evanescent

evanescent

Alex Shen Design Thesis

Thesis Statement Interpretation and representation of peace will invariably change with time, driven by the prevailing narrative. Despite this, peace will remain a personal issue that demands a sensitive architectural response.

Evanescent will not favour a specific interpretation of peace. Instead, it will invoke the sensation of peace through the experience of temporality and seasonality.

By considering light in all parts of the design, spaces that are in tune with nature and capture the evanescence of time and season will be created. Light will generate silence naturally, leading to heightened sensibility towards the temporal sensation of peace.

Evanescent is my proposed peace precinct for the Shrine Grounds. Using light, I sought to create spaces in tune with nature and capture the evanescence of time and season. By engaging the senses, the temporal sensation of peace is evoked.

Figure 1. Alex Shen, Dusk, 2018.

1. William Taylor, “Lest We Forget: the Shrine of Remembrance, its redevelopment and the heritage of dissent,” Fabrications 15, 2 (2005): 95-109, DOI: 10.1080/10331867.2005.10525213.

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Design Concepts

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Spatial Strategy

Zoning Dividing the program into groups based on interconnections and populations of users. The main axis is re-orientated North-South to best utilise sunlight.

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Massing

Site Levels

Programs are sited in groups, avoiding vegetation and capturing the

To simplify the relationship between buildings, a number of site levels

optimal lighting condition.

are established. These areas also serve as stopping points in the circulation.

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Circulation

Planting

Circulation aligned with site axes and vegetation connect the estab-

Additional planting will take place, completing a garden landscape.

lished levels and programs. Paths vary in scale, addressing the needs

The summer refuge will be flanked by large deciduous trees, which

of traffic. Drawing on Japanese garden design, the circulation regu-

in conjunction with a water feature will provide much needed relief

lates pace and serve to filter visitors on site.

in hotter months. Flowering trees and shrubs will be planted in the Springflower slopes, obscuring site lines and providing pleasant picnic spaces.

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1 Conservatory 2 Restaurant 3 Veteran’s Accommodation 4 Library 5 Wildflower Slopes 6 Support/Rehearsal 7 Dusk Stage 8 Gallery of Light 9 Summer Refuge 10 Hanging Gardens 11 Dawn sundial

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Conservatory Entry (Basement Level) 18

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Conservatory Interior

The Conservatory The Conservatory is the lowest building on site. When arriving by train, the visitor enters at basement level. After travelling down a rhythmically lit walkway, the visitor is exposed to a flood of daylight.

Originally conceived as the ‘Winter Space’, the glass pyramid allows for pleasant occupation, even in winter. The form negotiates existing site axes, directing traffic towards the newly installed north-south axis.

The façade system employs glass louvres to regulate solar radiation, reducing energy consumption while providing interesting visual effect.

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Conservatory Facade Detail @1:10 1. Mullion • Welded solid-web truss: 100CHS welded to 10mm plate • Aluminium case fitted via concealed fixing brackets

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2. 20mm toughed glass louvre, 350mm deep, 250mm spacing.

3. Louvre fixed to welded angles via bolts.

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Conservatory East Exit 30

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Having chosen to adopt a group form strategy, I began considering landscape early in the design. Drawing predominantly upon Japanese garden strategies, I envisioned a scheme that embraced the entire hillside.

The first garden a visitor experiences is the Springflower Slopes. Planted with many flowering trees and shrubs, the Slopes are a living calendar.

Springflower Slopes

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Main Entrance (Street Level)

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Springflower Slopes, Spring 34

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Creating a buffer between The Gallery and The Rotunda, sitting pavilions are placed along a Roji path. With carefully framed views and elements, the garden is elevated and engages actively with visitors.

Springflower Slopes, Autumn 36

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Eastern Entrance and Rotunda 38

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The Rotunda The Rotunda houses a restaurant, library, and archive.

The veteran’s accommodation is connected to the east. The Rotunda is the hub for circulation on site.

The banded design of the Rotunda’s façade is inspired by rotating sun rings. Surrounded by a shallow reflection pool, the rings are lifted architecturally by a band of scalloped panels. To create the feeling of sliding under the massing, the façade is lifted by a mere 2.2m.

The main entrance is accessed by a narrow bridge, passing under the lifted façade.

Bridge between veteran’s accommodation and Rotunda

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Shrine from the Rotunda

Outside veteran’s accommodation

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The Archive of Light Emerging into a triple height space, you are immediately confronted with the Archive of Light. Illuminated by a large skylight, different books are highlighted as the sun changes pitch throughout the year, marking key moments in the calendar.

Archive of Light, 1F

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Rotunda Facade Detail @1:50 1: Roof Structure • Bituminous waterproofing system • 100mm Hebel AAC panel • 100-15 C-section purlin, bolted • 360UB • 12mm white painted plasterboard

5: Column Detail • 250UC concrete encased • Fixed to footing via steel bearing plate

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6: Pad Footing • 800x1000 concrete pad footing • Steel mesh reinforcement top and bottom

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7: Walkway Detail • 1000mm steel balustrade • 25mm grated metal decking • Curved 150UB bolted • 150UB bolted to primary columns

2: Skylight Detail • Aluminium window frame with condensation drainage • 24mm low-E laminated toughened glass • 18mm cavity • 16mm toughened glass

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3: Façade Specification • 125mm precast concrete panel, cut & polished, granolithic finish • Cast-in plates with threaded rod

8: Eave Detail • Double-glazed system mounted to 125x65PFC • Connection to edge beam via 100x50PFC • Insulation, sarking, 10mm weatherproof soffit lining

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4: Wall Structure • Bolted precast panels fixed to welded angles • Curved 310UB with welded end plate • 250UC • Steel studs hung from curved 310UB • 10mm painted plasterboard

9: Slab • 500mm raft footing • Mesh reinforcement • 100mm rigid foam insulation 5

10: Pool • 100mm water • 50mm pebble layer • Waterproofing membrane • 100mm concrete slab

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Archive of Light, 1F

Following the curved wall brings you to the Rotunda’s brightly lit front.

First you find large steps lit by an array of skylights. As you move further east, you notice a large white box. By entering a simple opening, you are now inside the Book Forest.

Book Forest

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Playing with transparency and solidity, the shelves of the Book Forest double as walls, providing three levels of maze-like circulation and intimate reading spaces. The space relies on emotive qualities of light, encouraging peaceful contemplation.

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Main Circulation To better utilise sunlight and reject the arbitrary axis currently found on site, the main staircase is aligned due north. It is flanked by the gallery, the point at which arced circulation were centred.

Walls are an essential part of my design. Free standing walls direct traffic, frame views and allow for moments of tension.

At the top of the main path stands the Sunrise Dial. A curved wall directs your attention to the centre point. From here it is possible to estimate the date based on the position of the rising sun.

Below: Sunrise Dial on Anzac Day Right: Main Path

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View towards Shrine 64

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The highlight of the entire scheme, the gallery was always a key building for me. On the West, the Dusk Stage faces the summer sunset.

Stage. Journey. Light.

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Colliding building forms create a moment of tension and form the opening to the gallery. Once inside, you are led on an intimate journey of light, guided by both natural and artificial lighting.

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Below: Gallery from Summer Refuge Left: Gallery West Elevation

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Main Gallery

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Meditation Space The meditation space captures light in several different ways. On the southern face, the texture of roughly finished concrete is highlighted through a skylight. The west facing slot window captures the setting sun, flushing the sloping ceiling with a vibrant hue.

Making your way down the main gallery, you will enter the meditation space.

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Above: Meditation space Right: Descent to basement level

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Chroma 2.0 Using underlit frosted acrylic panels to frame a jagged path, enticing you along your journey and acting as a gateway.

TREE As you emerge from darkness, you are confronted with a shaft of light. Nature has been framed in miniature. The space is silent, allowing you to slowly take in the sight of a sunken rock garden. Water gently trickles down one of the walls, casting a faint pattern on the dark interior. To further the contrast between light and darkness, I reduced the ceiling to a mere 2.2m.

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Noise of Rain Noise of rain is a path walled not by concrete but by falling water. The rhythm of splashing water intertwines with directional lights, creating a surreal atmosphere. By engaging multiple senses, rhythm is reinforced, evoking the temporal sensation of peace.

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Ephemeral The tallest space on site, Ephemeral is an ode to the possibilities of material and light. By using directed openings and a feature of dichroic glass, endless light patterns and hues are cast through the year.

The ceiling apertures illuminate the space as the sun sets while the two wall portals correspond to sunrise on Anzac Day and 11:11 on Remembrance day.

Leaving tree behind, you walk up the curved hallway of the hanging gardens, noticing the rhythm of the shadows cast.

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The final garden, Summer Refuge, was inspired by a visit to the Alhambra as well as the Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Framed by the arcing Hanging Gardens, the concept of the Summer Refuge is a pleasant, shaded outdoor space that’s also somewhat secret. Large deciduous trees provide shade for rest and a shallow pond allow kids and adults alike some much needed relief in summer.

Summer Refuge & Hanging Gardens

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Hanging Gardens 98

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