AWAKENING
the experience through interaction Mitchell Bizon, Caleb Boehringer, Nathalie Dumont & Thuy tran
The Awakening gateway is a uniquely, experiential piece of sculptural architecture that seeks to inspire and captivate commuters travelling along the Princess Freeway. The gateway will pose as an iconic representation to the city of Wyndham, as it draws inspiration and aims to reflect the future Wyndham - a $440 million marina project currently under development along the Wyndham harbour. Through the Awakening’s installation, those who pass by will gain an insight into what exactly it is that Wyndham city council represents – renewal and growth, through a highly experiential interaction that sees all users have a direct effect on the gateway. Through a form derived directly from the context of the site locale combined with a translated wake inspiration pertained from the harbour development, the gateway aims to enhance the flow of commuters, guiding them purposefully through and into Wyndham. Enhancement of this forward motion through the site is created by the use of diamond spinners, that when affected by the turbulence or ‘wake’ each commuter’s vehicle creates, promotes a wave like effect to occur over the structure. This enables each user to have a unique experience with the gateway, vastly different to those who went before and those who will go after. The key integration of localised material degradation instils a level of uniqueness, allowing the site’s conditions and those who use this gateway to impart a level of distress that will alter its
progressive stages of form development
external composition. This, teamed with the play of light that will be created by the rotating spinners will strongly reference the harbour and common typecast associated – rustic materiality, fluid reflection and organic motion. The gateway will provide an experience to all who pass through, exemplifying Wyndham and the harbour development, awakening the user to the unique and rich possibilities that Wyndham has to offer. Its emblematic approach in terms of user impact will underpin this gateway as a focal point for broader Melbourne, surmising Wyndham’s core of growth, expansion, renewal and progression.
‘ Those who pass by, they will gain an insight into what exactly it is that Wyndham city council represents – renewal and growth ’