[OWEN, HSU]
NEW URBAN CIVILLAGE
New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
This project named “New Urban Civillage” is my proposition on the new sticky campus for the new RMIT Docklands Media Precinct which has been developed throughout the semester from procedural explorations. The title of “Civillage” is based on creating the sense of both the city and the village in one campus, which establishes the opposing experiences between a busy city street used as an exhibition space with digital displays throughout and surrounding this which are arrays of siheyuan buildings which are houses that creates a more cosy study spaces for students. These are regarded as the “domestic axis” in the project. The reason to this approach is because students have different preferences in the kind of space and atmosphere they like to study in, and this is often limited in many existing campus buildings, which suggested a monotone experience that leads to students becoming less willing to stay in campus for a long time. It is my proposal that a campus space has duty in creating a friendly and comfortable study space whether in the size of study spaces or the mood a space creates. This should also be diverse enough to suit that vast preferences for students. Therefore, my project used the procedural experiments to merge and generate a multiple level campus that introduces several buildings and spaces that have large and small scale, as well as ranging from open green study spaces to urban workshop spaces. A third factor that introduces the vastness of this project is the mood established in both the siheyuan buildings derived from past procedural explorations and also the central modern academic street which is buried beneath the landscape of a green village. The trasition of experience from the quiet siheyuan buildings to the central modern academic street in
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Project Introduction
each domestic axis is depicted in the differece in the lighting, as well as the facade, which from the outer street appears as normal siheyuan buildings, and on the from the academic street it became a window and wall framed shop front. In term of programs, the siheyuan buildings are arranged in several lines pointing towards the large central building, and therefore regarded as “domestic axis”. Each domestic axis is designed to house a simillar type of program, such as the editing suites all being part of an axis. This means that the each axis has its own identity and shares the simillar needs. The informal study areas however, are scattered throughout the campus in various scale and mood to allow students to decide where they prefer to study in. The staircase seen throughout the campus was based on the past process in generating a vertical terrain, which initially aimed to promote a campus filled with stages and audience seatings which can be referred to as theatre spaces. The new development changes this purpose into a new purpose of separating the experience of silent green spaces and cosy siheyuan building spaces from the modern academic street, by occupying the space below the solid staircase in mid semester which were non habitable. “New Urban Civillage” is the new future RMIT Docklands Media Precinct that generates the new community defined in two ways: The first being the strong community formed between students in smaller scale learning spaces, the second being the idea of inclusiveness of the community as a whole, with the vast learning experience welcoming all people into the campus, and for people to discover their favourite locations to study in or engage with.
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Image. The academic street showing exhibition and e-sport displays, and also each domestic axis as modern shop fronts of the streets.
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Image. On the green space above looking towards the main building and the academic street below, showing the opposing experiences.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Image: The main campus entry viewed from Docklands Dr and Pearl River Rd, with the interface between streets and the building axis.
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Project Images
Image: The domestic axis shared by the green space outside, acting as a courtyard of the axis to study or relax at.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Image Top: An informal pocket study space occupying beneath the staircase, with comfortable atmosphere created through the smaller scale.
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Project Images
Image Bottom: The STEAM classroom that allows the outside to engage with the class, and using the verandah typology to further enhance the cosy experience of the domestic axis.
Image Top: A view that presents the central academic street connected with open learning spaces, cafe, and the main exhibition area, allowing students to experince studying in the modern street.
Image Bottom: The main building as a large space used for informal learning, meetings, as well as housing larger programs such as the lecture space above and the e-sport competition area below.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
The development from typological ecology up to mid semester project was based on the typological ecology of two past experiments. The left being the siheyuan housing that went through the system application of root growth, forming various axis of learning spaces. This experiment drove out the domestic spatial environment with private circulation, restaurants and courtyards. This was then combined with the vertical terrain experiment that uses the parliament house staircase to generate a hilly learning space. The strength of vertical terrain is that it changes learning spaces into theater spaces with audience and the performer. This strengthens the engagement for audience, as well as ensuring no obstruction of view between students in class. The mid semester project development was based on program by program shift, with consideration to the two main factors: 1- establishing a central public street and main building throughout the campus 2- establishing several domestic learning axis (spaces) for smaller communities, but are also connecting to the public street and main building. The rotation and scaling of staircase was to adapt to the several functions it has: 1- as circulation 2- as seating, either private or public 3- as a privacy shield for domestic axis from other axis and the public space. Similar to the staircase, the number of siheyuan buildings in groups of axis were also decreased to free up more open space, and also eliminating the clash from one axis with another, which in the beginning all axis were clashing together. For the programs, each axis was to house a wide variation of program types, such as design production space and gallery spaces arranged together. Introducing this variation means that students can have access to all types of needs in the same axis without going to other axis.
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Design Process - Phase 1
PROGRAM ZONING DARK RED = ZONE 1 (DESIGN PRODUCTION SPACE) ORANGE = ZONE 2 (STEAM HUB AND MAKER SPACE) YELOOW = ZONE 2 (GLAM HUB SPACE) CENTRAL MAIN STREET = ZONE 3 (EVENTS / EXHIBITION SPACE) LAVENDER = CAFES OR PRESENTATION AREAS
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Design Process - Phase 2
From mid semester, the project’s development was focused on incorporating the idea of community further in my project, which has not been inclusive enough because of the accessibiloty issues caused by vertical terrains, and the experience not being diverse for students in terms of spatial scale and materiality. The process began by occupying the non habitable spaces below the staircase terrain. The main change was my initial approach to using the vertical terrain as a learning theater, which now changed its function by occupying the space below as pocket learning spaces. The programs of each axis were also rearranged so that each axis has a distinct program type, which means each axis will have an identity and shares the same interest. To tackle the idea of inclusiveness for a community, the project now shifts into aiming to establish qualities of oppositions in learning space and atmosphere, so that people can begin to choose the kind of space they best prefer to study in. The siheyuan housing was updated with natural experience through wooden materials and changing all open spaces for upper levels to become green space, and occupying the space below staircase in the central street by carving into them and generating the new academic street with modern materiality to oppose the experience of siheyuan domestic environment. The difference in facade was also the dividing threshold between this opposing experience, which on the exterior street is viewed as a siheyuan facade, while on the other side it becomes the interior shop facade of the academic street, leading that shift from a relaxing to busy urban learning environment.
Pocket Spaces
Occupying Space Academic Street
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Ground Floor B
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B Legend
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01. Green Screen Studio 1 02. Green Screen Studio 2 03. Green Screen Studio 3 04. Control Room 1 05. Control Room 2
06. Control Room 3 07. Game Production Space 08. Physical Effects Workshop 1 09. Physical Effects Workshop 2 10. Editing Suite 1
11. Editing Suite 2 12. Editing Suite 3 13. Flexible Workshop Space 14. Server Room 15. GLAM Hub
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16. STEAM Hub 17. Maker Space 18. Administration Office Space 19. Equipment Storage Space 20. Outdoor Green Space
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21. Exhibition Area 22. Informal Study Space 23. E-Sport Competition Area 24. Lecture Space 25. Cafe
26. Toilets 27. Vending Machines Area 28. Outdoor Learning Space 29. RMIT Connect 30. Informal Meeting Area
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
First Floor B
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01. Green Screen Studio 1 02. Green Screen Studio 2 03. Green Screen Studio 3 04. Control Room 1 05. Control Room 2
06. Control Room 3 07. Game Production Space 08. Physical Effects Workshop 1 09. Physical Effects Workshop 2 10. Editing Suite 1
11. Editing Suite 2 12. Editing Suite 3 13. Flexible Workshop Space 14. Server Room 15. GLAM Hub
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16. STEAM Hub 17. Maker Space 18. Administration Office Space 19. Equipment Storage Space 20. Outdoor Green Space
21. Exhibition Area 22. Informal Study Space 23. E-Sport Competition Area 24. Lecture Space 25. Cafe
26. Toilets 27. Vending Machines Area 28. Outdoor Learning Space 29. RMIT Connect 30. Informal Meeting Area
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Second Floor B
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01. Green Screen Studio 1 02. Green Screen Studio 2 03. Green Screen Studio 3 04. Control Room 1 05. Control Room 2
06. Control Room 3 07. Game Production Space 08. Physical Effects Workshop 1 09. Physical Effects Workshop 2 10. Editing Suite 1
11. Editing Suite 2 12. Editing Suite 3 13. Flexible Workshop Space 14. Server Room 15. GLAM Hub
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16. STEAM Hub 17. Maker Space 18. Administration Office Space 19. Equipment Storage Space 20. Outdoor Green Space
21. Exhibition Area 22. Informal Study Space 23. E-Sport Competition Area 24. Lecture Space 25. Cafe
26. Toilets 27. Vending Machines Area 28. Outdoor Learning Space 29. RMIT Connect 30. Informal Meeting Area
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
CHANGE THIS TEXT: What type of Section? Section AA? Section BB?
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Section AA
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Section BB Legend
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01. Green Screen Studio 1 02. Green Screen Studio 2 03. Green Screen Studio 3 04. Control Room 1 05. Control Room 2
06. Control Room 3 07. Game Production Space 08. Physical Effects Workshop 1 09. Physical Effects Workshop 2 10. Editing Suite 1
11. Editing Suite 2 12. Editing Suite 3 13. Flexible Workshop Space 14. Server Room 15. GLAM Hub
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16. STEAM Hub 17. Maker Space 18. Administration Office Space 19. Equipment Storage Space 20. Outdoor Green Space
21. Exhibition Area 22. Informal Study Space 23. E-Sport Competition Area 24. Lecture Space 25. Cafe
26. Toilets 27. Vending Machines Area 28. Outdoor Learning Space 29. RMIT Connect 30. Informal Meeting Area
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Owen Hsu
Procedural Explorations. Appendix.
NEW URBAN CIVILLAGE
APPENDIX Typological Procedural Explorations -Week 1 focused on form and its different functions based on building type, which in altering its form will redefine its type and change its function. -Week 2 focused on the spatial qualities of a landscape environment, by abstracting the form and function and using them to generate new spatial and programmatic relationship. -Week 3 focused on the generation of terrains and landscape in relation to the school campus, and establishing new terrains for the future learning environment. -Week 4 focused on the disposition of programs and the interaction between different programs, particularly the idea of cross-fertilization between different programs. -Week 5 focused on the role of facade, and how it does not disguise the function of the building as an ornamental mask from its surrounding context. -There is also the typological ecology, which combined the characteristic from two of the outcomes, that were chosen from the weeks to be superimposed.
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Footnotes
Week 1 - The transforming functions of programs
week 1: -Stan Allen / “Field Conditions”- Points + Lines: Diagrams And Projects For The City week 2: -Sam Jacoby / Typal And Typological Reasoning: A Diagrammatic Practice Of Architecture week 3: -Rafael Moneo / On Typology -Paul Fox / Public Institutions week 4: -Bernard Tschumi / Event-Cities 1, Typological Displacements: Cross Programming + Disprogramming + Transprogramming week 5: -Farshu Moussavi & Michael Kubo / The Function Of Ornament
- “To recognize an ever-increasing uncertainty about what constitutes knowledge, who has access to it and how it is distributed” - “Independent elements are combined additively to form an indeterminate whole”
Week 2 - New spatial generation - “Liberated architecture from imitative repetition, gave it autonomy (one not always already historicised) and produced something entirely different if not new” - “Abstracted buildings according to their genres (function) and was unconcerned with typologies defined by comparable organisational and structural diagrams of buildings”
Week 3 - Establishing new functions and activities - “The architect can extrapolate from the type, changing its use” - “In constructing his building, he seizes this space and in doing so he constructs a building characterized not by its use... But a ‘space’ in which an activity is produced later”
Week 4 - The interactive relation between programs - Transprogramming - “such dualities, far from restrictive, suggest unusual possibilities in which disciplines merge and cross-fertilize” -Disprogramming - “we also extracted from the program the most particular or ‘eventful’ functions or activities, which in combination would produce the ‘event’” -Crossprogramming - “buildings function as vertical passageways and bridges as multistorey crossings”
Week 5 - Facade transparency and identity - Ornament as contingent - “architecture was no longer supposed to disguise functions, but to make them visible and to render the city and its buildings immediately readable” - Ornament as sensation - “it has no intention to decorate, and there is in it no hidden meaning. At the best of times, ornament becomes an ‘empty sign’ capable of generating an unlimited number of resonances”
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Procedural Explorations. Appendix.
[TYPOLOGICAL PROCEDURAL EXPLORATIONS 1]
TRANSFORM PROGRAMS This exploration looked at a method of recreating new types of programs in terms of form and spatial qualities from an existing type. The program used was the auditorium, mainly focusing on the interior space in the genetic operative diagram. The program was chosen because of its interesting seating arrangement within the large rooms, which can be imagined as a series of smaller classrooms in a learning environment. The system used to alter this form was magnetic force, which was chosen because of its unique attraction of magnetic force. In the experiment, the model from genetic operative diagram was to be divided into smaller sections to represent the individual magnets from the system, and applying the values choreographed from the magnet video which the digits were reused as scale, rotation or movement. This process created programmatic spaces that broke the single interior auditorium space into fragments of exterior space that began to redefine functions and type: the large auditorium ground becoming a series of small circulation spaces and balconies, or becoming smaller classroom spaces.
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Genetic Operative Diagram
System: magnetic force
choreographing data for each magnet
Application to outcome The building is first divided into equal sections to fit the same number as the magnets recorded in the data.
Application of choreographed data into the model, applying the data of each magnet into each divided block of form. This was a step by step process which displayed the transformation and rearrangement of each part of the auditorium.
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The result generated fragments of exterior spaces from the single interior space, with varying scales which will suit into new types of functions or programs.
Spatial qualities generated: left: smaller classroom space facing the exterior. right: a series of small circulation spaces and balconies.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Procedural Explorations. Appendix.
[TYPOLOGICAL PROCEDURAL EXPLORATIONS 2]
FLAT SPATIAL LAYERING This exploration looked at a method of creating a civic learning environment that strengthens the engagement or interaction between students and others in the campus, with the centralised large civic spaces for collective participation. The program used was the airport, mainly focusing on the distribution of programs in the genetic operative diagram. The program was chosen because of its largely horizontal spatial qualities, and the civic quality as a central point for people who need to travel or are returning. The system used to alter this form was cloud movement over moonlight. This light and dark relationship was to be used as the zones of change and non change, which in each frame would alter different areas of the program when the diagram overlays the genetic operative diagram. This will start to generate different horizontal layers of learning space. This experiment allowed the interaction between open areas from different levels, especially in large events where people from different levels can all become the same audience to the event happening on ground floor.
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Genetic Operative Diagram
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System: cloud movement over moonlight
Choreographing light and dark areas of each frame
Application to outcome left: using the cloud area (stripped lines) to affect programs that are covered. Each program can only be affected once, which will fix its transformation to just the first frame area that affects it. right: transforming the programs based on the data. At each frame from A to F, the affected programs will move up collectively to above the previous frame, which will form six layers of horizontal programs.
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The result generated large and open civic spaces existing at different levels, which can be utilised individually based on the main program type from each level. These open spaces can also become a single audience for large events happening at the center.
Spatial qualities generated: Apart from the open civic spaces for public engagement, there is also smaller and private academic space which is located below the civic.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Procedural Explorations. Appendix.
[TYPOLOGICAL PROCEDURAL EXPLORATIONS 3]
VERTICAL TERRAIN This exploration looked at a method of utilising staircase as the strategy to navigate throughout the campus. In relation to function, staircase can have a wide mixture of use: a public or private gathering space, lecture or general seating area, way of circulation, as well as study space.
Key
RED = Roof BLUE - Portico GREEN - Front Porch YELLOW - Chambers PURPLE - Staircase CYAN - Rececption BROWN - Atrium
The program used was the parliament house from exterior area to the chambers. Its grand staircase was the primary reason to using this type. The importance of a vertical learning terrain is to realise media learning space as a theater space, where the vision of students should not block vision behind. Cinema seating also allows students to be more focused and engaged in class. The system used to alter this form was the thunderstorm cloud development, with four layers of density choreographed to suggest areas for greater interaction (level of civic) or less. This experiment was for creating a smaller learning communities that encourage greater engagement and interaction between students and teachers. This reflects a smaller version environment of a theater or lecture space.
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Genetic Operative Diagram
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Choreographing cloud density
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System: thunderstorm cloud development
Dividing space within each zone
Application to outcome The programs as separated by three types are allocated into the centers of each circle choreographed from the diagram. The circles also have three three types represented by cyan, green and yellow from largest to smallest. After the movement, scaling and rotation were applied based on the cloud’s colour zones they are located in.
Moving cyan category programs (open grounds)
Combined process 1
Moving green category programs (circulation)
Combined process 2
Moving yellow category programs (interior grounds)
Combined process 3 (end)
The result generated hilly learning terrain with vertical circulation leading to different programs.The staircase became the primary interaction point between the buildings and the surrounding streets. This can be used as gathering space, and also as outdoor learning environment.
Spatial qualities generated: left: civic entry point for the campus, the staircase draws the public’s attention into the campus, which can also be used as seating areas. right: an outside lecturing space that faces towards the street, or in other words it invites the public to engage.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Procedural Explorations. Appendix.
[TYPOLOGICAL PROCEDURAL EXPLORATIONS 4]
AXIALDOMESTIC This exploration looked at a method of creating a cosy suburb style learning environment, where students can access through their own street or pathway through the campus, with a pathway created by connecting programs throughout the axis. The small scale street environment would also help to encourage students to stay longer in the campus, rather than a more stressful and uncomfortable one. The program used was the traditional Chinese housing, siheyuan. The axial layout of programs separated by open courtyards and enclosed buildings suggested a new kind of learning environment that leans towards the idea of domestication for students. The system used to alter this form was the root growth, which has multi-axial development similar to a city’s growth. This experiment was for creating learning axis, which as one navigates through will find a spectrum of different programs that supports their need. By having the center as a clash of all axis, this also created a central gathering point for the campus, which can be the starting point before accessing to the individual axis.
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Genetic Operative Diagram
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Genetic Operative Diagram
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Choreographing root growth
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System: root growth
Converting data to values for application
Application to outcome The application was done branch by branch, with a program selection system based on data recorded. Each axis contains a balance of different programs, meaning that each street has the set of programs to allow itself to sustain without the need for students to change axis.
The result generated a rather clustered central space with some axis colliding and some becoming isolated. The domestic environment is also suggested by the housing form that are used from the genetic operative diagram.
Spatial qualities generated: left: the entry to each axis seen from the outer street. The variation is similar to that idea of entering different shop fronts from arcades, where each establishes different experience. right: the verandah became the domestic kind of circulation for students. It is also a kind of invisible barrier that draws in students and the public.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Procedural Explorations. Appendix.
[TYPOLOGICAL PROCEDURAL EXPLORATIONS 5]
INVISIBLE BOUNDARIES This exploration looked at a method of creating a public campus which is established against the idea of university learning space as being private. It no longer separates the university from the city environment it sits within. The program used was the Romanesque cathedral. As a gathering space, its large vertical scale and void of each space was effective in drawing people’s attention. This quality of drawing attention can be an important attribute for the campus. Genetic Operative Diagram
The system used to alter this form was glass breaking. The aim of using breaking glass was to multiply the amount of programs and potentially create a new space and new ornaments by combining different program blocks together. This experiment was to pull out interior spaces and turning them into container facades for classrooms and other programs such as exhibition or lecture space. This will become a passive force for inviting the public to the campus, and therefore a friendly civic engagement with the campus. System: glass breaking
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Choreographing data
Application to outcome The application was done in relation to each frame of glass, with the numbers of shattering glass determining the number of duplicates each program would receive. After multiplying, the colour filters that were used to measure areas of glass were mapped back to the model and used to determine the different scaling and rotation factors.
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The result generated a porous campus with several isolated public pocket learning spaces which are similar to pavilion spaces for gathering and discussion. The isolation of classrooms was also a method for creating a more domestic environment. The vertical scale of each block however, transformed this into a much more public kind of learning space.
Spatial qualities generated: left: the container facade of the nave becoming a central circulation area which draws in the public through its scale and invisible boundary. right: the exhibition area, with smaller circulation space leading towards other classrooms.
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New Urban Civillage
Owen Hsu
Procedural Explorations. Appendix.
[TYPOLOGICAL ECOLOGIES]
THE VERTICAL DOMESTIC This exploration combined the two potential qualities for the learning environment: one being the vertical terrain from exploration 3 and the other being the domestic learning axis from exploration 4.
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From the overlap of two outcomes, a new 3 dimensional relation was created for the domestic axis. This also introduced variation in utilising space, which is no longer limited to just a single level, and verticality can be used to further create privacy between classrooms, which at the same time are not being completely isolated from each other. The staircase used as gathering points can also start to encourage a stronger community between each axis.
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This experiment was chosen for my project’s development because it combined the vertical theater learning environment which is ideal to fit with media school and also the domestic learning axis to encourage comfort for students when they study in campus, making them want to stay longer.
1: An axis filled with various programs.
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2: Domestic classroom surrounded by stairs.
3: The backside entry that leads to the main building.
Images 4: Showing the staircase as the main terrain for building.
5: Staircase leading up to the vertical classrooms.
6: The verandah circulation area.
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Image. Axonometric view of the mid semester project development.
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