INNOVATE OR DIE!

AA VISITING SCHOOL

INNOVATE OR DIE! JUNHAN FOONG 395563

Special thanks to:

INNOVATE OR DIE! junhan foong darcy zelenko chun long fok

STUDIO LEADERS holger kehne gustav dusing nick williams

acknowledgements Thank you to my AAVS group mates Darcy Zelenko and Chun Long Fok for their support and work over the last two weeks.

Special thanks to studio leaders Holger Kehne, Gustav Dusing and Nick Williams for their advice and guidance, and Paul Loh and Jeff Turko for their hard work bringing the AA Visiting School to Melbourne.

CONTENTS

00 01 02 03 04 05

INTRODUCTION

11

PRECEDENT STUDY

13

SITE

23

DESIGN METHODS

33

REFLECTION

59

APPENDIX

61

BIOGRAPHY

71

CREDIT

83

REFERENCES

85

00 introduction

00.1 innovate or die!

Innovate or Die! is a satirical take on an architectural solution for Australia’s burgeoning (..lack of) innovation problem. As large ‘innovative’ corporations such as Google and Facebook lead the way in developing state-of-the-art campuses which aim towards creating a more ‘fun’ atmosphere to help foster and develop synergies across their large business practices, we question: what lies beyond the bright colours, slides and synthetic grass surfaces? What’s hidden under the respective table tennis tables?

It isn’t always feasible for large companies to develop large campus-style headquarters. City localities provide many advantages and the creation of innovation hubs such as Silicone Valley provide many benefits to business. Construction can be a costly venture in major cities and there exists opportunities for existing buildings to be morphed to better suit post-occupation.

Innovate or Die! aims to develop a commune for innovation within the existing, allowing it to develop to fruition which in turn, drives revenue in this information age.

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01

precedent study

01.1 a ‘playground for adults’ As large corporations such as Facebook and Google create impressive large scale campuses and high quality work spaces to act as ‘homes away from homes’, this new typology starts to blur the lines between home and work, as spaces start to fulfill basic everyday needs in addition to more flexible working hours and providing extra ‘luxuries’ for users which they may not have outside of work. In addition, as these ‘new age’ office spaces start to incorporate more spaces for social and recreational activity, verging on mimicing a ‘playground for adults’, it could be argued that they become a seductive oasis or fantasyland for current and prospective employees by creating an image of a certain ‘ideal’ of what a ‘good work enviornment’ shoud look like.

Therefore while the question of whether such spaces increase work productivity remains, the main question should be directed at the motives in which such large corporations have behind such moves. Are we designing a better work environment or creating a condition similar to that of a hybrid casino and prison where there is little to no escape?

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01.2 social + cultural context Big companies that fail to innovate risk extinction! That is the stark truth in the era of “digital disruption�. Companies such as Woolworths (UK), Polaroid, Kodak, Blockbuster and Borders have all failed to adapt to the ever changing landscape of consumer behaviour, more specifically, movement from analogue to digital.

While the general perception of risks involved are extremely high, innovation efforts really require a very different, more entrepreneurial risk-taking mindset - one of which needs to adapt to the ever changing trend of customer expectations and constant threat from competitors for new ideas and innovation technology. Thus, focusing on monetising ideas should be a priority to ensure long term longevity despite constant pressure to deliver short-term goals to meet shareholder demands.

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01.2 social + cultural context [cont’d] According to The Global Innovation Index (2015), Australia is ranked 17th in the world, clearly indicating it is lagging behind in its innovation sector despite not necessarily lacking a wealth of resources. As a response, Priminister Malcolm Turnbull recently announced his “ideas boom”, the innovation plan set to revolutionise Australia’s startup scene and investment processes. Along with that the package involves an investment of $1.1 billion over four years to “incentivise, energise, “dynamise” Australian industry.

Meanwhile, Australia’s increasing Housing Affordability Index and Gini coefficient overtime indicates increasing inequlaity and the possibility of an ever-widening gap between Australia’s rich elite and working class societies.

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14th

11th

Republic of Korea

Hong Kong

The Global Innovation Index 2015

7th

Singapore

17th

Australia

Australian Inequality Over Time Housing Affordability Index

Gini Coefficient

1981

1986

1991

1996

17

2001

2006

2009

01.3 the ‘panopticon’ in modern times The panopticon is a type of insitutional building designed and conceptulaised by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. The concept of the design is to allow all inmates of the prison to be observed by a single watchman without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. The fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that all inmates must act as though they are watched at all times, effectively controlling their own behaviour constantly.

While the actual panopticon was never built, the concepts behind it influenced in many prison facility designs throughout the ages, and stays a relevant precedent and topic of discussion even in the modern digital age of smart phones and wireless internet connectivity.

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entrapment of the psyche

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01.4 koolhaas - downtown athletic club “Emerging from the elevator on the ninth floor, the visitor finds himself in a dark vestibule that leads directly into a locker room that occupies the centre of the platform, where there is no daylight. There he undresses, puts on boxing gloves and enters an adjoining space equipped with a multitude of punching bags (occasionally he may even confront a human opponent)” “On the southern side, the same locker room is also serviced by an oyster bar with a view over the Hudson River.”

- Koolhaas, ‘Delirious New York’ This was the defining image Koolhaas wanted to portray: “Eating oysters with boxing gloves, naked, on the ninth floor – such is the ‘plot’ of the ninth storey, or the 20th century in action.” In ‘Downtown Athletic Club’, the programmatic elements of a building are used to create a much broader socio-cultural and architectural critique of ‘Manhattanism’, where each floor plan is merely an abstracted composition of activities or different ‘performances’ that is only a fragment of the larger spectacle of the Metropolis.

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delirious new york (1978)

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02 site

02.1 quadrant 4 The site chosen for our propsal lies in ‘quadrant 4’, in between Pelham and Queensbury Streets, with a major tramline running along Swanston Street to its West. swanston street

pelham st

queensbury stre

et

The site itself is a mix-use combination of medium rise apartments and small offices, a brothel, retail and food and beverage services.

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02.2 initial observations + site textures The site itself is a mix-use combination of medium rise apartments and small offices, a brothel, retail and food and beverage services. In general the site lacked much colour and the general aesthetic also lacked any coherence or consideration to neighboring buildings.

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02.3 site analysis - sound This diagram represents The Lincoln Hotel pub’s general activity across the week in order to determine and assume when it will be most busy and therefore the most sound generated.

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sound and activity analysis

02.4 site analysis - solar This diagram represents a solar exposure analysis performed on floor plates across the week. The results are then represented through colour with blue being the least exposure to sun and orange the highest.

Algorithmic Process

Solar Analyses Too Much Sun

Uncomfortable Temperature More Glare Potential Poor Lighting Levels

Too Little Sun

Lower Vitamin D Levels

Analysis Period 9am-5pm Daily

Analysis Geometry

Sunlight Hours Analysis

Total Sunlight Hours

Analysis Mesh

Averaged Per Day

>3 hours per day

Cull Mesh faces

Face Center Points

‘z’ height

<5 Cull Mesh faces

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Less Productive Workers

Less $$

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solar exposure analysis

02.5 site analysis - greenery This diagram represents an analysis of view points towards the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major green spaces - lincoln and argyle square. The buildings which gain views to greenery are then highlighted in colour.

Algorithmic Process

Isovist Curves Increased views to Green space

More Productive Workers

Large Geometry Set (Observers)

$$

Lincoln & Argyle Squares (Targets )

Simplify

Create Sample Points

Obstacles

Create Sample Points

Line Segments

Isovist

Compare

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views to greenery

03 design method

03.1 innovate or die! - project description A diagram for an innovative company revolves around the concept of connectedness. Arranged on a single plane many nodes (people) interact with other nodes to create innovation. This model works fine for large campus-based companies but when forced into denser environments, gaps start to occur, impacting on innovation as workers are confined to floors. Innovation also suffers from a lack of surveillance that allows better ideas to be pushed.

Borrowing from the panopticon idea, surveillance spines are created to push innovation and report more easily up the chain of command to facilitate innovation at a faster rate. Moving towards an ideal structure for innovation we see connection between floors start to develop and on site, connections across building volumes. Surveillance connections also mimic this.

The work spaces of the tech commune are a little different to those existing. Facebook and Google create high quality work spaces to act as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homes away from homesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Innovate or Die! starts to blur the line between home and work by including living facilities for all staff so they might be as productive as possible, at all times of the day whenever it suits them.

Employees have all their immediate needs met and are rewarded for their efforts with time in hedonism spaces aimed at further fuelling the concept of connectedness between employees through shared experiences.

innovate or die! - interconnectedness diagram

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03.2 key drivers Maslow’s heirarchy of needs: Constant reference back to Maslow’s heirarchy of needs was required to ensure that programs inserted and the design of spaces catered to fulfilling (in theory) all aspects of a person’s life, by doing this we could then start to design a universal typology which merges both work and living seamelessly.

Workplace Strategies that ‘Enhance Performance, Health and Wellness’: PERFORMANCE = ABILITY x MOTIVATION x OPPORTUNITY Initial site analysis was driven using ‘workplace strategies designed to enhance productivity’. Factors such as sunlight exposure, views to greenery, level of crowdedness, access to other work networks were considered, then turned on its head and twisted to benefit the agenda of our project - to critique new office typologies which aim to increase performance using similar techniques and strategies.

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How to increase production and innovation in the office?

+ Natural Lighting

+

+ Entertainment & Social

Green View

Balanced Life

Productive

Innovative

maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heirarchy of needs Business Model - Venture Capital

Balanced Life

8 Hours

$

Parent company

Sleep 8 Hours

Social Optimisation Through Architectural Intervention

Work

Provide Funding & facilities

Selected start-up company

3 Hours Eat 1 Hours

$$$ & Ideas

Exercise

Fitness: Maximised Productivity

4 Hours Entertainment & Social

concept diagram - innovation pyramid Live Work

Live

Entertainment

Work Green Space Discuss Area

innovate or die! - new work/life program 35

Client Meeting Public Space

Entertainment

middle management

hedonism core work+living space for innovators executive and middle management circulation

executive space concept plan of innovate or die! organisational structure

03.3 overall scheme The overall scheme combines two large corporate buildings connected via floating bridges and separated by a semi-public green space.

The premise of the building design is to reflect the twisted reality and misconception of the organisational structure within it. Designed under the guise of being an ‘innovation space’ with flexible working hours, open space to share ideas and a new ‘wholistic’ lifestyle combining both work and living, the architecture itself takes a crude stance on fulfilling Maslow’s heirarchy of needs - facilities are provided for users to fulfill all basic human needs (shelter, food, and even sex!) in exchange for innovative products and ideas. However, the catch is that ‘credits’ or currency earned goes back into the company in the form of payment for food and beverage, and even ‘entertainment’ in the form of time in the hedonism spaces (brothels, stripclubs, bars, etc.)

Furthermore, perception of how the buildings’ internal structure is further skewed by a hidden corridors linking middle management offices which surround workspaces and provide an ‘overwatch’ behind a one-way mirror. Large expanses of executive spaces float above low level and middle management workspaces to further reinforce the traditional ‘top-down’ heirarchy of this institution.

This organisation allows for two things when viewed from public space: to hide the work and living conditions (as well as the seedy underbelly) from public eye, allowing only the bright and pristine areas of higher management to be seen, and from a conceptual and theoretical point of view, to reinforce the notion that an ‘open-source’ free networking organisational structure may still be controlled by a traditional heirarchy, be it hidden from view.

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innovate or die! - overall scheme.

03.4 section aa + section bb

section aa.

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section bb.

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03.5 scheme with activities This diagram highlights the different variations and configurations in work spaces: a - typical floor unit (work+living) b- executive work and meeting space c- middle management offices and overwatch

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b

a

c

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innovate or die! - highlighting workspaces and intermeddiate circulation.

03.6 office variations This diagram shows a zoomed out view of how the three main office spaces (typical, middle management, executive) are occupied and interact with each other.

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typical work+living unit - hedonism core

03.6 office variations This diagram shows how the executive space interacts wtih the overall scheme and is are occupied.

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typical work+living unit - hedonism core

03.6 office variations This diagram shows how the typical floor unit interacts wtih the overall scheme and is are occupied.

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typical work+living unit - hedonism core

03.6 office variations This diagram shows how the middle management space interacts wtih the overall scheme and is are occupied.

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typical work+living unit - hedonism core

03.7 typical floor unit This diagram shows the spacial configuartion of the typical floor unit. Work spaces reside on the first floor, living and social on the second floor, while hedonism and entertainment spaces hide within a circulation core.

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hedonism core

second floor

first floor

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typical work+living floor unit configuration.

03.7 typical floor unit This diagram shows the spatial configuration of the first floor within the typical floor unit of a work+living space.

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typical work+living unit - first floor

03.7 typical floor unit This diagram shows the spatial configuration of the second floor within the typical floor unit of a work+living space.

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typical work+living unit - second floor

03.7 typical floor unit This diagram shows the spatial configuration of the hedonism core within the typical floor unit of a work+living space.

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typical work+living unit - hedonism core

04 reflection

04.1 reflection After reflecting on two intense weeks of work, I have concluded that as a team we have done extremely well to push the boundaries of the brief and to design a project which not only critiques and pokes fun at the current trend of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;funâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; spaces within a work environment, but also questions its true intentions and motives behind such moves. While extremely cynical and crude, using the model of a panopticon really helped sell the idea that such fantasy spaces, when looked at more closely under the microscope, are in verging on modern day prisons, where intrusions into personal life are made for monetary gain.

As an overall program I must say that I have no regrets joining and have enjoyed my time. While building the site model and design proposal should have been pushed earlier in the program, and tutors/supervisors taken more responsibility (in my opinion), I feel that I have only reinforced the knowledge from previous semesters through speaking with my fellow groupmates and friends, and also through teaching a very hungry and talented bunch of undergraduates who were very brave to take on such a project.

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05 appendix

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05.1 model photos

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05.1 model photos

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05.2 scanned drawings

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05.2 scanned drawings

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JUNHAN FOONG Having graduated from The University of Melbourne in 2013 with a Bachelor of Environments majoring in Architecture, Junhan is currently undertaking his Master in Architecture at Melbourne School of Design.

Born in Malaysia, raised in Dubai, Junhan refers to himself as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;third culture kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; whose appetite for creative work is explored across multiple avenues - including graphic design, experimenting with animation, motion graphics and film making, in addition to street photography on the side of pursuing a career in architecture. Fascinated by the impacts and implications of future technologies and interfaces on future human societies, Junhan experiments with film and 3D computer generated imagery as a storytelling medium.

For more work please visit: photography instagram: @_junstagram video vimeo: https://vimeo.com/jhfoong

STUDIO 22 FUTURE NOW Master of Architecture STUDIO C. Semester 02 2014

FB HOME FB Home is a new-age phenomenon sweeping over the world.

Built as a series of interconnected pneumatic structures placed in major cities all over the world, FB home is designed to be a ‘temporary global event’ - a shopping paradise open publicly 24 hours a day aiming to revolutionise and encourage consumerism. Items and services are purchased with ‘FB Coin’, a digital currency gained by social media activity, and thus are technically ‘free’. Coins earned are based on the quantity and quality of data shared, and can be ‘farmed’ or accumulated by playing internet games on gaming machines placed throughout every building.

However, everything is not as it seems. FB is also gathering data through other means - hidden trackers and machines are embedded within its buildings, as well as other objects scattered in its surroundings. Information stored within its data centres are used in secret to continually life-log and archive people, sold to the highest bidder and used to push ads to the public.

FB Home is a project which aims to bring light to the issue of surveillance in modern day society, exploring tactics used in information gathering in an age where privacy is almost nonexistent.

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TECTONIC GROUNDS Master of Architecture. Summer FEB 2015

ONYX Onyx is a physical birthchild of data input and user interaction; a frankenstein monster of the digital and the physical. It feeds off our digital and physical inputs and in return, it gives us various forms of digital and physical response. Our interaction with Onyx keeps it alive.

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STUDIO 17 WEARABLE SPACES Master of Architecture STUDIO D. Semester 01 2015

in:COGNITO The startling reach of surveillance capabilities in urban centres has only exponentially boomed as the wide reach of the internet continues to grow. In today’s world, ultramodern architecture facilitates a range of security measures by design, but shrewdly conceals the full extent of its surveillance regimes.

Similarly, governments and other authoritative powers use this type of technology to view or gather information from the general public, most of the time without consent. Every movement, both physically and digitally, is scrutinised and information routinely logged within a centralised database.

This type of behaviour creates a false form of security, with the people never realising how trapped they are within Surveillance’s perpetual gaze. in:COGNITO (a fictional fashion label) is a project which aims to bring light to the issue of surveillance in modern day society, using fashion as a medium to create a very personal countersurveillance or disconnect-space, giving back control and power to the people under “The Authority’s” watchful eye.

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STUDIO 15 MACHINING AESTHETICS 3.0 Master of Architecture STUDIO E. Semester 02 2015

LA VILLE EN ROSE ‘La Ville En Rose (City in Pink)’ seeks to create an urban structure which is open-ended in its syntax; the nature of the structure allows users to appropriate its use, necessary additional infrastructure, envelope and shelter depending on needs ‘at the time’. Using the tale of the fictitious 3D printing company ‘Clouseau Collectif’ as its main protagonist, the experimental nature of 3D Printing as a main driving force of making is explored. In this project, a possible urban scenario is speculated, highlighting the change in technology and construction methods over a time period of 2015 to 2050.

This context creates a radically different view on architecture, where the city is built as infrastructure stripped to its bare bones, an empty shell waiting to be occupied, where programmatic spaces are yet to be inserted, and events and ‘moments’ generated by the creative potential of its inhabitants.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

credit

82

Junhan

Darcy

Drawing

Post-processing

Computation

Model Fabrication

Model Assembly

Photography

Writing

Graphic Design

83

CL

references

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websites and images https://www.pm.gov.au/media/2015-12-07/driving-innovation-throughprocurement-cyber-security-and-open-data

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/edwin-heathcote-compares-newgoogle-hq-to-truman-show-style-nightmare-2015-3

http://minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/pyne/media-releases/ innovative-entrepreneurs-set-drive-australias-economy

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2015/05/28/google-surveillance-programscreepier-tech/id=58122/

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/9-big-businesses-respond-togovernments-innovation-plan-2015-12

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/23/panopticon-digitalsurveillance-jeremy-bentham

http://theconversation.com/australias-innovation-problem-explained-in10-charts-51898

http://www.australiandesignreview.com/features/36842-koolhaasretroactive-manhattanism

http://www.digitalinnovation.pwc.com.au/research-development/

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y4VSWN37whuPxqiHhzOYPfxIb3k=/3x0 :1020x678/1280x854/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/935919/Blockbuster-StoreZoom-1024-VERGE.jpg

http://www.hok.com/thought-leadership/workplace-strategies-thatenhance-human-performance-health-and-wellness/

organisational structure http://www.ritholtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2011.06.27_ organizational_charts.png

http://panmore.com/google-organizational-structure-organizationalculture https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/sleep-drive-and-your-bodyclock https://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-wereally-need

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=ibm+ken+yeang&espv=2&biw=1920& bih=1019&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5wqSV8eHKAhXHJ5Q KHRVjA3EQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=3mYix7zD7wquaM%3A https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://farm5.static.flickr. com/4023/4329426035_97417a6ca3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickriver. com/photos/cnmark/4329426035/&h=333&w=500&tbnid=XnL5eFyTivBwaM: &docid=KiTPmXvb9SlqTM&ei=0Dy1Vr7xBMOi0QSFs5mIAQ&tbm=isch&ved=0a hUKEwi-mbi57-HKAhVDUZQKHYVZBhEQMwhQKCowKg

http://safetyconcepts.com.au/ohs-facts-on-toilet-amenities/ htt ps : / / w w w. go ogl e. com . au / s ea r ch ? q = a r ch ite ct u re + pede st r i a n+bridge+network&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=1019&source=lnms&t b m = i s ch & s a = X & ved = 0 a h U K E w j P 1 - 7 u - O H K A h W h 5 K Y K H S 8 f DVc Q _ AUIBigB#imgrc=uOA2hBICcgTvYM%3A

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=https://hildachak.files. wordpress.com/2012/10/hong-kong-china-hsbc-building-bankinghall.jpg&imgrefurl=https://hildachak.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/hsbcbuilding-hong-kong/&h=642&w=516&tbnid=B2eNVWkQYLeClM:&docid=t fL1aT1XtoTKSM&ei=0Dy1Vr7xBMOi0QSFs5mIAQ&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwimbi57-HKAhVDUZQKHYVZBhEQMwhIKCIwIg

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=hsbc+hong+kong&espv=2&biw =1920&bih=1019&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiigIe47HKAhUGNJQKHRgcAYgQ_AUICCgD#imgrc=j2kuhlno1HotfM%3A https://www.google.com.au/search?q=zaha+hadid+azerbaijan%5C&espv =2&biw=1920&bih=1019&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiroLb nk-LKAhWBJJQKHV-ZCV8Q_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=zaha+hadid+beijing&img rc=Zn1JxTCdGrwEmM%3A

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.e-architect. co.uk/images/jpgs/hong_kong/hong_kong_bank_foster_ianlambot1. jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.e-architect.co.uk/hong-kong/hsbc-bui lding&h=829&w=650&tbnid=LEIBaGICd645hM:&docid=gajiYkIxcDpQw M&ei=0Dy1Vr7xBMOi0QSFs5mIAQ&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwi-mbi57HKAhVDUZQKHYVZBhEQMwg6KBQwFA

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references

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videos https://vimeo.com/122325664 http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/814152/bong-joon-hos-postapocalyptic-train-thriller-snow-piercer http://fontsinuse.com/uses/7222/snowpiercer-opening-title-sequence http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a29284/snowpiercerinfluences/ http://amusleh.squarespace.com/blog/2015/3/30/ w7up2e99uugdm5hm6rxspsusz1my1g

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