M E R R I C K M O R L EY
Architecture Portfolio 2012 - 2015
WORK EXPERIENCE Student Architect Mills Gor man Architects + Interior Design MELBOURNE November 2013 - March 2015 Model Making work for: Fitt De Felice Architects F I T Z ROY December 2012
EDUCATION 2011 - 2013 2010 2004 - 2009
Bachelor of Environments, Architecture Major UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE Average Mark of 77.5% Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture Major MONASH UNIVERSITY Completion of VCE, ENTER 90.70 ST PAULS ANGLICAN GRAMMAR WA R R A G U L
SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE REVIT RHINOCEROS - Grasshopper - Kangaroo Physics - Karamba Physics SKETCHUP - Kerkythea AUTOCAD ILLUSTRATOR INDESIGN PHOTOSHOP
SIR CONAN DOYLE MYSTERY THEATRE
Internal Courtyard and Main Entrance
A NEW PUBLIC SPACE Located at the corner of Spencer St and Bourke St, the site for the performing arts complex was a chance to enable a new public environment in an area which is devoid of open space and resting points. Elevating two of the threatres and lowering the main performance area underground permitted the street level to be dedicated to the wandering public, a new cafe, an informal performance area and planting of native trees to counteract the aging tree population in the CBD. A Green Wall brings vibrancy to the otherwise grey context and the intricate wood ceiling will be using recycled material where possible. Parametrically designed, this feature piece continues from the exterior to the interior and allows patrons to view the material from different scales and provide different understandings of the same thing. Located across the road from Southern Cross, this space will be witness to heavy foot traffic. Allowing patrons to interact with the area will increase awareness of the theatre complex and have a positive influence on attracting more public to the region.
North Elevation 1:100
West Elevation 1:100
SIR CONAN DOYLE MYSTERY THEATRE
Public Area for Rest, Performances, and Social Interaction
Generic Theatre Typology - Above Groud
Dropping Main Theatre below Ground Level
Placing Theatre Above Gr
ound Level
Stacking Lecture Hall Above Theatre
Creating New Public Space While Solving Brief
WYNDHAM GATEWAY DESIGN PROJECT COMPUTATION AND USING GRASSHOPPER The project focused on creating a monumental piece of architectural that could be embraced and therefore celebrated by the Wyndham community. The brief called for a design that would spark innovation, place-making qualities, and serve as a bridge for entering and exiting Wyndham. Acknowledging this my group chose ‘structure’ as a point of departure to focus our architecture to be based upon. Expressing structure, arguably the most fundamental aspect of architecture, is prominently seen in the use of this Gridshell typology. Timber laths offer the opportunity to showcase both aesthetic beauty and structural efficiency. Due to the rigid method of achieving a Gridshell we spent a lot of time researching existing structures including: The Japan Pavilion, Weald and Downland Museum, and the Helsinki Zoo enclosure. Additionally the King’s Cross Station redevelopment façade served as an important piece in achieving our design criteria: Monumentality, fluidity, contrast in space, and expressive structure.
Grasshopper was implemented early in the design process to achieve maximum efficiency of altering design choices. For example we constantly changed the profile of the timber laths to engineering knowledge obtained and was done by changing the algorithm instead of changing each member which would have been labor intensive. This was repeated throughout the semester and could only have been done so with such powerful software. In addition to the time saved from this, the focus of the project was to shift from traditional design practice to realizing potential design problems earlier on with computation and therefore solving issues before they become a hefty cost-addition to the final project.
WYNDHAM GATEWAY DESIGN PROJECT
Site Analysis Diagrams
KARAMBA
Gridshell Structural Analysis
Using Karamba Physics Simluator, within the Grasshopper environment, we were able to highlight the possible points that would be of structural concern. Learning this we changed the profile, structural assembly, or location of anchor points to decide on a more appropriate Gridshell. Overall this further shows how the project was able to solve design problems before they could occur later in the design process.
WYNDHAM GATEWAY DESIGN PROJECT
North Elevation
1: 100
South Elevation
1: 100
Metal Node Connection Plate Model 1:10
Timber Lath Joint Model 1:10
YARRA BEND PARK BOATHOUSE
Massing Diagram
YARRA BEND PARK BOATHOUSE
Section
1: 100
AAlto and the YArra Emulating Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and his well-known ideology of a humanist modernism, this semester’s project was concerned with designing a boathouse. The first stage was copying plans and elevations of projects such as Villa Mairea, Villa Kokkonen, and The Baker House Dormitory at MIT. Learning from this, I decided that using natural woods that age and weather over time would enhance the relationship between the boathouse and its surrounding environment; The Yarra River.
Like the Yarra, certain sections of the design feature prominent undulating curves that create amazing points of beauty and encapsulate the energy of the area. These various forms of material are all similar to Aalto’s choice for his designs as they bring a certain tranquil vibe to the environment. To break from the wood light coloured brick, corrugated sheets, polished concrete, and glass fenestration all tie together the different types of wood used cohesively. Red River Gum, Yarra Gum, and Yellow Box were chosen as the native species well suited to the boathouse.
West Elevation
1: 100
East Elevation
1: 100
YARRA BEND PARK BOATHOUSE
HERRING ISLAND DISCOVERY CENTRE
Indigenous Discovery Area
Barak and the Wattle William Barak was an important figure in the 19th Century by both the Indigenous and European Settlers. He was a skilled mediator and dedicated a lot of his life to forming positive relations with the foreigners. He believed strongly in the rights of his people and the culture they live in. This design is strongly motivated by the story of Barak and his desire to work alongside the nonnatives. In the 21st century it is time to engage more with the culture of the Indigenous and this discovery centre is to promote such a thing. Acacia Melanoxylon is a type of wattle that is
Outdoor Cultural Theatre
native to the Yarra and connected to the story of Barak. Every August this wattle species blooms and towards the end of William’s life he predicted he would pass the next time this occurred. Not only did this occur, generations of family members have passed during this time in winter. The wattle seed contains very interesting geometry. As a metaphor it describes the rebirth and reconciliation of and the Indigenous and nonIndigenous people of Australia. The way that the funicles wrap around the seed also proved to be instrumental in finding a form for the design.
HERRING ISLAND DISCOVERY CENTRE
East Elevation 1:100
South Elevation 1:100
West Elevation 1:100
Acacia Melaonxylon (Wattle Tree) Seeds
ENGENDER - Virtual ENVIRONMENTS
The natural Precedent I was very interested by the way honey bees communicate with one another during their search for pollen. This everyday interaction revolves around the vibrations of the abdomen of the bee. Different messages occur by the amount of time spent vibrating and the position the bee is in correspondance with the sun. It seemed that this natural process was one that could be explored further with the capability of focusing on vibration and the idea of the bee acting as a communicator.
To have a communicator means there needs to be an audience, so body parts like the ears and eyes for sight and hearing are important to this process. Therefore this natural occurence of the bee could connect with the human in a sculptural way.
ENGENDER - VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
Fabrication Process
This semester has focused on new age technology to analyse, design, and produce architecturally influenced work. To move from conceptual idea to fabrication I went through a process of unrolling all of the surfaces that made up the form, then changing the line color to correspond to how I wanted the card cutter to read it. The process was an enlightening inception to ‘file to fabricate’ production methods and has changed my growing outlook on architectural construction. Pre-fabrication is a burgeoning idea that has many benefits and this semester’s design was a testimony to this. Also the concept of light as an architectural element was explored and resulted in a headpiece dependent on this.
Drawings