been bad!! -Ashley V

”

SATURDAY 03 apr 2010 [Blues Fest]

“

I got my picture with Kim Churchill but unfortunately my eyes were closed and Eric only took one. Kim Churchill also played in Lennox Head at Ruby’s.

”

“

THE FRAY, my first concert! I loved it and I went home with Isaac Slade’s empty water bottle. Unfortunately there was no room in my suitcase to take it back home to America.

SUNDAY 04 apr 2010

”

“

Isaac Slade_I honestly did not know his name before going to Blues Fest.

”

Easter dinner as a big group! It came to an abrupt ending as we all went running to our cabins as it began pouring rain on our dessert!

01 WEEKS

community

bike path

park

Lennox Head Community Proposal Community - Bike Path - Park

We worked with the Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce for two months on a series of local community design and development projects. Over the eleven weeks, we involved the community in our research by doing surveys of local businesses in Lennox Head to develop a design that would meet the growing needs of the community. Some of the main points that we looked at were transportation networks in the central business district (CBD), a bike trail that would connect to the nearby towns, and a small piece of land to develop into a park.

bike path in the CBD. We presented our work to the mayor and the rest of the community. Many community members liked the proposal we had made for Lennox Head. The image on the opposite page shows us looking at the proposal with the Mayor, Phillip Silver. He thought we had some good ideas to develop Lennox Head and was excited to use our work as a starting point for future improvements to town.

To understand the issues and problems in the community we first talked to Louise Owen, a member of the Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce, to start to understand the history and issues of the area. After reviewing the information that we gathered from the meeting, we created a survey that we distributed to all the local businesses in town. We had the opportunity to speak one on one with twenty-seven businesses in the CBD in Lennox Head. From the surveys, we learned that most people would like a bike path connecting the surrounding towns, but many were unsure about running it along the beach or through the middle of town. In the downtown, parking was the main concern. The most controversial item on the survey was whether or not the main street should change to a oneway street or should stay as is, a two-way street. The town was split down the center on this one. After we gathered responses to the surveys, we worked on a plan for the proposed park and

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COMMUNITY PROJECTS

community a

b Community

Our proposal consists of keeping Ballina Street two-ways while focusing on Park Lane. By adding nose-in parking on one side with two lanes of traffic, it would improve traffic flow and would increase parking availability in Lennox Head. We propose adding a round about at the intersection of Ballina Street and Park Lane and develop the northwest corner of this intersection. This would increase traffic flow on Park Lane, alleviating traffic issues on Ballina Street. This change would also encourage commercial development along the under utilized road. Our aim would be to rethink the purpose of existing alleyways in the CBD, developing pedestrian friendly walkways that would connect Williamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Reserve to the beach. As a further step, the crosswalks could be raised, slowing traffic and creating a pedestrian friendly downtown.

WEEKS

Bioswales:

Ballina Street and Park Section

Deep-rooted native plants grasses build soil structure allow water to filtrate into ground. Native plants are maintenance, adapted to climate and rainfall patterns, resist local pest and disease.

Park Lane Section

and and the low the and

Along with native plantings, soil mixed with sand may be needed to facilitate filtration. A rock trench can be installed down the center of the swale. Drainage tiles should be installed along the edges of the swale. Filtered water from bioswales helps recharge groundwater, which supplies rivers and streams with a slow, purified seep rather than surges of polluted surface runoff. Native plants have a tremendous root architecture that builds soil quality and increases organic matter content. High organic matter content helps soil hold water like a sponge, making it available for nourishing plants.

c 10

Ballina Street and Park Lane Intersection

bike path a

b c

Bike Path Our proposed plan consists of a network of paths with main routes, secondary extensions, and crucial connection points, rather than a singular path. The plan improves upon existing community routes and adds missing links. Separating cycle ways from pedestrian walkways creates safer passage for all members of the community. The network serves two functions. First, it provides a safer way to bike the Coast Road from Lennox Head to both Ballina and Byron Bay. Secondly, it intricately links key community gathering places within Lennox Head.

01 WEEKS

Byron Street Section

Dune Boardwalk Section

The network also showcases Seven Mile Beach while respecting the ecology of the dunes. An elevated walkway will be put in place to connect the Lake Ainsworth area to the Central Business District. It will be set back behind the main dune to allow for vegetative growth and dune movement, while providing views and beach access for pedestrians.

The proposed bicycle/pedestrian network makes for a safer, more appealing, and more sustainable commute to and within Lennox Head.

Park By redesigning Lennox Headâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unnamed park, our goal was to create a central gathering point that would connect Ballina Street to Seven Mile Beach. Sheltered, multi-use spaces would be created, as well as a boardwalk (also discussed in the dune boardwalk section). The park would appeal to a variety of people and activities, generating a truly community oriented space.

a b

01 WEEKS

Park 02

d 03

Park Shelter Elevation

Park Boardwalk and Pavilion

Use / Views and Circulation Diagram

Park Boardwalk + Pavilion

Park Section

th [Great Barrier Reef: Town of 1770]

“

WEEK

After our 14 hour bus ride, we finally arrived at the side of the highway to a pitch black field. Magically there was a van waiting to pick us up. The driver took us to our room and unlocked the door for us. We fell asleep, woke up and left for the Great Barrier Reef before the front desk had even opened. We left a note saying that we would return later that night to check in and out.

”

MONDAY 05 apr 2010

TUESDAY06 apr 2010 Championship Volleyball Game! Good Luck every one!

WEDNESDAY 07 apr 2010

“

Our professor allowed us to skip studio to meet up with a former Ball State student, Katie, who had been to the Australia Centre a few years ago. Katie had returned to Australia and her parents were visiting.

”

“

Pam unknowingly took us to a nude beach. I had never been to a nude beach before. Let alone to one with a professor…..hmmm….that’s all I’ll say.

”

THURSDAY 08apr 2010

FRIDAY 09 apr 2010

“

We took a two hour boat ride out to the reef. Then we went diving and snorkeling. What a great day!

SATURDAY 10 apr 2010

Kevin T exploring

Courtney watching the waves

SUNDAY 11 apr 2010

“

Zach K, Kevin T, Courtney, Stacy, and Ryan A went to the Byron Bay Lighthouse to see to explore and watch the sunset.

We went to the Lennox Head market held in town the second and fifth Sunday of every month. It was a great place to get fresh produce and other local goods.

”

The sunset on the beach at Byron Bay.

”

01 WEEKS

Tri-Pod

Demountable Classroom Design for Lennox Head Public School Courtney Basile | Zach Kendall | Kevin Tempelman | Erika Tishner | Ashley VanMeter Professor : Pam Harwood

Portable classrooms are an inexpensive way to insert additional space to a growing or everchanging school campus. They provide flexible spaces and allow a variety of layouts to cater to the needs of each individual school or classroom. In the creation of the design for Lennox Head Public School, three primary design goals were addressed: Because primary school is the introduction into an extensive learning environment, creating a sense of community became an important goal for the portable redesign. Students learn best when they feel comfortable in their environment. Classroom environments encouraging community also help students to develop a sense of responsibility not only for themselves, but for the school. Blurring the line between interior and exterior spaces provides a more dynamic atmosphere for students and teachers whether they are learning individually, in small groups, or with the whole grade level.

with the opportunity to engage the students in collaborative learning both indoors and out. The growing demand for flexibility and learning tools outside the classroom provides teachers with the opportunity to instill a lifelong appreciation for sustainable living. Through providing interactive learning spaces, children are encouraged to interact with the environment and its natural processes. Students learn more effectively when they can engage in hands-on and multi-sensory experiences to explain concepts traditionally taught in text books and lectures. The interactive learning spaces are also beneficial to the school because they are sustainable features used to save materials, energies, and resources. For example, the Tri-Pod utilizes locally harvested materials, solar panels, solar hot water heaters, water collection tanks, and passive ventilation systems.

It is important to expose students to peer cooperation and collaborative learning between classrooms. Pairing and sharing is a concept that encourages students to work together within their grade levels and share resources, experiences, and knowledge. Flexible learning space gives students and teachers more opportunities to connect with one another in different settings without leaving their â&#x20AC;&#x153;pod.â&#x20AC;? Horizontal planes are stitched together through both interior and exterior spaces in the module, thus providing the faculty

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PORTABLE CLASSROOMS

Structural Framing Diagram

Typical Classroom and Music Room Plan

Master Plan Proposal Phase 1: Remove existing year 5 demountables. Replace with 2 classroom modules and add a music specialty space. Extend garden. Phase 2: Remove existing year 4 demountables. Replace with 2 classroom modules. Phase 3: Remove existing year 3 demountables. Replace with 2 classroom modules.

Water Collection Tanks Solar Hot Water PV Panels Shading Canopy

Locally Harvested Materials

Passive Cross Ventilation Sustainable Features

WEEKS

Rain Garden

Independent Study/ Worstations/Multiple Size Groupwork

Potential Classroom Layout Options

Independent Study/ Worstations/Multiple Size Groupwork Joint Learning Among Grades (lecture)

Independent Study, Workstations, Group Configurations

Classroom Pair Zone Diagram

Joint Learning Among Grades (Groupwork)

Joint Learning Among Grades (lecture)

Classroom Zoning Diagram

Pairing Classrooms for Lecture Presentations

Circulation Diagram

Sharing Outdoor Space for Group Work

Joint Learning Among Grades (Groupwork)

Band Performance

Band or Chior Performance

Band Performance

Open Floor Dance/ Rehearsal

Music Room Interior Perspective

Open Floor for Dance Rehearsal

L-module axon

01 WEEKS

site section along the Green Street

Green Street

Lennox Head Public School is a dynamic learning environment. Permanent structures stabilize the campus while portable classrooms provide needed flexibility. This improvement proposal uses principles of both to encourage sustained learning. An environmental “green street” permanently shelters a pathway, acting as a dock for both indoor and outdoor learning spaces. In addition to circulating people to these spaces, the shelter promotes interaction between fellow students and nature. Portable classroom modules are easily erected on site, and plug into the dock receiving plumbing and electricity. They can connect in a variety of ways to suit specialized needs. Each space’s arrangement corresponds to its educational use and is able to respond to the changing future.

blurring the line between indoors and outdoors. The Green Street not only serves as a circulation core, but also as a spine connecting a series of green spaces between the modules. Outdoor classrooms, gardens, play spaces, and a gallery pavilion establish a strong connection with outdoor learning. Some of these green spaces are permanent due to their organization, but others can be easily created when a demountable is removed. The center of the Green Street features planters at sitting height, sustained by collected rainwater from the roof. The Green Street also provides electricity and plumbing for each of the modules. Larger gathering spaces created between the sections of planters, give students a place to eat lunch and parents a place to wait to pick up their children.

The classroom module is based on a four meter panel system, creating a basic L-shaped space. This allows for smaller breakout spaces including a reading area, computer zone, wet area, and teacher space in addition to the main learning space. The L-shape can be combined to create a C-block, Z-block, and T-block, offering advantages for combining classrooms into larger spaces. The teaching wall, consisting of chalkboards, white boards, and projection screens, can be opened to allow movement throughout the block. The outdoor deck, which completes the square in the L-shape. This deck can also become part of the main learning space by opening sliding glass panels,

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PORTABLE CLASSROOMS

T-block module: connected music performance

T-block module: divided music/art

Z-block module: connected classroom

C-block module: divided classroom

L-block module canteen

rainwater harvesting

solar hot water

solar panels

light shelves

classroom section showing sustainable aspects

01 WEEKS

sheltered areas gathering spaces green/recreation spaces circulation/entrance Lennox Head Public School master plan

new shelter existing shelter

green spaces recreation spaces

gathering spaces

portable entrance pedestrian circulation

exterior perspective

01 WEEKS

Lennox Head Portable Classroom Modular Unit

Nate Geller | Zach Henley | Kevin Price | Sean Morrissey | Nicole Tavernier Professor: Pam Harwood

A school is a place where children come and begin to build their knowledge. They transform into people ready to succeed in the world. The Education Connection Demountable System is a kit that can be customized based on each school’s and classroom’s needs. They can be changed over time as the needs of the classroom change. Unlike traditional demountables that need to have the entire unit removed when the space is no longer needed, this system allows flexibility. It can adapt to larger class sizes, downsizing, or even a change in the classroom’s function to a music room or dance studio. In addition to its ability to change over time on a large scale, it can adapt to smaller day to day uses. Many of the wall and roof components have the ability to open and close as needed to control indoor air quality and sun shading.

Rainwater is collected for use in the classroom sinks and watering outdoor plants. Photovoltaic roof panels are used to minimize power taken from the grid. With plenty of windows and skylights, the classroom uses the sun’s energy instead of electricity to light the spaces. Natural light is beneficial for both the environment and students, as studies show that sunlight use can improve learning in classrooms. The operable roof and walls openings provide opportunities for passive ventilation into the classroom.

The structure is based on a three by three by three meter cube. It is a Modular Construction Kit of parts, which creates a versatile structure and is quick and easy to assemble and disassemble. To enlarge the structure, more cubes can be added to the basic frame. A three by three grid in each cube allows for flexibility to change the walls, floors, and roofs. Materials for the panels are customizable and can be selected to respond to different uses and functions in the structure. Some of the roof panels have photovoltaics so they can be grouped together to power cells in the classrooms. Each of the classrooms acts as a learning tool for teachers to show their students how sustainability strategies can be used in a building.

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PORTABLE CLASSROOMS

Transformations + Fabrications + Combinations 02 Photovoltaic Roof Panels Customizable roof

01 Rainwater Collection

panels can be grouped together into power cells.

Water can be used in classroom sinks and outdoor plants.

Site Plan + Phases

04 Passive Ventilation + Daylighting Operable 03 Modular Construction

The kit creates a versatile structure and is quick and easy to assemble and disassemble.

roof and wall openings provide opportunities for ventilation and adequate daylighting.

Sustainability Strategies

Modular Unit Exploded Axon

01 WEEKS

Classroom Perspective 02

Class 1 Plan

Class 2 Plan

Class 1 Section

Class 2 Section 08

Open South Elevation

01 WEEKS

Skennars Head

Closed South Elevation

Holy Family Catholic Primary School Fiona Cahill | Ryan Hanigan | Steve Lentz | Ashley McClure | Nate Schlundt Professor: Pam Harwood

The goal of this design is to promote pedagogical faith-based learning in a space that is customizable to the day-to-day needs of students, teachers, and members of the community. The design team aimed to create a space for people who want to build a relationship with Christ, shaping the future of God’s kingdom. The design consists of three rectangular frames of equal size and orientation. An interchangeable modular skin bolts onto this frame. The skin can consist of anything from glazing to sun shades, creating endless options. The three units are elevated off the ground by a modular deck connected to the ground by pylons. The deck and accessibility ramp are made of local eucalypt and recycled composite materials. The decking is intended to serve as the connector between each new classroom added. Groups of new modular classrooms can link together into every imaginable configuration, creating central courtyard spaces and outdoor classrooms. The combination of the three pods creates the classroom for faith-based learning. The Green Pod contains the central classroom and teacher’s space. This framing option consists of a sturdy steel-frame structure capable of supporting a small green roof and green wall. The Specialty Pod’s materials respond to the specialized learning needs of any given class. An example of this would be the selection of durable hardwood floors, mirror walls, and acoustic buffers for a rehearsal pod. These spaces are equally well suited for storage. Also, rainwater management

is addressed by a slightly tilted roof that guides water into a shared above ground collection tank. The Middle Sliding Pod’s structure runs on a mechanical track allowing the unit to slide back and forth between the two stationary pods. This sliding action creates two distinct groupings of spaces, open and compact. Each classroom configuration has unique advantages. This roof collects storm water using sculptural angled planes leading to the shared collection tank. Although modular design is often thought to be uninvolved with its context, this design is fully in tune with the specific needs of Holy Family. Faith based teaching has its roots in parents and faculty that care deeply about their students. This love promotes quality and intelligence in every aspect of their lives including where and how they teach. The flexibility of modular design and strong spiritual connections to nature combine to give students a truly memorable experience.

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PORTABLE CLASSROOMS

Entering the Classroom

Pavilion/Entry

Detachable Pavilion

Inside of Classroom

01 WEEKS

Section of Writing Center

Section of Poetry Slam

Learning Sanctuary

Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School

Ryan Anderson | Mishayla Binkerd | Luke Christen | Nick Croyle | Patrick Laughlin Professor: Pam Harwood

The Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School strives to expose every student to a unique learning experience that nurtures the whole human being spiritually, intellectually, and creatively over the entire course of the developmental years. The Steiner education philosophy emphasizes the importance of individuality and the nurturing effect of a community. The design of this portable classroom and writing centre provides a learning environment specific to the Rudolf Steiner principles.

of this space is the informal classroom area that is an open space for students to form either a full circle or work in small groups without needing to move desks and furniture. This space opens to an outdoor patio that extends into the outdoor classroom; yet another opportunity for an informal and experiential learning space. In the heart of this space is a tree to not only provide shade, but also convey the idea that nature is the core of the Steiner philosophy as the design wraps around this life form creating a focal point.

Steiner believes that the circular shape provides a tangible concept of individuality within a group. For this reason there is a need for a space in which students have the opportunity to gather in a circle for various learning activities. Another reason for a tendency toward organic forms is that humans do not naturally see in 90 degrees; therefore, the Steiner perspective is why abide in such structures? Since the Steiner education system is based on anthroposophy, which epitomizes nature for a healthy well-being. It is also essential that the design exhibit the natural elements of its site. Teachers stay with a class from year one to six and become closely integrated with the students as they grow; therefore the environment needs to be as welcoming as a dwelling place.

Each of these spaces are a basic unit that can be pulled apart from each other if needed to be moved to another Steiner school. However, we wanted the structure to feel â&#x20AC;&#x153;at homeâ&#x20AC;? on its site so the outdoor structure would be permanent and could remain for an outdoor learning space, eating area, small group learning, storage, and even music practice space. Also, the trusses and joists of the classroom extend into the ground at the back of the building to allow for steps made of rammed earth against each reaching member.

The writing center is a demountable building that could be removed at any time and transported to a weekend poetry contest or blues festivals. The writing center would have the potential to double as a performance stage when the walls transform into In this design the circle is embraced through form, the extended flooring and ceiling needed to facilitate layout, and even the progression of entrance into the the varying sizes of performances. This need for easy classroom. The designâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organic form addresses the transportation helped to guide the layout of the writing need for students to learn in a circle as well as afford the center. Within the writing center the space is divided opportunity for different spatial learning experiences. up into smaller rooms allowing for the individuals The main classroom in the center allows for multiple to express themselves without being influenced by desk arrangements. On the west side a wet area is others. The idea of nurturing each individuals needs is used by students and the teacher for washing up after a fundamental idea to the development of each Steiner outdoor activities or for other learning projects. East student.

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PORTABLE CLASSROOMS

WEEK

MONDAY 12 apr 2010 Australian Life and Culture comes to a close with our final exam. A’s all around!

TUESDAY13 apr 2010 We went to Ballina to plot our boards for Saturday...if only plotting back in Muncie was that cheap and easy!

WEDNESDAY 14 apr 2010

Nate, Amanda, and Mishayla finally made the trek up to the Byron Bay Lighthouse.

“

On the way back we hit the beach.

”

THURSDAY15apr 2010 Shopping and preparing for our big Aussie Thank You BBQ.

FRIDAY16 apr

[Iron Man Competition]

2010 Time to thank and say goodbye to all the people who made our trip such a great experience. What could be better than a BBQ!

“Big Day of Fun” rope races on Seven Mile Beach.

“Big Day of Fun” kayak races on the lake.

SATURDAY17 apr 2010 Presentation day for the town. We displayed all of our projects from the last 3 months in downtown Lennox Head. Locals came to see our hard work from the semester.

SUNDAY 18 apr 2010

Ashley V, Pam, and Tayler went to the Macadamia Castle for breakfast. Then they shopped in Byron Bay and went to Tallows Beach.

Last day on Seven Mile Beach!

01 WEEKS

A NEW HOUSING PARADIGM: URBAN + SUBURBAN Darrell Scott | Professor: Josh Coggeshall Advisor: Pam Harwood

Our world today is under constant change and technological transformation, redefining a new society of complexity, high-speed, and interconnected use. But how does this affect the role of architecture and how we dwell: live, cook, eat, sleep, bathe, etc.? Today, over half of the population of the United States lives in the suburbs. Rapid suburbanization has allowed the single-family home to become a multiplied, repetitious housing tract of lost identity. With isolation in mind, the suburban model has turned its back on the community, becoming disconnected and unadaptable to contemporary living situations.

chosen groupings. These experimental, short-term lifestyles are becoming more widespread, flexible, and heterogeneous, supporting the urban model of living. Recent economic factors and alternative lifestyles are favoring urban growth, as suburban areas are becoming less attractive to young people, families, and retirees. Urban, mixed-use projects focused on people friendly neighborhoods with services and public transportation hubs are beginning to become more popular. As a result, the suburbs may soon no longer be a practical living situation for most Americans, but this doesn’t mean that the green space and privacy they provide are not still desirable qualities. Nor does it mean that we should completely throw out their major programmatic design elements in favor of shiny-glass condo towers. We have to find a new housing model that transforms the desirable qualities of the suburban model into a more efficient, urban form.

Current economic problems and high gas prices are forcing suburbanites all around the country to question the cost of suburban living. People are realizing that the infrastructure and space in the suburbs is disorganized and costly. In an article titled “Is your suburb the next slum?,” Arthur C. Nelson predicts baby boomers will start selling off their homes at a rate of 5% a year (Fulmer). These inefficiencies and high costs demand the need for a This creative project attempts to create a more new housing paradigm. dynamic suburban+urban that is better suited for contemporary lifestyles. The juxtaposition of living, Today, we are seeing a shift in family values and working, and leisure activities must be intermixed in the way people live, work, and dwell. Families’ are a hybrid form to counter the detached, singularity busier than they have been in the past, making it of suburbia and impersonal nature of current hard to find time to sit down and enjoy a nice dinner urban models. How can we envision the together. Have technology and the automobile intertwining of urban and suburban pushed families further apart? Increases in alternative dwelling patterns into a new housing living situations are also starting to emerge; paradigm that provides programmatic people are choosing to live alone, in an unmarried diversity, adaptability, and community cohabitation, in roommate situations, or other freely integration? DARRELL SCOTT

XXX

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MASTERS THESIS

The site for the new housing paradigm is located along the waterfront of Blackwattle Bay, NSW between the inner city suburbs of Glebe and the Central Business District of Sydney. Blackwattle Bay is a deep, sheltered bay with views of the Iconic, Anzac Bridge. Historically, it was a very active, maritime precinct shipping coal, metal, and timber, but most of the shipping has moved to the other side of the bay. Overtime, the site has abandoned its Industrial-use, left in a derelict state remnant of its past. The context of the bay contains a number of nearby amenities, parks, water access, and transit lines. The Sydney Fish Market, the largest seafood market in the Southern Hemisphere, sits directly adjacent to the east of the site. Immediately west of the fish market, lies a collapsing coal bunker that was constructed in 1927. Wentworth Park lies directly south of the site, containing a large venue for greyhound racing, playgrounds, a tram line, open space, and rugby playing fields. The west side of the site contains a large concrete batching plant. To the North sits the Anzac Bridge, an iconic structure that creates a picturesque backdrop to the bay. This intermediary location between urban and suburban housing along with the nearby amenities make it the perfect site for the creative project. The new housing paradigm responds to the context of the site through a dynamic, curved form inspired by the movement of water and its ability to flow in and out of the site. Outdoor spaces blur the boundaries between land and water, creating a gradient of soft and hard edges. Stunning views are directed outward, towards the water of Blackwattle Bay, the Anzac Bridge, and Wentworth Park. The foreshore walk along Blackwattle Bay is extended by creating a direct connection to the existing infrastructure of the Sydney Fish Market through outdoor spaces, pavilions, and additional seating areas. A “Parkway Bridge” reconnects Wentworth Park with the water of Blackwattle Bay, allowing the natural landscape of the park to flow in and out of the site through various public green spaces, a lap pool, and public viewing platform. Below the “Parkway Bridge” lies an integrated ferry wharf, creating a more convenient stop on Sydney’s existing ferry route to Circular Quay and the CBD. Activity continues along the foreshore walk to the west of the site towards the batching plant with a series of boat docks for tourism, a public pool, rentable recreation equipment, and food-kiosks. Steven Holl, in Edge of a city, explains that programmatic diversity is essential to the success of an urban building, creating “incredible energy.” He characterizes modern metropolitan life as a place of fluctuating activity, turbulent demographic shifts, and changing desires. The new housing paradigm attempts to create this type of ‘energy’ by implementing a diverse program that supports the context, culture, and historical nature of the site’s existing maritime functions intermixed with alternative-use. The major programmatic elements include: Maritime services: A large wharf on ground level for Sydney Ferry

blackwattlebaysydney, nsw 01 WEEKS

transport along with a series of docks for commercial boats and tourism [dinner cruises, whale watching boats, jet-cruisers, etc.] Alternative transportation systems: Ground level zipcar and bike rental locations along with added bus stop, wharf, Wentworth Park tram-line, and watersport rentals to decrease automobile dependency. Waterfront Restaurants: a pub on the ground-level along with a high-end seafood restaurant and lounge on the second floor. Both of these restaurants use a window-wall system that allows the restaurant to completely open up and expand towards Blackwattle Bay/ waterfront activity. Adaptable Housing Units: Units that can expand and contract with the ability to take on different uses [strictly living, live+work, live+rent]. Community Spaces: Spaces on every level that encourage social gathering Recreation + Fitness: Rentable watersport equipment + ramp along with public pools and rooftop fitness center.

foreshore walk

The design reestablishes the foreshore walk along Blackwattle Bay, incorporating outdoor restaurants, bars, rentable watersport equipment, a wharf for the Sydney Ferry, public pool, food kiosks, etc.

How can we envision the intertwining of urban and suburban dwelling patterns into a new housing paradigm that provides programmatic diversity, adaptability, and community integration?

The “Parkway Bridge” reconnects Wentworth Park and Blackwattle Bay through a safe passage route, designed to symbolize and remind residents of the historic coal bunker that had previously collapsed on site.

public wharf [sydney ferry]

public greenroof

The wharf, which sits directly below the public lap pool, creates an alternative transportation method to Sydney’s CBD via Sydney Ferries.

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The serpent-like form maximises views of the water and Anzac Bridge, while balconies cantilever over active, public spaces below.

The housing paradigm must also include various communal spaces that encourage social interaction, gathering, and public activity. In the book, Everyday Urbanism, Margaret Crawford describes the importance of “everyday space,” which she defines as the physical domain of everyday public activity that exists between the defined and identifiable realms of the home, institution, and workplace. The housing paradigm creates a gradient-blurring of private, semi-private, and public space to build a cultural connection for both the residents and general public alike. However in comparison, the gradient of private space is much smaller as the majority of the design centers around public-use and community interaction. On the ground floor, the main communal spaces include: the foreshore walk and large plaza area across from the added bus stop; outdoor seating areas that connect to the existing infrastructure of the Sydney Fish Market; the public wharf; and pool areas. Large open-air, public community stairs intersect the southern facade, providing another location for vertical circulation and encouraged stair-use. Community spaces on the second floor include: the public ‘Parkway Bridge,’ lap pool, and parking green roof. The ‘garden street’ and ‘2-story community spaces’ on the housing floors allow places for community interaction and resident activity. The 2-story community spaces project outward from the façade to exemplify the importance of community and to also serve as a place for gathering, spectacular views, or neighborhood barbeques. The switchback stairs in the center of the community space allow residents to quickly circulate up to the public rooftop. The entire roof is utilized for communal activity and includes: a rooftop, outdoor movie theater, indoor movie theater/ lecture hall, neighborhood activity room, fitness center, and private vegetable gardens.

community rooftop theater

The outdoor theater, music stage, and rooftop yard is as an adaptable community space for community movie-productions, local area concerts, and many other different community functions.

Lastly, this new housing paradigm must be able to respond effectively to changing household needs through adaptable configurations. Units should be able to quickly expand and contract horizontally and vertically through moveable walls, surfaces, and skins. The temporal condition of dwelling is explored providing options for long-term and short-term inhabitants to be intermixed together to create a more culturally diverse environment. What if units were able to be rented for an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, etc.? This project creates a vibrant, housing community that can quickly adapt to lifestyle changes, leaving little room for vacancy and wasted space, which is so familiar with the suburban model. The adaptable housing units are located on the upper floors and attach to a secondary, operable building-skin of slatted-timber. The slatted-timber is reminiscent of the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industrial past, and provides shading, privacy, and uniformity among the individualized units. The housing mass projects outward to maximize views and outdoor space, designed in an upward swoop to float above the waterfront and activity spaces below. Inside, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;garden streetsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or community corridors run through the center of every third floor of the building, with each housing unit lying on two levels, and stretching from one side of the building to the other. Inhabitants can occupy the 2-story adaptable, unit in different ways that support their family needs. For example, a 4-person family may occupy the entire unit, whereas a young couple may use the larger-unit for living and the smaller unit as an office space. Others may use the smaller-unit as a studio-rental space to generate another source of income. This concept of adaptability minimizes wasted space and creates a dynamic living environment. Private yard space voids were strategically placed in the new housing paradigm to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, while creating a feeling of suburban within the urban.

Live Live Live

Live work

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References: “Austinology.” Hybrid Housing. 31 May 2009. Web. 12 Oct 2009. Broto, Carles, and Arian Mostaedi. New housing concepts. Links Internacional, 2001. Cannato, Vincent J. “The Way We Live Now: How America Went Suburban, and Why.” Weekly Standard 20 March 2006: n. pag. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. Crawford, Margaret, Michael Speaks, and Rahul Mehrotra. Everyday Urbanism. Univ of Michigan College of, 2005. Crosbie, Michael. Living together. Images Publishing, 2007. Florida, Richard. Cities and the Creative Class. New York: Routledge, 2005. Fulmer, Linda. “MSN Real Estate.” Is Your Suburb the next Slum?. Web. 14 Oct 2009. Gorlin, Alexander. Creating the new American town house. Rizzoli Intl Pubns, 2005. Hinshaw, Mark L. True Urbanism: Living In and Near the Center. Chicago, Illinois: Planners Press, 2007. Holl, Steven. Edge of a city. Princeton Architectural Pr, 1991. Kolleeny, Jane F. “Urban Multifamily Housing: Fringe Benefits.” Architectural Record June 2008: 121-136. Vegesack, Alexander, Jochen Eisenbrand, Deutscher Zollverein, Art (Pasadena, Calif.) Calif.), and Vitra Museum. Open house. 2006-11-30, 2006.

residential garden street/ live + work unit

individualized units [identity]

Residents individualize their units within their urban lot boundaries to better suit their needs and add artistic character to the community.

Units can claim up to 6’-0” of space into the public garden street for porch space, a projected entry, gardens/ shrubbery, etc. [individualization]

ENVIRONMEN T

E CI

SO CO NT

EX T

CULTURE

LIFE

EDUCATION

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WEAVING TEACHING AND LEARNING INTO THE WEB OF LIFE AND ENVIRONMENT : Matthew VanSoest | Professor: Joshua Coggeshall and Pamela Harwood | Advisor: Harry Eggink

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one strand within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” – Chief Seattle. This creative project stems from this ancient wisdom and seeks to connect learning to all things and in particular investigates the meaning by extracting/examining the relationships between part and whole, detached and bound, strand and weave. Realizing that the web of life contains infinite strands and each strand’s uniqueness contributes to the overall integrity of that web, this project aims to find the broken strands, frayed strands, missing strands and investigates how they can be connected to a tapestry of a learning community. In a web, all things are bound together, and all things connect. In this project, we are all teachers, learners and doers. The environment, community, and natural features all provide rich contexts to learn. A six step process begins by 1) discovering all places that could promote lifelong learning,

for all age groups, 2) finding hidden potentials of learning that could take place at site specific places, 3) augmenting learning events through an intervention that is humanly construction that makes learning clear, 4) placing or grounding the intervention and see how it used and if or how a transformation occurs at this place, 5) reflecting on how a site could alter or evolve over time by using different learning interventions for different learning phenomena, and 6) continuously using this method to approach future design contexts, sites, and interventions. The project aims to make learning prominent in the community, inviting and evident for humanity - connecting people of all age groups, backgrounds, and interests. In essence, learning becomes connected to the community and the community is connected through learning via design. This exchange represents a “yin and yang” relationship as differing natural and physical environs or strands along with learning begin to interconnect and benefit each other.

MATTHEW VANSOEST

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MASTERS THESIS

WET LAB

CURIO-TABLET AND WATER “MARKS”

TEACH, TRAIN, TEST

PRESENT AND PERFORM

SHOW AND TELL

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References:

ROSS PARK LEARNING SITE

INFORMATION, MAPS, AND TOURIST BROCHURES AT MAIN BUS STOP

COLLECTING AND INVESTIGATING AQUATIC SPECIES OFF SEVEN MILE BEACH

Daniel, Tabitha Carwile and Kay W. Terry. Multiage Classroom by Design: Beyond the One-Room School. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press Inc, 1995. Chase, Penelle and Jane Doan. Full Circle: A New Look at Multiage Education. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 1994. Harwood, Hudson, VanSoest. Charter Schools Patterns of Innovation: A New Architecture for a New Education. Ball State University. Burke, Catherine and Ian Grosvenor. School. London: Reaktion Books LTD, 2008. Fuller, R. Buckminster. On Education. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1979. Areglado, Ronald J. and R.C. Bradley. Learning for Life: Creating Classrooms for Self-Directed Learning. Thousand Oak, California: Corwin Press Inc, 1996. Haar, Sharon. Schools for Cities: Urban Strategies. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002. Johnson, Martin. Failing School Failing City: The Reality of Inner City Education. Charlbury, England: Jon Carpenter Publishing, 1999. Dudek, Mark. Kindergarten Architecture: Space for the Imagination. London: E&FN Spon, 1996. Coates, Gary. Alternative Learning Environments. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: Dowden, Hutchinson& Ross, Inc., 1974. Gerber, Alex. Wholeness: On Education, Buckminster Fuller, and Tao. Kirkland, Washington: Gerber Educational Resources, 2001. Knowlton School of Architecture, The Ohio State University. Morphosis: Diamond Ranch High School Diamond Bar, California. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2001. Gardner, John Fentress. Education: In Search of the Spirit. Hudson, New York: Anthroposophic Press, 1996. Ford, Alan. Designing the Sustainable School. Victoria, Australia: The Images Publishing Group PTY LTD, 2007.

How is the continuum of space, time, and event made clear? How is the continuum of past, present, and future made inseperable? One must know the past to sense the immediacy of the present. These inform understanding of the future. Past informs the present. Past is the present. Present is the future.

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CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE DESIGN: Learning from the Aboriginal Australian Worldview Sam Vonderau | Professors: Ana de Brea Pam Harwood

The purpose of this project is to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be able to contribute to local cultures as a designer. This is important as we approach an era in design in which architects work both cross-culturally and cross-continentally. The significance of place and experience become no less important the more connected we are. On the contrary, the need for linking experience to a specific people and place is essential in celebrating uniqueness. The context to develop the â&#x20AC;&#x153;knowledge, skills, and attitudes that contribute to local cultureâ&#x20AC;? is the Indigenous Aboriginal Australians and their landscape in the coastal Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia. The intent is to use the Aboriginal worldview to develop, as an experiential vehicle, an understanding of culture and environment as applicable to the design process. This exploration is the result of the recognition of a homogenizing world and the hypothesis that an examination of the reciprocal relationship between culture and experience may

be used to regain place. The unique Aboriginal spirituality and inherent connection to the land serve as guiding principles in the development of meaningful architecture. I seek to adopt the Aboriginal worldview to reveal a new way to approach the design process. Aboriginal perspective values the act of making and the process of translating ideas into existence. Through this project, a method of design is developed focused on discovering a balance between the abstract and the concrete informed by the metaphysical and physical connection to culture and the landscape through a process of making and narrative. A series of environmental installations were developed to reveal the order, structure, and character of the natural environment and used to test understanding of the Aboriginal culture. These installations are not objects, but exist as part of a process of coming to know the metaphysical and physical link of Aboriginal people to place.

SAM VONDERAU

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MASTERS THESIS

Reality is made manifest through inhabitation. Narrative serves to explain this reality. Narrative remains abstract. Thus, form concretizes this experience. This becomes an expression of reality and meaning when activated.

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>systemetize intuitions in a most rigorous and self-conscious way >metaphysical and physical continuum of an interconnected space and time. >idea and activity occur simultaneously

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References: Betsky, Aaron. Architecture Must Burn. Corte Madera: Ginko Press, Inc., 2000. Bardon, Geoffrey. Papunya Tula: Art of the Western Desert. Sydney: Tuttle Publishing, 1992 Cowan, James. Aborigine Dreaming. London: Thorsons, 2002. Frampton, Kenneth. Modern Architecture: A Critical History. London: Thames Hudson, 1992. Holl, Steven. Anchoring. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996. Holl, Steven. Intertwining. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996. Holl, Steven. Parallax. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000. Koolhaus, Rem. S,M,L,XL. New York: Monacelli Press, 1998. Mau, Bruce. Massive Change. London: Phaidon, 2004. Norberg-Schulz, Christian. Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture. Rome: Rizzoli, 1991. Rapoport, Amos. Culture, Architecture, and Design. Chicago: Locke Science Publishing Company, Inc., 2005. Rapoport, Amos. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the Cultural Responsiveness of Architecture.â&#x20AC;? Journal of Architectural Education, 1984: Vol. 41, No. 1, 10-15. Steele, J.G. Aboriginal Pathways in Southeast Queensland and the Richmond River. New York: University of Queensland Press, 1984. Studio Sputnik. Snooze: Immersing Architecture in Mass Culture. Amsterdam: NAi Publishers, 2003. -

Through this project I generated a transferrable framework of awareness, understanding, and application useful within any design issue. 1) Suppress own culture and adopt another. 2) Identify, respond to, and reflect on the circumstantial. 3) Design is about questionning and process of seeking. 4) Importance of process of thinking and acting as a continuum of analysis, application, and reflection.

Samâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Adventure

1 video

Who, What, When, Where, Why

2 video

Experiments with Land

3 video

Developments and Visitations in the Dark

4 video

Creative Interpretations

5 video

Change of Direction

6 video

The Unbuilding

To watch these videos please head to: http://www.architecturedownunder.com/Architecture_Adventure_Down_Under/ Welcome.html

video

Thoughts and Experiences

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Architecture Adventure Down Under Digital Media Independent Study Kimberly Lytle Professor: Pam Harwood

For my Digital Media minor, I did an independent study in place of a capstone course. For this capstone course I decided to follow one of the graduate assistants, Sam Vonderau, as he completed his thesis. While in Australia I was in contact with a TCOM faculty back at Ball State. As part of the assignment I made a website and posted videos along the way. The website was composed of several pages: welcome, photo, blog, about the producer, and about the production. The site includes images and text of the process. There are a total of 7 video, each consisted of a 5-6 minute of footage about Sam’s current project and position within his thesis. Interviews and narratives were a part of each video. I took the footage, did narration, composed the music, and edited each video. The first installment of Sam’s thesis is “Who, What, When, Where, Why”. In this video, Sam goes into great depth about his thesis. He not only explains why he is here, but also goes into detail about what he will do and what he plans to accomplish while in Australia. In “Experiments with Land” Sam visits his site with high hopes to better understand it. He will complete different exercises to help him better understand the place he has chosen in a architectural and spiritual way.

“Developments and Visitations in the Dark” shows how more experiments develop as Sam seeks to further explore this place he has chosen in the bush. Venturing out at different times of the day, including the night, Sam yearns to

understand more about the site so that he may further research and develop his creative project. After Sam takes a much needed break from his creative project, he comes back refreshed and ready to continue his work. Sam tries some new ways of exploring the area in “Creative Interpretations”. He also takes his project to the next step by creating the first of his own interpretive installations. Sam discovers his creative project isn’t going the way he had wanted it to go in “Change of Direction”. As he discovers new insights and developments, he tries several different approaches to better answer his questions. His different attempts spark different thoughts of creativity and questions to answer as he strives to complete his thesis before leaving Australia in two weeks. “The Unbuilding” is the last installation of his project. Sam attempts a new approach to better display his views of his installations to himself and others. In this installment, Sam completes his final installation for his creative project, but instead of witnessing him build his interpretations, he takes you into the view of “unbuilding” his installation to better understand his process and thinking. “Thoughts and Experiences” Sam is now at the end of his adventure and has completed his thesis. Sam gives his final thoughts and provides comments on his experience. His professor, Pam Harwood, is also featured with her thoughts on the project, giving insight to some of Sam’s ideas.

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Abroad Down Under

Digital Media Independent Study James Richman Professor: Pam Harwood

In my semester abroad, I participated in an independent study where I chose to create a multi-media video blog. The primary focus of the project was documenting the experiences of the Ball State architecture students studying in Australia with me. I created a website to be the home of my Digital Media capstone project. You can visit the site and view the videos at http://bsuaussie.wordpress.com/.

immersing the students into the local culture. Being off campus while doing this project presented some unique challenges. I had to get creative with the space available to me. Above is a series of still images taken from a short video of me modifying our classroom furniture to create a low-tech isolation booth for sound recording.

My blog series was composed of six installments and several digital shorts. The first installment was about our arrival to Australia. Installment two was an introduction to the studio and sustainability classes. This video looked into the first projects the architecture students undertook in Australia. The third installment followed us on our weekend trip to Brisbane. Installment four took a brief look at some of the destinations everyone traveled to during spring break and what the students learned and concluded on some of Sydneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land and water developments. The fifth installment was about our classroom on the beach. After returning from spring break, everyone set off to local beaches for their next sustainability assignment: building a shelter using limited materials in a limited time frame. The sixth installment was about architecture and surf clubs. The students spent several weeks revising and finishing their surf life saving club projects. At the end of the process, they presented them to local community members to share their ideas. It turned out to be a great success; further

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INDEPENDENT STUDY

ka akin Y

beach fla s G

swimmin 01

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Events Management Class Mini-Ironman Competition Kimberly Lytle | James Richman

Two students from the Australia Centre 2010 were involved in the Events Management class. Due to this small class size, the course had to be run a little bit differently. Topics covered in the class were discussed in short lectures and through assigned readings. These topics included the Olympics, special events in local areas, and the kinds of things you must prepare for when planning large sporting events. The two students in this class, Kimberly and James, also took on the opportunity to run the intramural games that took place throughout the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stay in Australia. They also organized and hosted final days festivities, which included an Australia themed sporting event, a dinner, and a thank you ceremony.

life saving clubs. Unlike American iron man competitions, the Australian version consists of swimming, paddling, and beach running. Students were placed on teams and signed up for one of the events. At the end ceremony, trophies were giving to the winning teams. It was a fun event and a great way to spend our last bit of time together as a group before heading back home.

Each week there were a series of intramural sporting events. Sports included soccer, basketball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, and football. These sporting events took place in the evenings from Monday-Friday. Games took place on the Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation facilities. Teams were formed at random from a list of interested students. Butters was the referee for each event. He and Kim were in charge of keeping score and making the schedule for each week. At the end of our stay there was a tournament to decide the overall winning team for each sport. Volleyball was the crowd favorite and had the most intense final matches. As a part of their events management class, Kim and Butters organized a mini-iron man competition. The competition was modeled from the iron man events put on by the surf

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Plant Biomes New South Wales Kyle Rader

The purpose of this independent study was This research cumulated with a book over to explore the various plant biomes of the viewing the biomes, highlighting specific coastal New South Wales area. The areas of plants, and detailing certain invasives. concentration included coastal sand dunes, coastal heath, and subtropical rainforests. An overview of each of these systems was provided. Below is an excerpt from the section over sand dunes: Coastal vegetation is always changing states. Pioneer species first begin to colonize the bare sand dunes or foredunes. This consists of salt tolerant grasses, groundcovers, and creepers such as Spinifex sericeus (spinifex), Ipomea pes-caprae (goatsfoot), Hibbertia scandens (guinea flower), and Carpobrotus spp (pig face). Specific plants were selected to study in further detail. Most of this work was done through field excursions. The vast majority of the photos featured in the project were taken personally. This meant that each plant had to be located and identified in the field. This led to a further understanding of the physical characteristics of the plant. Finally, invasive species are a major threat to the biomes of New South Wales. Many of these plants have been spread by humans. Various volunteer groups have taken it upon themselves to eradicate these plants from the coastal systems. A few examples of invasive plants that are common in the United States include Lantanta camara (lantana) and Ipomoea cairica (morning glory).

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Water

Australia vs. United States Kendra Prather

The Southern California area and Australia world’s growing hungry and thirsty populations. have similar stories; however, Australia is being affected much more seriously because of its natural climate issues. Due to their naturally arid climate, Australians have stronger initiative to solve their water resource problem, and we should be looking to them as environmental role models. Even hotel front desk customer service personnel in Sydney knew about current water levels/ reservoir levels related to the Murray River and that desalination technology experimentation was being conducted. First Graders at Lennox Head Primary School were well-versed with the basics of water sustainability and conservation. However, with climate change, salinity issues, and a growing world population we might find it impossible to gain control of water issues. As Australia is discovering, some areas are just too far gone to save, so we need to save the ones we can while it’s still a possibility. In the United States, separate entities and states rule the water causing events such as the California Water Wars and an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude. Australians, however, have realized they need to work together to solve the problem. We have learned how to sustain and/or improve water supplies. All of these problems have risen in as little as 100 years. What’s going to happen in the next 100? Implementing viable solutions best suited for a region’s needs must occur to meet our

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Aboriginal Culture

Social and Environmental Sustainability Kaitlin Vaughn

Social sustainability occurs when the formal and informal processes, systems, structures and relationships actively support the capacity of current and future generations to create healthy and liveable communities. Socially sustainable communities are equitable, diverse, connected, democratic, and provide a good quality of life. (David Martin, Jim Hondros and Ben Scambary) There is a complex political interplay between an emphasis on tradition and the past as providing the principles for a distinctive Aboriginal identity and way of life, and a focus on engagement with the wider society and its economic and other opportunities. Sustainable Development is “‘meeting the needs of present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs,” an idea formulated in 1987 by the Brundtland report to the World Commission on Environment and Development. The promise was to have identified a type of sustainable development that promoted both ecological sustainability and international justice, but it has caused debate ever since.

the better it is for their collection. These art collectors, aside from tourism, are one of the driving forces behind the economic success of ethnographic Aboriginal art and its ability to sustain a community. The difference between ethnographic and contemporary artwork is vital for collectors: ethnographic art is made by a ‘people’ and contemporary art is made by a ‘person’. Collectors of this kind of art seek out objects that embody the spiritual world-view of a generally culturally isolated population. Collectors of contemporary art, on the other hand, choose an artwork because it represents a single person’s creative vision, expressed through a medium.

Art collectors and curators who manage ethnographic collections place a premium on objects made in a traditional style. In other words, the greater the distance between an ethnographic piece and the developed world,

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Thank You

We would like to extend our gratitude to all the people who helped make this trip possible. It was an experience of a lifetime for all of us and we will be forever grateful. We would first like to thank Lyn Lockrey for his enthusiasm and passion in teaching us about Australian life and culture. Thanks to David Newell for sharing his insight into wildlife biology. Thanks to David Arthur for sharing his expertise in sports and events management. Thank you to Giac Cavazzini and the rest of the Sundive team for teaching so many of us to scuba dive. Thanks to Serena and everyone else at Surf Byron Bay for the surfing lessons. Thank you to everyone at the Lennox HeadAlstonville Surf Life Saving Club for being so helpful in the designs of our surf club projects. Thank you to John Mills and everyone at Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre for your hospitality. We would like to thank Anthony and Mark Simes for providing excellent transportation during our stay. Thank you to Malcolm Milner and everyone from Lennox Landcare for teaching us about native plant species. We would like to thank the teachers and administrators at Lennox Head Public School for allowing us into your classrooms. Thanks to the students at Lennox Head Public School for being so energetic in learning from us as well as teaching us more about Australian culture.

Thank you to Phil Silver, Mayor of Ballina Shire, and Louise Owen, Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce, for their input on our community development proposal. We would like to thank Jim Coffin, Carol Block, Nola Nichols, and everyone at the Center for International Programs for helping organize this wonderful semester. Thank you to the graduate assistants, Darrell Scott, Matt VanSoest, and Sam Vonderau, for all your help in organizing classes, field trips, and activities around the camp. We would all like to thank our family and friends at home for all their support. Finally, we would like to thank our director, Pam Harwood, for her rigor and enthusiasm in making this trip possible. Thank you for your flexibility in allowing us to travel across Australia and experience as much of the country as possible in our three short months. Thanks also for your passion and commitment in creating positive learning experiences both in and out of the classroom.

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01 WEEKS

Index Ackerman, Ashlyn 001, 007, 008, 010, 018, 023, 024, 029, 030, 031, 032, 049, 057, 058, 084, 085, 099, 100, 101, 102, 143, 145 Anderson, Ryan 001, 014, 017, 033, 034, 035, 036, 071, 072, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 109, 110, 135, 143, 145 Basile, Courtney 001, 009, 013, 026, 033, 034, 035, 036, 054, 059, 060, 080, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 094, 095, 096, 097, 098, 112, 135, 136, 143, 145 Binkerd, Mishayla 001, 002, 008, 014, 017, 018, 037, 038, 039, 040, 080, 084, 093, 109, 110, 111, 112, 143, 145 Borkowski, Andrea 001, 008, 014, 015, 016, 022, 049, 077, 078, 084, 085, 143, 145 Bosse, Amanda 001, 002, 013, 014, 026, 037, 038, 039, 040, 080, 084, 099, 100, 101, 102, 111, 112, 136, 143, 145 Burg, Gardner 001, 014, 017, 053, 065, 066, 081, 082, 084, 135, 143, 145 Cahill, Fiona 001, 008, 014, 026, 037, 038, 039, 040, 084, 107, 108, 136, 143, 145 Christen, Luke 001, 002, 007, 018, 019, 020, 022, 026, 027, 028, 049, 050, 053, 061, 062, 083, 084, 094, 109, 110, 135, 143, 145 Croyle, Nick 001, 026, 029, 030, 031, 032, 051, 052, 053, 071, 072, 084, 093, 109, 110, 136, 143, 145 Geller, Nathan 001, 010, 037, 038, 039, 040, 053, 077, 078, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 103, 104, 105, 106, 112, 135, 136, 143, 145 Harmon, Lindley 001, 015, 016, 022, 026, 049, 053, 077, 078, 084, 143, 145 Harwood, Pam 001, 084, 135, 143, 145 Hanigan, Ryan 001, 002, 007, 019, 020, 022, 027, 028, 049, 050, 061, 062, 084, 107, 108, 112, 135, 136, 143, 145 Henley, Zack 001, 007, 017, 018, 026, 027, 028, 051, 052, 075, 076, 080, 084, 103, 104, 105, 106, 136, 143, 145 Kendall, Zach 001, 008, 013, 014, 026, 045, 046, 047, 048, 049, 050, 054, 075, 076, 080, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 095, 096, 097, 098, 136, 143, 145 Laughlin, Patrick 001, 013, 027, 028, 051, 052, 053, 071, 072, 084, 093, 109, 110, 143, 145 Lentz, Steve 001, 010, 013, 014, 026, 045, 046, 047, 048, 049, 050, 075, 076, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 107, 108, 112, 135, 143, 145 Lindner, Eric 001, 007, 011, 012, 017, 025, 026, 033, 034, 035, 036, 065, 066, 084, 099, 100, 101, 102, 112, 143, 145 Lytle, Kim 001, 010, 013, 014, 080, 131, 132, 135, 136, 143, 145

McClure, Ashley 001, 007, 010, 023, 024, 029, 030, 031, 032, 049, 050, 057, 058, 084, 107, 108, 112, 143, 145 McGlasson, Mickey 001, 008, 053, 069, 070, 080, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 136, 143, 145 Mikosz, Tayler 001, 002, 007, 008, 014, 018, 019, 020, 022, 025, 026, 041, 042, 043, 044, 049, 050, 053, 054, 073, 074, 080, 083, 084, 094, 099, 100, 101, 102, 112, 143, 145 Morrissey, Sean 001, 008, 009, 013, 017, 026, 045, 046, 047, 048, 054, 069, 070, 080, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 103, 104, 105, 106, 112, 135, 136, 143, 145 Prather, Kendra 001, 014, 015, 016, 017, 022, 026, 049, 053, 054, 073, 074, 084, 112, 135, 139, 140, 143, 145 Price, Kevin 001, 002, 007, 008, 029, 030, 031, 032, 050, 061, 062, 080, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 094, 103, 104, 105, 106, 112, 135, 136, 143, 145 Rader, Kyle 001, 007, 011, 012, 014, 022, 049, 059, 060, 084, 136, 137, 138, 143, 145 Richman, James “Butters” 001, 007, 010, 013, 018, 025, 026, 054, 112, 133, 134, 135, 136, 143, 145 Rorick, Stacy 001, 007, 008, 010, 017, 025, 026, 041, 042, 043, 044, 050, 063, 064, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 099, 100, 101, 102, 112, 135, 143, 145 Scott, Darrell 001, 084, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 143, 145 Schlundt, Nate 001, 002, 008, 009, 010, 011, 012, 014, 025, 026, 033, 034, 035, 036, 053, 065, 066, 084, 107, 108, 111, 112, 143, 145 Tabberson, Coly 001, 005, 067, 068, 084, 143, 145 Tavernier, Nicole 001, 007, 009, 014, 022, 025, 033, 034, 035, 036, 084, 103, 104, 105, 106, 112, 136, 143, 145 Tempelman, Kevin 001, 007, 008, 010, 013, 026, 041, 042, 043, 044, 049, 050, 054, 059, 060, 080, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 094, 095, 096, 097, 098, 112, 143, 145 Tishner, Erika 001, 007, 010, 023, 024, 029, 030, 031, 032, 049, 057, 058, 084, 095, 096, 097, 098, 136, 143, 145 VanMeter, Ashley 001, 002, 007, 014, 018, 019, 020, 022, 025, 026, 041, 042, 043, 044, 049, 050, 054, 073, 074, 080, 083, 084, 094, 095, 096, 097, 098, 112, 143, 145 Vaughn, Katlin 001, 015, 016, 017, 022, 049, 054, 063, 064, 084, 112, 135, 141, 142, 143, 145 VanSoest, Matt 001, 002, 017, 084, 112, 121, 122, 123, 124, 135, 136, 143, 145 Vonderau, Sam 001, 014, 050, 063, 064, 084, 112, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 136, 143, 145 Wilk, Ray 001, 022, 045, 046, 047, 048, 051, 052, 053, 069, 070, 084, 099, 100, 101, 102, 143, 145

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