cultivation dome. andrew maddocks.
Contents...
andrew maddocks alex rodenburg darcy lancaster luke holder sam henttonen
- - - - -
nursery education building theatre market bathhouse
1. brief 3. concept 5. whiteman park 7. investing to the future 9. what we can we grow 11. bringing an audience 13. movement 15. keeping up appearances 21. the experience 23 biomes
the cultivation dome acts as a space to bring people and nature together in an intimate setting while aiding in the rehabilitation of whiteman park.
concept...
the design process began with a simple symbiotic design intended to ‘latch’ onto the other structures within the establishment however quickly adopted and expanded on the form of a geodesic dome. the shape provides the perfect micro environment for young plant life, sheltering them from weather and wildlife and providing an adjustable climate to suite the flora growing within.
n
whiteman park
10km
whiteman park already contains three nurseries, one on the eastlord street entrance, one in the centre and one west of whiteman town. the nurseries are not accessible to the general public however they do offer a valuable service to the park, they propagate and grow the local flora for the purpose of rehabilitation.
1km
n
productivity east nursery centre nursery west nursery
investing in the future the cultivation dome is an investment into the future, the structure will only stand for so long but the park should be preserved indefinitely, an example of another nursery providing this is the svalbard global seedbank, while it collects, preserves and stores seeds within its vaults for future generation the cultivation dome grows and supports whiteman park for the future.
what needs to grow although the park is revered for it’s biodiversity and pristine flora, due to mankind’s influence the park has started to struggle in some areas, at a macro level the flora of the park can be divided into three main categories of growth.
whiteman park
dense growth
the park possesses an array of lush bush land, primarily running along the thinning reaches of the swan.
as the bush land thins out, open fields and grassland fill in, providing many of the park’s picnic areas.
light growth unfortunately beyond this the park begins to really struggle, this marks areas that a nursery would best benefit.
struggling
bri
ng
ing
ce ien
an
aud
a nursery is a place to grow, but it can also be an experience, a place people go to walk within a natural environment confined by a man made structure. the dublin botanical gardens in ireland offer this experience. by growing plants not for the sake of propagation but rather theatrics, the botanical gardens invite people to simply be with nature.
the specimen nursery in belgium is a small structure where the plants grown within are sold to the public, the nursery presents a display, shadows of the plants grown within are cast onto a translucent window, it presents the plants to the public, a design aspect appropriated in the cultivation dome’s exterior.
movement in and around mussel pool is fairly limited so disrupting that flow would be problematic, the clearing has five entrances, two of these create a quiet intersection for the northeast and southwest sections of the park, by using this intersection as our site we can not only maintain the flow of movement but use it to provide a point of reflection on what is the essence of the park, the pristine immaculate natural scenery.
1:3000
Road/footpath map 1:3000
Dense vegetation
Water map
movement
100m
0m
100m
0m
1:3000 0m
100m
50m
n
nurseries built with the soul purpose of propagating plants generally follow one of two typologies, the linear path or the centric bio-dome. the linear path provides greater movement and uses the space more efficiently while the bio-dome provides a betterr environment for growth and forces people to stop and experience what that nursery has to offer.
by taking aspects of both linear path nurseries and bio-domes we can provide a new typology of nursery where movement is not restricted but concentrated providing a unique experience where nature overwhelms.
keeping up appearances the nursery acts as a central frame for whiteman park, a place to stop, observe and enjoy. the design reflects this by opening up a panorama of eucalyptus opening over mussel pool.
marking the centre of the site the cultivation dome has a responsibility to bring the establishment together, by growing plants specific to each typology and locating the individual nurseries adjacent to them it not only reflects but enforces the particular design goal of each structure
the southern nursery, adjacent to the theatre of nature reflects the theme of presenting the park to the public, by sheltering and caring for eucalyptus trees into their adolescence it not only provides the entire park with trees ready to be planted but presents the essence of the park, the eucalyptus.
linking
together
the western nursery adjacent to the flight path market cultivates the several banksia species that grow within the park, once the the plant flowers they will provide the natural economy of whiteman park with pollen, an essential commodity for the market to work.
the banksia bath-house nursery propagates the grasses that grow throughout the dense wetlands, as can be seen surrounding mussel pool. by growing grasses that only reach a potential height of one meter not only does it preserve the view of the pool but preserves the pool itself.
the northern segment of the nursery offers a glimpse of the dense canopy of eucalyptus through openings in the wall, a view that should not be obstructed by a solid wall. shading from the sun if offers a point of reflection and understanding of the conservation of whiteman park.
the experience
this point of reflection is emphasized but not exclusive to the northern segment, the entire structure serves a purpose of providing an intimate setting between person, plant and park. although the floor is open it branches into two smaller sections, enclosed on one side and each offering a view into either a nursery or a glimpse of the eucalyptus canopy on the other.
Biomes
the geodesic domes of the eden project in cornwall, england had an apparent influence on the design of the cultivation dome’s domes, but that influence doesn’t stop there. the eden project is divided into two biomes, one tropical and one mediterranean, the idea of segregating biomes allowing specific plants to grow in a specific atmosphere was appropriated into the cultivation dome’s separate nurseries.
tropical biome mediterranean