AA VISITING SCHOOL
PARASITIC LANEWAY Zhuocheng Yu 692171
ROOF LANEWAYBELOW ABOVE
CONTENT 0.0 INTRODUCTION
6-7
1.0 PRECEDENT STUDY 1
8-9
1.1 PRECEDENT STUDY 2
10 - 11
2.0 SITE
12 - 23
2.1 ‘DEAD END’
14 - 15
2.2 PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
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2.3 CIRCULATION
17
2.4 VERTICAL NOLLI
18 - 19
2.5 FRAMING OF SPACE
20 - 21
2.6 GROUND-ROOF
22 - 23
3.0 DESIGN METHODS
24 - 43
3.1 FORM EXPLORATION
26 - 27
3.2 THREE PROTOTYPES
28 - 33
3.3 POTENTIAL ROOF PROGRAMS
34 - 35
3.4 PROGRAM CONNECTIVITY
36 - 37
3.5 URBAN SCALE: CONNECTED CLUSTER
38 - 43
4.0 REFLECTION
44 - 45
5.0 APPENDIX
46 - 51
5.1 BIOGRAPHY
46 - 47
5.2 CREDIT
48 - 49
5.3 BIBLIOGRAPHY
50 - 51
Deadlocks that lead to nowhere; Rooftop with nowhere to access.
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0.0 INTRODUCTION Melbourne is known for its successful activation of few laneways . However in many other cases, laneways are experienced as desolated spaces. Suppressed by its impenetrable boundaries and constrained by and countless deadlocks, laneway offers the least preferred space for social activities. In this sense, we start with the fundamental role of laneways of access and connectivity. To reconcile the physical constraints, we seek to extend and reconnect the interstitial spaces. During the study of the site in both horizontal and vertical figure-ground thinking, we discovered the undulating roof boundaries and saw the potential to extend existing deadlocks by introducing intervention to immediate between the ground and roof spaces. The mutually
complementary nature of disconnection in laneways and rooftops suggest a new morphology of public space that will depart from the singular ground condition. As the brief of this workshop unit, essentially this intervention is supposed to act as a strategy across architectural forms and civic constructs. In this ideal, the interstitial space will form a living ‘second ground’ that will be the catalyst to multiple programs. In the meantime, it present an alternative form of urbanism characterised by fragmentation through private demarcation.
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Horizontal Skyscraper, Shenzhen, 2009. Steven Holls
Linked Hybrid, Beijing, 2009. Steven Holls
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1.0 PRECEDENT STUDY 1 In Steven Holl’s idea of urbanism, he envisions a fusion between landscape, urbanism and architecture. The idea of hybridity through connectivity is evident in his recent major practices in China. There is a trace of the gesture of megaform in his earlier conceptual project based on US cities. His urbanism sees the need for a ‘consequential scale’ being combined with anti-object connotation, in order to achieve civic anchor point and experiential quality to reconcile with the dynamics of urban issues.
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Walls of Change No.11, 2010. Lebbeus Woods
Sliced Porosity Block (in proposal), Chengdu, 2010. Steven Holl, collaborated with Lebbeus Woods
Nine Reconstructed Boxes, 1999. Lebbeus Woods
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1.1 PRECEDENT STUDY 2 In contrary to Steven Holl’s relatively pragmatic scrutiny to the context based urban issues, the works by Lebbeus Woods are highly conceptual whilst his design philosophy is an aggressive approach to reconstruct elements. Anarchic and whimsical, his renders of oblivious scenery suggests heroic actions against the solidity of urban constructs. I was attracted by the unique charisma for its seemingly chaotic composition and parasitic nature of such alien form in its alternate reality. The design philosophy in these two case studies however have certain connections in addressing a formal, flat approach to urbanisation.
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2.0 SITE The site being selected has a unique comb shape with three longitudinal branches puncturing the latitudinal Drewery Lane. Drewery Alley and Sniders Lane are two dead-ends, while the Drewery Place in the middle resembles more of a narrow court yard with a hidden entrance to the Melbourne Central building.
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2.1 ‘DEAD-END’ As the aim of the project is to introduce a strategic intervention of a generic issue. We have observed the dead-end laneways are primarily inactive and. By a quick study on the Nolli map of CBD Hoddle Grid, there are numerous instances of similar ‘dead-end’ situations.
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2.2 PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES To our suprise, there are quite a few programs in the proximity apartment hotel, cafe, office, function room, underground bar, and porn shop. However all these programs are situated in inward-looking buildings, leaving the streetscape desolate. Also many smokers were found on the site, forming informal social gathering in the space between buildings.
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2.3 CIRCULATION Drewery Alley
Drewery Lane
Drewery Place
Drewery Lane is a service laneway with infrequent vehicle access. Occasionally pedestrians use it to access the programs, and in other cases, simply as a shortcut.
Sniders Lane
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2.4 VERTICAL NOLLI As the result of first task, we have developed this elaborate site model to map out the roof outlines. We have discovered a different perspective to the wall-ground opposition that defines laneway space. The vertical Nolli map shows changes of vertical boundaries.
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2.5 THE FRAMING OF SPACE ‘Pondering upon the solid passing with no more pavement ahead, we started to wonder what is beyond the brick and concrete facade. We tilted our head and looked above - sky seemed to be the only escape from the silent jungle of constructs. And we saw the opportunity where afternoon light peeking through the lower roof.’ --- Experience of the dead-end laneway
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2.6 GROUND - FRAME We then proceed to further explore the potential of rooftop space around the site and categorized them in terms of distances from the ground.
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3.0 DESIGN METHOD We primarily used the mapping techniques to constantly inform our design process, especially when the scale shifted from sitespecific intervention, to a more connected urban scale strategy.
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3.1 FORM EXPLORATION We start explore with freeform to find possible forms for the parasitic connection. Using quick sketch models with fabrics and form finding in Grasshopper, we made few tests in limited time. However, we were not satisfied with these results and have to change methodology.
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3.2 THREE PROTOTYPES We decided to determine three types of vertical access as the structure to start with. Previously we have mapped the distance between roof space and ground, and grouped usable roof space according to proximity to each other. Based on this information, we have selected elevator, staircase and ramp as three basic forms of vertical transport. The prototypes corresponds to height of access point to the roof space as well as element on the surrounding walls. Inspired by works Lebbeus Woods’s work, we decided to use folding geometry as the form for wrapping element, producing a contrast to the rigid and orthogonal form of the existing building form.
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Rooftop Rooftopgarden garden
Exercise Exercise Exercise / sports / sports / sports
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Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant / bar / bar / bar
Rooftop Rooftopfarming farming
Events Events Events spaces spaces spaces (live (live (live music, music, music, concerts, concerts, concerts, pop pop pop upup stores) up stores) stores)
Exercise/ sports / sports Exercise
Outdoor Outdoor Outdoor Cinema Cinema Cinema
Restaurant/ bar / bar Restaurant
3.4 POTENTIAL ROOF PROGRAMS The catalytic aspect of our design intervention allows emergence of vibrant public programs Minor addition or reduction of existing building fabrics as adaptation to different characteristics of roof/intermediate space. We intend to let it remain openended, mainly driven by public or community participation.
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SHOPPING MALL
ROOFTOP CINEMA
ROOFTOP PARK
RESTAURANT
HOTEL
BAR ROOFTOP CAMPING SITE
ROOFTOP VIEWING GARDERN
SHOPPING MALL
ROOFTOP PARK BAR
ROOFTOP FARM
RETAIL
ROOFTOP PARK BAR
OFFICE
ROOFTOP TENNIS PLAYGROUND
MANSION LOUNGE
ROOFTOP GARDEN
CINEMA OFFICE
TRAIN STATION
HOUSE HOTEL
RETAIL
ROOFTOP BAR
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL
SHOPPING MALL
SHOPPING MALL
RESIDENTIAL
LAWN
LIBRARY
H:16M
H:28M
H: 34M
H: 16M
H: 29M H: 5M H: 24M
H: 8M H:21M H: 17M
H: 14M
H: 5M
H: 5M H: 6M
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3.3 PROGRAM CONNECTIVITY To further formulate our strategy, we then start to map the network between the potential roof programs based on their height and proximity to each other.
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3.5 URBAN SCALE: CONNECTED CLUSTER The last iteration for our project as is an extrapolation of strategic prototypes in urban scale. As an outcome of reconciliation between the pragmatic consideration and radical form from both Steven Holl and Leebeus Woods. We started by connecting these forms together, and extend away from the site. Following the previous mapping of potential roof space, the proposed links continue to propagate the interstitial spaces in laneways. These new parasitic structures allow activated roofscapes to be grouped into small clusters, as cells in a parasitic network that connect laneway space to the roof scape. Filled with hybrid programs,
such system will ultimately become a new spatial paradigm of ‘second ground’ as opposed to the usual flat ground plane.
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4.0 REFLECTION DESIGN CONCEPT A major critique for the design concept was . Since Steven Holl’s vision of an interconnected urbanism with verticality and hybridity was largely backed by urban contexts in China and USA, of cities reaching the threshold of hyper-density. We should be more skeptical about the density situation as well as the emergence of in Melbourne. There was a huge leap from the general strategy utilizing roof space to the final form remain underexplored. Radical design outcome in urban scale was criticised for its little relevance to a relatively programmatic agenda. However, there are still many potential aspects for the further development project could be explored such as rules for selecting and clustering low-level roofscapes, using physical constraints as parameters and mediation between indoor space, ground and rooftop. METHODOLOGY AND PROCESS In the first week, I was still adhering to the problem-solving based mindset. With some misunderstanding of the project brief and miscommunication with unit tutors, I was not being strategic to relate concept to the task. After mid-term presentation, our group had to rethink the scale of intervention and strategy to suit the limited time frame. This caused huge delay during second week and prevented us from exploring and articulating the taxonomy of laneway-ceiling condition and rules between form generation and spatial constraints. These missing generative and experimental process which should have been the core for this workshop, were instead missing from our methodologies. TEAMWORK As a team in the beginning of this work shop, we did not communicate enough about each other’s advantages and shortcomings, in terms of both skills and past design methodologies. It has been a big challenge to assign works without fully understanding the capability of other group members. A lot of time were wasted in repetitive communication of interpreting other’s ideas and discussing standards and styles for presentation. I should be more proactive early in the process to encourage each group members not only being ‘comfortable with’ but ‘good at’ the part of workload that they take (including myself).
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5.1 BIOGRAPHY My name is Zhuocheng Yu. I was born in China and lived in Melbourne since my high school in 2010. I finished my Bachelor degree with architecture major in University of Melbourne in 2016 and continue doing Master degree. I have been always interested in the role of architecture and architect in relation to the city in the new dynamics of social and technological changes. In the mean time, aware of the trend of mass digitisation of the world, I developed an interest to use digital tools to help unveil the hidden layers of the context, as well as generative design thinking.
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5.2 CREDIT D = Danika Pandinata S = Suyi Zha Z = Zhuocheng Yu
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REFERENCED BOOKS Holl, S. (2009). Urbanisms: working with doubt. Princeton Architectural Press. Woods, L. (1993). Pamphlet Architecture 15: War and Architecture (No. 15): Princeton Architectural Press. PRECEDENT 1 IMAGES https://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/china/linked_hybrid_bm271009_sh1.jpg https://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/china/linked_hybrid_sgla210308_2.jpg http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/08/steven-holl-horizontal-skyscraper-1-537x387.jpg PRECEDENT 2 IMAGES https://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/images_blogs/design/2013/02/sfmoma_LebbeusWoods_05_NineReconstructedBoxes.jpg https://lebbeuswoods.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/lwblog-heur-11.jpg?w=600&h=287 http://www.archello.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/media_image/SH_Raffles_City_Model_0262.jpg
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5.3 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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