STUDIO FIRE JOURNAL

FIRE J O U R N A L

A B P L 3 0 0 3 7 STUDIO 10/06 SEM 01/14

AMANDA DO TRAN 586541

“To create, one must first question everything.”

– Eileen Gray

AN INTRODUCTION

M

y name is Amanda.

I’m a third year undergraduate at The University of Melbourne, pursuing an Architecture major in the Bachelor of Environments.

I find comfort in the fact that over the last three years, my passion for architecture has not diminished as a result of sleep deprivation or the insecurities of future employment, but has in fact been heightened and reinforced.

myself designing some form of space, somewhere, be it at large scales or small scales, exterior or interior, I will be happy.

I’ve been drawn to the field of art and design from as long as I can remember. Perhaps it was the Lego building with my cousins, or the doll house days with my sister. Perhaps it was the witnessing of the my primary school’s gym renovation.

Or simply the ways in which architecture allows for a career of creativity, innovation and I cannot see myself doing anything else with my life. As sad evolution, but most of all, of or as great as that may sound. If challenges. ten years from now I were to find

[2] Final fabrication of Virtual Environments model

STUDIO A THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE ARCHIVES

CONTENTS AN INTRODUCTION 7 design development: initial explorations 9-17 precedents: JOAO LUIS CARRILHO DA GRACA 18 precedents: gigon & guyer 20 precedents: shultes frank 22 design development: archival heart 24 design refinement: planS & SECTIONS 26 design refinement: elevations & perspectives 28

THE BRIEF

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE ARCHIVES

‘. . . an intriguing hybrid of a library, a museum and a warehouse.’

I

n Studio A this semester we are to design a new building for the University of Melbourne Archives. The archives are currently housed on in an a somewhat dull-looking building on 120 Dawson Street of West Brunswick.

The objects kept in archives often have unique associations, such as a typewriter that once belonged to a famous author, rather than, say, just any old typewriter. While the works on paper housed in archives are usually unique, i.e. drawings,

diaries, letters, manuscripts, original photographs etc.

We are to select from three key ideas presented in the exploring our own archive designs.

As architecture is essentially the throughtful arrangement, planning and design of spaces, I hope to expore the idea of ‘Cabinets of Curiosity’ in the development of my design as I’m greatly intrigued by the idea of housing spaces within each other, and the endless dynamics between the two.

[3] Proposed University of Melbourne Archives building, 1960, by F.H. Fulton, Architect

‘An environmentally, functionally and aesthetically successful design.’

SITE ANALYSIS

BRUNWICK - MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

E

ast Brunswick, and slightly larger brick or Brunswick and West timber period homes. Like Brunswick, all three every good inner city suburb areas make up the culturally there’s an indie sensibility abundant and vibrant about the art scene in Melbourne suburb that is this Brunswick. project’s proposed site.

Brunswick itself holds A mixture of residential attractions for a variety of buildings and light industry people. It’s mostly made buildings occupy the area, up of small brick worker’s with properties in West cottagers, Victorian terraces Brunswick often larger, or Victorian timber block predominantly built post fronted homes, with 1910. Cool types opt for narrow streets marking its East Brunswick and it’s famous laneway culture. array of workers’ cottages

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT SPATIAL ORGANISATION

[4] Site boundaries of Studio A and B’s proposed projects.

Distribution of porposed spaces and exploration of the idea of a central ‘core’ or ‘heart’, to and from which the building’s spaces are drawn.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT initial explorations

Exploring the idea of having a central ‘core’ or ‘space’, a courtyard design was proposed. With the archival storage placed in the underground basement levels and following functional spaces surrounding the main courtyard.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT initial explorations

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT initial explorations

Further exploring the idea of encapsulating ‘spaces within space’, I looked at a potential facade concept to my design.

With variations in materiality, perhaps an effect can be created where different spaces appear to overlap and envolope each other. Manipulation of dimensions and different extrusions can create further interesting characteristics of cantilevering form, worthy of greater exploration.

A conceptual section, depicting the arrangement of spaces above, below and around the central courtyard ‘heart’ of the building. The central garden allows an abundance of natural light throughout the building, as well as providing an element of everchanging softness to an otherwise static structure.

PRECEDENTS

JOAO LUIS CARRILHO DA GRACA

Lisbon School of Music, Lisbon

J

oao Luis Carrilho Da Graca’s design of the Kirchner Museum in Switzerland inspired me to pursue a form of greater simplicity and courage in my own design.

The architect once said that architecture should be “warm and simple” and should act as a canvas to showcase its surrounding landscape. With Brunswick

being the context of our project, what more could one ask for in terms of art?

Hence, I wish to design a building that is humble in its formal characteristics, minimal in its materialiaty and monumental in its presense. A building that stands in its own right as an architectural composition but not take away from the qualities of its environment.

GIGON & GUYER Kirchner Museum, Davos, Switzerland

To enhance the idea of spatial layering, I looked at the works of Gigon and Guyer. The architect duo’s way of playing with spatial arrangement proved to be of great relevance to my interest of spatial layering, and thus inspired me to explore a similar layering of views in the design of my own archive’s gallery space.

SHULTES FRANK Crematorium Baumshulenweg, Berlin

I

n exploration of possible materiality, I searched for a material with the ability to stand in its own right as an aesthetic statement, but at the same time humble in its visual impact. Intrigued by the work of Shultes Frank, I found the solution to my dilemma in that of exposed concrete panels.

Frank’s manipulation of height, form, light and colour allows him to create architec-

ture of grand spatial experiential effects with the single use of concrete.

The uniformity in the panels gives his spaces an enchanting and powerful presence and allows the objects within, whether that be a feature furniture piece, structural component or in my case, a spatial ‘heart’, to be highlighted with minimal effort.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

PROTECTION, PRESERVATION & PRIVACY

Encapsulating space within space and furthering that concept through layering of views, the initial central core is developd to be a floating archival tower - with the sole purpose of the building itself, the archive, being the heart.

Spaces are then developed based on a grid system drawn directly to and from the building’s archival heart.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT storage and structure

A mobile shelving system by Lynux, controlled with an LED screen is chosen as the archive’s main shelving. The dimensions of such shelving are hence used as the basis for the grid layout and following design developments fo the project.

DESIGN REFINEMENT PLANS & SECTIONS

DESIGN REFINEMENT ELEVATIONS & PERSPECTIVES

STUDIO B the outre gallery

CONTENTS design development: initial explorations 30 design development: CENTRAL CORE 32-36 design DEVELOPMENT: planS & SECTIONS 37 design refinement: PLANS & SECTIONS 28

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT initial explorations

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT iA CENTRAL CORE

In relation to Studio A, the design for Studio B’s Outre Gallery revolved around a similar concept of spatial layering, of ‘cabinents’, and having a central heart to the building.

Through the exploration of solids and voids, spaces appear to be carved out of the building’s outer shell - creating an interesting aesthetic effect.

DESIGN REFINEMENT PLANS & SECTIONS

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE

CABINETS OF SPACE AND TIME

A

ground floor

1:200

FIRST FLOOR/GALLERY

1:200

SECOND floor 1:200

NORTH ELEVATION 1:200

SECTION A-A 1:200

SOUTH ELEVATION 1:200

EAST ELEVATION

1:200