01 PROPOSITION
<FOCUSING ATMOSPHERES> intends to reconcile the inherently additive and layered nature of the city with the degree of control provided in the library. By analysing the both the city and library as a composition of independent layers, the project creates new spatial opportunities through a response to contextual conditions and programmatic concerns.
FOCUSING ATMOSPHERES 124-140 LIT TLE BOURKE STREET
DELTA STUDIO 08 ALLAN BURROWS
JE YEN TAN 915959
The articulation of four independent structures around a focusing element enables an intensification of atmospheres particular to each volume. This organisational framework allows for an expression of spatial and experiential hierarchies. The project draws an analogy between the layers of structure comprising the library and the composition arising from the layering of place, culture and time, known as the city.
02 ENVELOPE AND STRUCTURE
The library acts as an anti-icon by blending into the context of Chinatown. It seeks to create minimal visual impact on the site through a reduction in volume and scale relative to its surroundings. Instead, it references existing conditions to provide logic to its spatial arrangements and honour Chinatownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many heritage-listed buildings. An austere envelope is punctuated by a rhythm which emulates the repeated windows and floors of other Chinatown facades. These facades offer no indication of internal activity or organisation. In this context, focus is directed away from the building and is instead returned to the city. This contextually generated envelope exaggerates the conditions of its surroundings, giving the city precedence over form.
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FOCUSING ATMOSPHERES 124-140 LIT TLE BOURKE STREET
DELTA STUDIO 08 ALLAN BURROWS
JE YEN TAN 915959
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C - SOCIAL PAVILION
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03 EXTERNAL CONDITIONS
Public space extends itself from the street through an artificial laneway created between the existing building and the new interventions. The library stretches this entry threshold as a gesture of invitation into the space. The narrowness of thIs condition is heightened by shear walls of the enclosing buildings, replicating the typological alleys of its Chinatown context.
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This effect is exaggerated between the two new interventions, creating a ‘dead space’, in which a sliver of the site is visible from the street. Secondary entry to the site is through Corrs Lane. Here, the austere primary facade disintergrates and exposes the internal structure of each volume.
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The space created between the structures facilitates circulation to the other volumes while presenting the opportunity for social interaction within the primary circulation nexus. Additionally, it acts to reorient the individual and their perception of space as they move between the contained atmospheres of each structure. To intensify the effect of reorientation, all circulation between structures is external. This strategy preserves the site’s potential, allowing for additions or reconfiguration of structures.
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FOCUSING ATMOSPHERES 124-140 LIT TLE BOURKE STREET
DELTA STUDIO 08 ALLAN BURROWS
JE YEN TAN 915959
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04 BOOK COLLECTION
A layering of elements exposes the structural heirarchy of the book collection. At the core stands an 11 metre bookshelf, the lens displacing the individual in scale and in movement. Precedence in favour of the books in the collection relegates circulation to a series of free-standing metal platforms, winding around the central structure. The envelope of the book collection acts as a shell for the shelf. This gesture layers supporting walls inwards as they approach the core, without coming into contact. As the external brick veneer is visible through layers of structure, the city is seen to enclose the space.
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JE YEN TAN 915959
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FOCUSING ATMOSPHERES 124-140 LIT TLE BOURKE STREET
DELTA STUDIO 08 ALLAN BURROWS
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05 MEDITATION CHAMBER
The meditation chamber is structured around a large central aperture, channeling light and rain towards an internal atrium. Internal concrete walls detach the space from the city, while remaining permeable to the elements. Circulation towards the atrium is through two corridors which run parallel, then open into the space, creating anticipation and further removing the chamber from the distraction of its context.
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FOCUSING ATMOSPHERES 124-140 LIT TLE BOURKE STREET
DELTA STUDIO 08 ALLAN BURROWS
JE YEN TAN 915959
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06 SOCIAL PAVILION AND UTILITIES
The addition to the top of the existing building is designed as a multi-purpose function room, accommodating a range of social activities. A floating roof plane acts as the ‘lens’, framing the space and providing utilitarian function, while diffusing direct sunlight through translucent panels. This space aims to foster interaction between individuals, drawing attention through visual and acoustic permeability. The utility building is structurally inverted, expressing its primary function as a storage unit. Elevation off the ground extends public space from the central courtyard, providing an area for activity with a greater connection to the street interface. The external enclosure acts to provide a contextual ‘shield’ establishing brick boundary walls to define thresholds into the space.
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FOCUSING ATMOSPHERES 124-140 LIT TLE BOURKE STREET
DELTA STUDIO 08 ALLAN BURROWS
JE YEN TAN 915959
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