Examples Of Undergraduate Work Completed In The Bachelor Of Arts In Architecture At The University Of Canberra 2015-2016 and Visiting Student semester undertaken at ETH Zurich 2017. All Work Contained Is Owned And Produced By Bess Laaring
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1. COMMUNITY GARDEN 2. NARRABUNDAH BAKERY 3. SALMON OBSERVATORY 4. JANNING RESTAURANT 5. COMMUNES: LE CHENIT 6. MUNICH: NOTION OF PLACE
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C
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M
The
brief
or
seating
for
M this
for
U
first
N
year,
Garema
I
first
T
Y
semester
Place,
a
G project
public
A was
square
R for
in
a
D
E
N
public
shelter
Canberra’s
CBD.
The pillars are fashioned from granite to match the existing bollards in the square. The resulting project provides seating, a community vegetable garden, native planting to attract local wildlife, drinking fountain, swings and a climbing wall. The
garden
collects
and
stores
its
own
water
through
stormwater
drainage.
The design incorporates existing features such as the existing chess board. The seating area accommodates the markets and festivals that take place in the square as by creating a space for performances and busking. Night time lighting is also incorporated into the garden to increase the safety and attractiveness of the square at night. The
community
the
homeless,
garden
is
providing
intended a
to
be
purposeful
of
use
space
to for
local social
residents
and
interaction.
0m
2
5
N A R R A B U N D A H
B A K E R Y
The brief for this assignment, completed in first year, second semester, was for a bakery on a specific site in the suburb of Narrabundah, Canberra. It required that the design address public and private programs while exploring thresholds and interstitial space. The resulting project plays with two qualities of light: harsh, shadowing casting light and soft diffused or reflected light. The brief required that the bakery be designed to fit
and
for
a
storage
accommodate bakery spaces,
such
as
the
very
various
preparation
specific
ovens
areas,
and food
equipment
necessary
appliances,
specialised
display
and
serving.
The materiality consists of a white tinted concrete for the main structure with wooden louvers and selves fitted in the interior and a weathering steel as the external cladding to delineate the back of house bakery form the public customer area.
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R
V
E
R
This second year, first semester project was to a brief stipulated by Steven Holl: to design an observatory in three stages or ‘explorations’ for a chosen observer, each
stage
eventually
fit
being
a
together
20 to
X
20
create
a
metre site
of
area 60
that
would
20
metres.
x
The observer chosen for this project is a biologist devoted to ichthyology – the study of fish. The observer researches the salmon in the river that flows past the dwelling. As
the
outside, with
observer the the
is
design
fascinated encourages
surrounding
by
nature
the
environment,
and
appreciation especially
loves of
spending and
with
time
integration the
river.
Access to the water is not just considered a practical requirement for research purposes but also a necessity for the enjoyment of the environment. The isolated location requires something to instil a sense of security, a dwelling that is protective. As a scientist, the observer appreciates order, rhythm and systems such as he observes in nature and applies in his scientific method. The design therefore is guided by the principles of order and rhythm and takes a systematic approach to resolution.
CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING
STEEL PIN
CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING
T E C TO N I C S
TIMBER POST
TIMBER DECKING STEEL PIN
250mm PRECAST CONCRETE FLOOR SLABS
COMMUNICATIONS SCENARIO 5
TIMBER PLATFORM JOIST
DESIGN COMMUNICATIONS, SEMESTER 1, 2016 BESS LAARING U 3121165 EXTERNAL CLADDING
SUN:YELLOW SUMMER, RED WINTER
NG
CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING
300mm PRECAST CONCRETE PANELS
GUTTER
CAST-IN SERVICES
T E C TO N I C S FIXTURE FOR INTERNAL CLADDING
CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING
T E C TO N I C S CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING WATER RUN OFF
INSULATION
COMMUNICATIONS SCENARIO 5 DESIGN COMMUNICATIONS, SEMESTER 1, 2016 BESS LAARING U 3121165 THERMAL MASS
COMMUNICATIONS SCENARIO 5
SERVICES/ZONES
TIMBER POST
TIMBER DECKING STEEL PIN
DESIGN COMMUNICATIONS, SEMESTER 1, 2016 BESS LAARING U 3121165
INTERNAL TIMBER PANELLING
TIMBER PLATFORM JOIST
STEEL PIN 250mm PRECAST CONCRETE FLOOR SLABS
THERMAL MASS
SERVICES/ZONES
SERVICES/ZONES
CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING
CROSS VENTILATION/EVAPORATIVE COOLING
Siting Diagrams
J The
A brief
bar, Altered Contours
New Structure Circulation
urban
N
required
community garden
a
building
and
to
N that
teaching
be
sited
at
I
included space,
the
a
N restaurant
connection
National
G
and
to
Arboretum
a
small
a in
nearby Canberra.
The building needed to connect with an adjacent urban farm which would provide food to the restaurant and community. Practicalities such as three car spaces, a truck delivery area, toilet facilities and disability access were mandatory. The restaurant was to be specialized to a certain chef and the design of the kitchen
Section (1:500)
was a crucial part of the brief. The chosen chef for this project is Clayton Donovan. Donovan Existing Contours
seeks
to
bring
the
Altered Contours light in a contemporary manner.
flavors
of
Australian
Oven/Chimney Raw Process
indigenous
culture
to
New Structure Circulation The concept for this kitchen arose through Cooking Storage
contemplating the dynamics of a campsite, more specifically an aboriginal Preparation Lift
campsite where food and relationships meet. The kitchen encourages staff Oven/Chimney
to face each other over a central bench and allows space for cooking over Raw Process
Site Map (1:100)
Cooking
an open fire as well as areas where harvest can be prepared for storage. The Storage
Preparation
community and teaching space is intentionally places adjacent to the kitchen. Lift
Water Catchment
Solar Paths
Oven/Chimney
Section (1:500)
Materiality recede
is
an
back
into
assortment the
earth,
of
metals,
respecting
the
Raw Process
designed
Cooking Storage
site
Preparation
and
to
weather
notions
of
and
‘origin’.
Oven/Chimney
Lift
Existing Contours
Altered Contours
Raw Process
New Structure Circulation
Cooking Storage Preparation Lift
Oven/Chimney Raw Process
Site Map (1:100)
Cooking Storage Preparation Lift
Solar Paths
Oven/Chimney Raw Process Cooking Storage Oven/Chimney Raw Process Cooking Storage Preparation Lift
Oven/Chimney Raw Process Cooking Storage Preparation Lift
Oven/Chimney Raw Process
Preparation Lift
Siting Diagrams
Section (1:500)
Existing Contours
Altered Contours
N
Section (1:500)
Existing
ams Site Map (1:100)
ams
Site Access -
New Structure Circulation
New Structure Circulation
Vehicle
Pedestrian Circulation
Water Catchment
Solar Paths
A
C D
B
A
B
C
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S
This semester as a visiting student at ETH Zurich was undertaken with Assistant Professor Milicia Topalovic in territorial architecture. The studio focused on the metropolitan country side of Switzerland, specifically the communes, or municipalities, that are the smallest units of government in the country. Historically the size of one village, the studio intended to investigate how communes survive and function in an increasingly globalised and urbanised society. In this context, the research aimed to address questions such as ‘what does local community still mean?’, ‘can notions of communal life still have currency?’, ‘can communal vision still have consequence, for social relations, for built space and organisation of the territory?’. The
semester’s
work
was
largely
researched
based
and
focused
in
the
area of Lac Léman with the aim to produce a book and develop a project. The
work
was
completed
in
a
group
of
three.
Skills gained from this semester included mapping, analysis of territorial spaces, a deeper understanding of ecology and metropolitan areas, the ability to analyse a site, on the scale of a country right down to the scale of a plot of land, to be sensitive
to,
and
political
and
work
The
following
and
understanding
considerations,
within are
a
team pages
the of
of,
ability
students
taken
directly
cultural, to
edit
from from
Commune of Le Chenit
LAC LEMAN
industrial, and
vastly the
economic
produce
diverse final
a
book
backgrounds.
semester
book.
Clusters of communes around Le Chenit
Building construction over last 30 years
Public land ownership
Protected zones and buildings
Watchmaking and fine mechanics
Future building zones
Historical structure of the commune
Agriculture and forest lands
Growth: ‘Fitting-in’ and ‘Creating a New’
One spread taken directly from the final semester book.
The fabric and character of the commune has diverged from its roots. Traditionally a ‘road town’ with tighter village clusters, Le Chenit now also has newer areas that resemble a generic ‘suburb-like’ condition, which started to appear in the 1950’s. In the 1970’s, larger industrial buildings were introduced. Both suburban areas and large industrial buildings continued to appear over the decades and Le Chenit is now a mix of historic villages cores, suburban areas and industrial compounds. While industrial buildings and new housing are often placed outside the historic centre, recent constructions are also inserted into the existing fabric. New residents also restore historic structures, such as old farm houses or traditional row houses. The new building types vary greatly. More contemporary or modern examples can be found from the last half of the twentieth century. The Sports Centre (see page 36) is a bold example, and a variety of housing types can be found in the ‘suburb’ areas, such as the examples on the opposite page. Regulations now require new houses to conform to certain historical aesthetics in order to ‘fit in’ and many new houses exhibit a traditional pitched roof and proportions, making them difficult to distinguish from renovated historical buildings.
Growth 1849 1899 1945 1980 2017
1 Traditional Barn House
2 Historical Road Town
3 Old Watchmaking Houses
The large farm houses and barns, scattered over
The ‘road town’ character present in Le Chenit is
In Le Brassus and Le Sentier, buildings cluster
the valley, are historical archetypes in the area,
illsutrated by the row house typology of the area,
closer together, demonstrating the historic village
creating distinct points in the landscape, set among
built for greater insulation and protection from the
centres.
the pastures and forests.
weather.
6 Suburban Houses
5 Modern Row Houses
4 Increasing Density
The new suburb areas frequently display a diverse
The roads in Le Chenit are still excentuated by new
Le Chenit now has multiple apartment buildings, of
variety of houses. As above, there are examples of
row house typologies inspired by the historical
which the tallest, and most notable, is the tower
houses in the newer areas that do not follow
example that are an attempt at fitting in with the
shown above.
historical examples.
existing fabric.
M
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This second semester as a visiting student at ETH Zurich was undertaken with Professor Günther Vogt, studying the relationship between the city of Muncih and the Bavarian Alps. This semester is part of the larger theme for the studios, looking consecutively at the cities and metropolises that suround the European Alpine Convention. The final project was a program and a series of proposed interventions with the aim to address suburban sprawl and bring quality and gravity to the towns and villages that lie at the end of the train line from Munich. These towns, because of their rapid connectivity to Munich, are otherwise in danger of becoming merely
suburbs,
‘sleeping
towns’,
of
Munich
or
reliant
entirley
on
tourism.
This issue and topic is prevelant in many European areas as cities grown and the line between built and unbuilt, landscape and urban, city and countryside is blurred. The project was concerned with preserving the qualities of the landscape and ensuring it is again recognised as a commons for use and enjoyment by residents and tourists, both recreationally and as a resource. The project defined landscape as a tool to address suburban sprawl, stating ‘Landscape as a Structural Element’ within the region of a village. It also proposed improved connectivity with public transport and adjusted traffic routes and finally insisted on the importance of ‘urbanised’ public spaces, as a much needed, but frequently overlooked, element in growing, urbanising villages.
Poster printed on analog printing press showing conceptual representation of proposed interventions in the chosen case study village region, Tegernsee.
Presentation layout for the final critique of the Semester, including reaserch, analysis and final intervention proposals.
DECEMBER
2017