FINAL DESIGN ITERATION + MODEL

The site sits in the heart of the city, between the City of Perth Library and Hay Street Mall, and north of Elizabeth Quay and the Stirling Gardens.

iterations

During the conceptual stage, I toyed with the idea of sound, and how this intersects with the experience: not only what one does literally in or with the architecture, but related to the experience as a full narrative.

How could the architecture create sound?

Could I structure the expeience like a song? Thresholds and approaches may act as the intro and verses to a song, with the crucial experiential areas representing a main chorus. Could I create spatial hierarchy this way? Perhaps key areas of the architecture were delineated by their size, or a particularly stunning lighting and material scheme, while song elements were a way of smoothly transitioning occupants from one area to another. Differentiating materials does occur between spaces in my final design, with different combinations signalling different spaces.

This early iteration is based around triangular forms: a signifier of balance and strength, intended to grant occupants a sense of power. The architecture uses the language of its surroundings, such as stairs and grand arches, to empower the ordinary people within. The openings of these designs took inspiration from Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp Chapel, where small openings in a brooding dark interior gave a sense of sacrednes and holiness, a perfect place to feel at ease.