CIVIC HALL SITE
a community design process
NEWSLETTER
5th EDITION
PLEASE PASS ME ON
ISS 22
S# UE 6
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CONTENTS PAGE 1 Issue #22 - 2nd Apr PAGE 5 Issue #23 -
8th Apr
PAGE 12 Issue #24 - 16th Apr PAGE 20 Issue #25 - 22nd Apr PAGE 25 Issue #26 - 30th Apr civic hall site journal edition 22- 23- 24- 25- 26 Apr 2015 www.civichallsite.org cover image Civic Hall Site Community Planting Event graphics Cait Conley, Micha Woodhouse edit Michelle James, Ammon Beyerle
p1 ISSUE #22 - Apr 2nd CORE TEAM UPDATE Hello! We just noticed that this was sitting in our outbox from last night, oops... This is a short newsletter – we are quite busy designing, drawing and preparing our 10 concepts for the end of April. Site works – a little update A builder has been engaged to start clean up works in the Main Hall, Dress Circle, Mezzanine, and Lower Hall. The first tours are planned as part of Heritage Weekend on 9-10 May. We’re hoping to see the builder on site as early as next week.
DESIGN
10 Drafts Here’s our work in progress on 10 concepts for the whole site that consider the 10 key uses and the 10 key urban forms. If you come into the studio you will see these drafts first hand. Obviously there is still lots of drawing and fine tuning to go.
HAND-DRAWN PERSPECTIVES We’ve started this week to hand-draw some perspective images to give a sense of how the site might look and feel in the future. We’ve chosen a mix of both digital and hand drawings to emphasize that we are at a sketch stage and these designs are open to much more work and your interpretation. This one is an example from Hancock Lane - looking West towards the Civic Hall Site if you were coming from Lydiard Street. Note the one and two storey shops along Armstrong St and an entrance through which you can see the Foyer to the left and a new entrance to the library on the right.
p3 EVENTS Have your calendars ready to pen in these following dates. Please see http://www.civichallsite.org/upcoming_events to book. Thursday 2nd April 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Christine Tammer Lunchtime Live Music is part of a series of activities to bring energy and ambience to the Civic Hall Site 1-3pm School Holiday Art Studio with Pauline O’Shannessy Dowling (Ages 5 & above) Pauline O’Shannessy-Dowling of POD Design, will continue the evolution of her onsite Art Studio with a ‘hands-on’ design workshop for the younger members of our community. We want to hear the ideas and dreams for the future of the Civic Hall Site from ALL ages. Parents are asked to stay and join in. 5pm Screening | SALT Seminar: Brian Eno & Danny Hillis “The Long Now, Now” A conversation between the Artist Brian Eno and the Inventor Danny Hillis, filmed as one of the SALT Seminars from the Long Now Foundation (longnow.org). Eno & Hillis speak about extreme long-term thinking and how it is being practically applied in the design of their joint project, The 10,000 year Clock. We are lucky to have permission to publicly screen this conversation here at the Civic Hall Site, and it may provide an interesting new frame for discussions around the future of our local Civic Hall project. Note: There is a language warning on this video, so we request your personal discretion as to whether you will attend.
Tuesday 9th April 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Bronwen Algate Lunchtime Live Music is part of a series of activities to bring energy and ambiance to the Civic Hall Site 1-3pm School Holiday Art Studio with Pauline O’Shannessy Dowling (Ages 5 & above) Pauline O’Shannessy-Dowling of POD Design, will continue the evolution of her onsite Art Studio with a ‘hands-on’ design workshop for the younger members of our community. We want to hear the ideas and dreams for the future of the Civic Hall Site from ALL ages. Parents are asked to stay and join in. OTHER NEWS Happy Easter! See you tomorrow Thursday 12noon - 7pm or next Tuesday 9am to 5pm.
ISSUE #23 - Apr 8th Another short and sharp one. We’re still very busy drawing, pulling everything together and planning upcoming events before we transition to the 10to5 phase in May. CORE TEAM UPDATE The Open Door Studio has really lived up to its name in the past weeks as it has been filled with the buzz of designing and creating. We’ve done a little analysis of our guestbook and found that over 50 of you have come in to the studio more than once (+ some have come in over 5 times!), which is great to see - an important advantage of a participatory design process over traditional community consultation is that you have the opportunity to participate multiple times in many different ways! OUTREACH PRESENTATIONS We’ve talked about the importance of the Library on the site in past newsletters and throughout this process we have met a number of times with the Manager of Learning & Diversity. Last week we had a presentation and first conversation with 15 staff at the Ballarat Library. We learned that last month they had 38,000 visitors to the Library - it is truly an important community hub in Ballarat! In our meetings last week, we explored ideas for how the library can take a much more prominent role in the Civic Hall Site process going forward.
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On Thursday evening the monthly Ballarat Green Drinks hosted a feature event on the Civic Hall Site. Andrew Lang presented his interest in the Civic Hall Site based on what he has seen in cities of a similar size to Ballarat that drive planning and economic stimulus - and environmental sustainability innovation by using city-owned buildings as conference places, small business incubators, education centres, and exhibition sites. He also spoke of programs in Austria to retrofit all older buildings to greatly improve their energy efficiency, particularly with the use of bio fuels. Our own Michelle Emma James then presented the theory and context behind bottomup processes for urban design and planning, particularly around the bigger concept of “public space� and described the Civic Hall Site Participatory Community Design Process as a detailed case study. If your community group would like a presentation on the Civic Hall Site process from a member of our Core Team or Partnership Group, or if you have any suggestions of potential user groups we may not have reached yet, please contact Michelle.
BUILDING CLEAN UP WORKS On Tuesday morning the builders started clean up works in the main hall. We’re working towards weekly tours of the main hall, upper foyer, dress circle and lower hall, starting from Heritage Weekend on the 9th of May. We’ve also been working closely with Council to figure out access to the main hall for our exhibition of the 10 concepts; it is difficult work.
TOUR OF THE MECHANICS INSTITUTE Last week Cait and Ammon were given a tour of the Ballarat Mechanics Institute. We saw the Reading Room, Minerva Room, works underway on the Humphrey Room and also the basement storage under street level – fascinating stuff. In our discussion we noticed the potential similarities of the project to the Civic Hall – a meaningful building renovated for events and public gathering, and a developing community board that manages and maintains the building, trying to keep spaces activated and well-used to pay the bills. We were struck with the opportunity for the Civic Hall Site project, which is gradually forming its own participation and governance structures, to learn from BMI’s own formation processes.
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PARTNERSHIP GROUP MEETING - MAPPING THE WHOLE PROCESS This week’s partnership group meeting spent most of its time discussing and understanding the whole process over the year ahead. We considered developing 1. use to user groups and formal stakeholders agreements; 2. cost plans to cost benefit analyses to more detailed multi-criteria economic analyses; and 3. urban layout components to architectural forms, to materials and styles. One of the key issues we touched on was the need for incremental constraints and how to time increasing detail of debate and concept design against 10, 5 and then 3 concepts.
DESIGN Last week before the long weekend, we sent you our first preview of the 10 concepts. This week we’ve been working hard at showing the different layers in each of the concepts using the ‘exploded axonometric’ technique. As you will see from all of the colours, there will be many components that will make up a future Civic Hall Site:
p10 EVENTS What’s On These are our upcoming events at the Civic Hall Site over the next week: Thursday 9th April 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Bronwen Algate Tuesday 14th April 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Christine Tammer Thursday 16th April 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Christine Tammer 4pm “Hands On” Design workshop with Ballarat Youth Council
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS We’re gearing up to the Launch of the first 10 concepts for the Civic Hall Site and have our heads down planning the “Transition Exhibition” where these concepts will be on display. We will be needing volunteers to help with the installation of the exhibition and activities that are in the works in the weeks leading up to the event. So please, if you haven’t already, sign up on our website and we will be in touch with details of opportunities to ‘get into it’.
A BIG THANK YOU We’ve had another rug generously brought into the Open Door Studio - enormous thanks to Judith and Alan. We really appreciate everyone who has helped by bringing things in to make the studio more comfortable to work from. Also a big thanks to Committee for Ballarat and LBWR for sponsoring a breakfast workshop with their Leaders in Action! See you soon!
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ISSUE #24 - Apr 16th CORE TEAM UPDATE PRESENTATIONS This week we have made formal presentations to Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-op (BADAC) and Commerce Ballarat, as well as the City of Ballarat Councillors at their assembly last night (Wednesday). So far we have contacted a very long list of local organisations and just over the past few weeks we’re noticeably gaining more interest. If your community or business group would like a presentation on the Civic Hall Site process from a member of our Core Team or Partnership Group, or if you have any suggestions of potential user groups we may not have reached yet, please contact Michelle. BUILDING WORKS UPDATE Clean up works for tours are still underway in the Civic Hall buildings. Yesterday builders were building temporary barriers to block off particular areas so that tours could roam relatively free. In preparation for the “Transition Exhibition” there has been quite a bit of work going on behind the scenes to prepare a small part of the main hall for access on Friday 1st May and Saturday 2nd of May. It has been stressful. This event requires a temporary occupancy permit because we are changing the requirements and shape of the space. Council officers have had to work through fire services and building surveyor reports, and engaged an architect to draw plans for the event. The glass barriers separating the foyer from the main hall will be removed for the exhibition and replaced immediately after to maintain the current fire break.
p13 ECONOMICS Last week’s project resource meeting was devoted to discussing how to frame the economic study of the architectural concepts 10, then 5 then 3. The discussion focused around the need for more time and care to debate the cost and benefit metrics for each project. This paralleled the last partnership group meeting debate last Tuesday, should we cost each concept now or should we avoid this entirely? Is it time to start describing public versus private funding models, or even staging of each concept over 5-10 years? As a core team, collaborating with SED Advisory, we have opted to model a balance – each of the 10 concepts will have a comparative scale (low, medium, high) against different measures. The purpose at this stage of the project is to start what will become a more sophisticated, multi-faceted, and far-reaching economic analysis of the costs and benefits of each concept (likely turned into net present value and internal rate of return $ figures), and eventually, a multi-criteria analysis (which compares broader concepts of value in themselves). Following the transition exhibition, we will prepare a detailed suite of workshops to focus, critique and debate the numbers and their metrics.
DESIGN - We are drawing! - We are looking forward to the final print in a fortnight! This week the core team have been working on preparing the final posters for the 10 architectural concepts. Our first mockup went to Council assembly last night - a big milestone for the project(!) The large posters will be available for your viewing in the main hall for the Transition Exhibition 1st-2nd May, at the Ballarat Library, online, in a myBallarat publication at the end of May, and of course in the Open Door Studio. We are very excited to be able to soon present them to the Ballarat community, get your comments and feedback and jump into the next Stage 10to5.
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TRANSITION EXHIBITION Voila! – We have a flyer for you. Please share it! We are pleased to announce exhibition of the 10 concepts will be 1st - 2nd May in the Civic Hall Main Hall. If anyone would like to help us distribute flyers that would be super. What’s On These are our upcoming events at the Civic Hall Site over the next week: Thursday 16th April 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with George Walpole 4pm “Hands On” Design workshop with Ballarat Youth Council Tuesday 21st April 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Christine Tammer Thursday 23rd April 12-2pm Community Planting activity - come along and get your hands dirty! 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Christine Tammer
COMMUNITY PLANTING ACTIVITY The Council will be delivering planter boxes to the Civic Hall Site over the coming week and we need people to help us plant the indigenous varieties they are generously supplying. So come down and get your hands dirty!! All welcome.
CONTAINART @ CIVIC HALL SITE Exciting news! ContainART will be landing on the Civic Hall Site on the 24th of April and will feature the art of the accomplished public space artist, Anton Hassell. An official opening for Anton’s art exhibition is planned for the 15th of May - stay tuned for more details! Booking the Open Door Studio We are thrilled to be hosting Ballarat’s Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) for their inaugural meeting this Thursday afternoon. Izzy, Menna and team are working on a fantastic campaign at the moment and we can’t wait to have them join us at the Open Door Studio. If you would like to book the Open Door Studio for your next meeting, please contact Mairin or Michelle.
p17 ART Here is an update from the fabulous Pauline O’Shannessy-Dowling of POD Design:
Continued art by Pauline O’Shannessy-Dowling of POD Design:
Now Energy Civic Hall Opportunity Vibrant space Multi-layered process Juxtaposition of viewpoints Collaboration of ideas & minds Many-tiered, problem-solving exercise Celebration of people, space, humanity, growth Transition to new beginnings, new life Create a vibe, sing a song, act Now is the hour, take it, join 300 - 10 to where next Brave the wind Make it yours Discuss it Energy Now
OTHER NEWS THE $8MILLION? As many of you will be aware there was some difficult news in the media around Council’s current community consultation on their Council budget, and the $8Million that is allocated in Council’s project for the Civic Hall Site. Amongst this, Council released their online engagement platform on the Council budget: myTownHall Ballarat. It has been an exhausting few days for us as many people have made contact with us. Thank you for all of your concerns and careful thinking. Perhaps one positive outcome of this is that we have been assured unequivocally that the $8M is secure and that Council is fully committed to the Participatory Community Design Process. THANK YOU We’ve had another rug generously brought into the Open Door Studio - thank you Krissy! Gary has thoughtfully loaned us more coffee mugs noticing we now have more visitors spending time in the studio. Ian has also donated an incredible amount of things to the studio including a coffee machine, muffin maker, coloured lights, and much more! We really appreciate everyone who has helped by bringing things in to make the studio more comfortable. Just a reminder that the Open Door Studio is open every week on Tuesdays from 9am-5pm and Thursdays from 12pm-7pm. We will, however, be closed on Thursday 30 April as we will be setting up the space for the Transition Exhibition on 1-2 May 2015. See you soon!
p20 ISSUE #25 - Apr 22nd Welcome to your weekly newsletter for all things happening at the Civic Hall Site. This is a quick little newsletter just to give you and update... CORE TEAM UPDATE COUNCIL ASSEMBLY Last Wednesday night, Ammon and Michelle presented a 20 minute slide presentation and one of the mock-up posters at Council Assembly. All Councilors, the CEO and most of the senior Council officers were in attendance. This was in the lead-up to a report that will be going to the Council Chamber in late May. The presentation outlined the Participatory Community Design Process to date - including what has happened so far at the Open Door Studio, workshops, outreach activities, site activation events, 10 concepts, givens that are starting to emerge, challenges and next steps. (OPEN) DOOR STUDIO CLOSED NEXT THURSDAY In preparation for the Transition Exhibition in the Foyer and Main Hall next week, the Open Door Studio will be closed on Thursday 30 April 2015. The exhibition will launch on Friday night (1 May) from 6-8pm and will be open throughout the day on Saturday (2 May) from 10am - 4pm. Don’t miss it! The Open Door Studio will re-open as normal (perhaps with a fresh new layout!) on Tuesday 5 May from 9am-5pm.
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PARTNERSHIP GROUP AND PROJECT RESOURCE GROUP MEETINGS POSTPONED This week we didn’t host our fortnightly Partnership Group and Project Resource Group meetings. We felt it was more important for us to focus on the work at hand - wrapping up the work that has been done over the past five months into a clear exhibition. This caused some difficult discussion, however we intend to reconvene with a number of important items the Tuesday and Thursday immediately after the exhibition weekend. Tours inside the Civic Hall Following Ballarat Heritage Weekend (9-10 May) where the Civic Hall will be open for Art Deco Walks, we will be taking bookings for further tours as part of the Participatory Community Design Process. As mentioned previously, this will include tours of the main hall, upper foyer, dress circle and lower hall. Stay tuned for more information!
p22 DESIGN We are aiming to send the final drafts of the 10 concept boards for the Transition Exhibition to the printer next Monday, so we are deep in production mode! In fact, as we are juggling drawing, diagramming, and writing so many things, we decided to move the Open Door Studio into the Town Hall tonight so that we could attend the Council meeting to support the Ballarat 2040 Strategy while working!
p22 EVENTS WHAT’S ON These are our upcoming events at the Civic Hall Site over the next week (and a bit): Thursday 23rd April 12-2pm Community Planting activity - come along and get your hands dirty! 12-2pm Lunchtime Live Music with Christine Tammer Friday 1 May 6-8pm Transition Exhibition Launch Saturday 2 May 10am-4pm Transition Exhibition 12pm-2pm Star Making Workshop - 1 million stars to end violence Hosted by Ballarat Neighborhood Centre Come along and learn how to weave stars for the “ 1 Million Stars to End Violence in Ballarat and district” Ribbon will be available for $3.00 per roll. Bring a pair of scissors to speed up the process. Star teachers needed to assist. RSVP here https://www.facebook.com/events/1604006876504884/ or call 5329 3273
COMMUNITY PLANTING | TOMORROW 12-2PM Planter boxes have been delivered. These gorgeous native plants have been picked up. Now we just need to combine their powers. But Mairin can’t do it all on her own! So if you have a spare couple of hours tomorrow we’ll be planting!
ART “Loggerheads” is an illustration that depicts some of the challenges surrounding the Civic Hall Site, drawn by artist Linda Franklin of South Street Art Studio.
OTHER NEWS Posters & flyers We’ve just put posters up at the Civic Hall to support our friends at Pop Up Shop For The Homeless as well as shiny new green posters for our Transition Exhibition - both happening NEXT WEEKEND! If anyone has some time this week to help us put up more exhibition posters around town, please get in touch! We also have 500 A5 flyers that need to be distributed urgently! A big week coming up at Civic Hall Site as we transition to the next phase - hope to see you soon!
p25 ISSUE #26 - Apr 30th This is the last newsletter of Phase One “300 to 10”. Yesterday afternoon we sent the 10 concepts presentation to the printer – quite a feat (and a few very late nights)! We hope that the presentation of these concepts through drawings, diagrams, modelling and text, will provide everyone with something tangible to talk to and debate in the coming months.
Tomorrow, Friday 1st May 6pm - 8pm, the 10 concepts exhibition will be launched in the Main Hall of the Civic Hall. Please come along to support the process, and encourage your friends too. Cr Samantha McIntosh will speak on behalf of the City of Ballarat and there will be drinks and refreshments. The work of our wonderful artists, Pauline O’Shannessy-Dowling and Linda Franklin will also be launched tomorrow night. Pauline and Linda have been close members of the Core Team since February and have attended, facilitated and documented many of the meetings, events and interactions of the process. Their artworks will be on display, and we are particularly looking forward to seeing their art, for their perspective of the process so far. On Saturday 2nd May 10am - 4pm, the exhibition will continue with music, art and activities throughout the whole day. If you can, please take some time to come down to the Civic Hall and see the designs for the whole site that we have been working on for many months. This is a very big milestone for the history of this project, and an important moment to be involved in.
Next week begins Phase Two of the process, “10 to 5” to re-take up the gathering process. The Open Door Studio will be open again on Tuesday 9am - 5pm and Thursday 12noon - 7pm.
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