IMPERMANENT INTERIORITIES the fragile encounter of meeting
THE UNCONVENTIONAL CENTRE To engage with this issue, I am proposing a potentia l model for a convention centre to comment and highlight the impermanence intrinsic in our spatia l experiences. A convention centre is a complex or building whereby a series of meetings can occur concurrently. In this project I have attempted to negotiate bet ween the actua lities of meeting experiences and the design conventions in which meeting spaces have been previously generated. Convention centres have predominately been concerned with a f lexibilit y of function and volume. How can a convention centre employ changeabilit y of experience, not just physica l volume, and engage with the issue of impermanent interiorities ? A method in which this could be achieved is by engaging with another convention of convention centres, of meetings occurring autonomously without interaction. If meetings could be a llowed to interact and meet, each meeting experience would be shaped by other meetings. Could this aim to facilitate interaction bet ween meetings provide changeabilit y of experience, to introduce impermanent interiorities ?
Analysis of existing meeting typologies
THE UNCONVENTIONAL CENTRE
C ol l ins St
This project began by identifying
Workplace
existing meeting typologies that were
Hospita lit y
already occurring in the area that I could
Reta il / A r ts / Med ic a l
generate a space for them to all meet.
Residentia l Proposed Site
I collated them into the general headings
C ol l i n s Pl a c e
of workplace, hospitality, residential and
Workplace Reception Of f ice Conference Room/s Brea kout / K itchenette
Analysis of the different meeting scenarios was then according to the experience
Hospita lit y Ca fes Ba rs Restaura nts Foodcourt
of interiority that it produces. This was conducted with a combination of observations on site and imagined
Flinders L a ne
Spring St
artistic/retail spaces.
E x h ibit ion St
E x ist ing Meet ing Ty polog ies or Environment s
Reta il / A rts / Medica l Reta il Shop Ga ller y Cinema Medica l Wa iting Room
experiences of the environments that I could not get access to. In my research, I identified five characteristics of meetings in which to
Residentia l Hotel L obby Hotel Room Private Living Room Private Dining Room Private Bedroom
evaluate these meeting situations. These were: GROWTH, TIME, EQUALITY, DENSITY and DIRECTION. Upon entering the Unconventional Centre,
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SITE PLAN
VIEW OF EXTERIOR
Flinders St
delegates are required to complete a questionnaire on their meeting requirements increase in privacy
to successfully assign a suitable meeting environment. The above five attributes also constitute the questionnaire. A new system of design conventions was
Assignment of space within building according to ‘growth’
Restaurant
Brea kout
Dining Room
Bedroom
then developed to spatially indicate and increase in privacy
effect these interiority relationships within the propositional Unconventional Centre.
GROWTH Movement of people and ideas Areas in the building were assigned according to the privacy required for those meetings, with the most public meetings in hospitality scenarios being located closer to the street. Privacy was continued in assigning the individual meeting environments to levels in the building with the most private being on the top level. Privacy is an important issue in meetings as it dictates levels of access and thus the meeting’s ability for growth and change in both quantity of people and agenda.
Bar
Cafe
Reception
Of f ice
Living Room
Ga ller y
Meeting Room
Shop
Cinema
Foodcourt (centra l meeting area for entire building - area of ma ximum grow th)
Medica l Waiting Room
Hotel Room
Hotel Foyer N
Flinders Lane
Facing Flinders St
EXISTING NORTH-SOUTH SECTION
TIME Throughout the Unconventional Centre, there are a series of subtle and gradual undulations in the floor plane. This is to guide the movement of the inhabitants towards designated meeting areas in the environments. The relative amount of time occupied by the formation of the meeting in these meeting areas is indicated by their floor level. An area within the individual rooms where most time is spent meeting would be at a lower floor level than other areas where quicker meetings are performed.
Change of floor levels according to ‘time’
Finished f loor level from f loor slab (mm) [arrows denote down slope of ra mps] 40 0
20 0
350
10 0
30 0
50
250
0
Hotel t ell tel Foyer oyyer y er
Reception
Medica dica ic a l Waiting Wait W Wai t in ng Room Roo o om om
Of f ice
C Cinema
Livi g Living Room m
Foodcourt d
Shop op
Lowest point of building to guide a ll inhabitants to the centra l meeting area
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GROUND FLOOR LEVELS PLAN 1:200
Meeti Meeting ti R Room
SECOND FLOOR LEVELS PLAN 1:200
Hotel H o eell ote Room
N
Bedroom dro
Ca fe C Brrea r ea kout u
Ga lle ller e y
FIRST FLOOR LEVELS PLAN 1:200
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THIRD FLOOR LEVELS PLAN 1:200
Dining Room
N
Layout of furniture according to ‘equality’
In the Unconvention Centre, the inhabitant first enters a neutralising space to separate
A
their recent experience of
D
the exterior reality from the constructed environments or theatrical ‘sets’ inside. The
Fire escape / smokers
meeting environments were Ma le WC
intended to be a series of
Fema le WC
episodic moments of meeting
Store L ounge
C Counter
to the neighbouring rooms on
Theatre
R ECEPTION
the level. This was to highlight of interiority by compelling
L ounge
CINEM A
Counter
inhabitants to constantly
A
Display
Neura lising Space
question the identity of their interior environment. It is
M
M
Reception desk
the fragility of our experience
HOTEL LOBBY Reception
Wa iting a rea
that were not directly related
SHOE SHOP
B
FOODCOURT
B
D
Catering
Disabled WC
through the maze of corridors Display
that interaction between the meeting rooms can be achieved.
C
Neura lising Space
Each room has a corresponding corridor that initiates the
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GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1:100
inhabitant to the environment H
they are about to enter. However, to traverse the floor, one must enter each corridor, that journey through various environments colouring their
N
N
Fire escape / smokers
Neura lising Space
Ma le WC
experience of their intended
Fema le WC Store
meeting room.
G Cha irperson
Table 1
O
O E Table 2
Mini ba r
C A FE
Sta nding (10mins ma x.)
F
HOTEL ROOM Counter
Fa r view
K itchen
E
MEETING ROOM
GA LLERY Mid view
F H
Close view
Catering Disabled WC
Table 3 Sta nding (20mins ma x.)
FIRST FLOOR PLAN 1:100
G
Neura lising Space
N
EQUALITY Power relations - range from strict heirarchy to absolute equality / comfort The hierarchal structure of the meeting is most effectively indicated by the existence advantaged viewpoints of the entry and exit within the rooms. This phenomenon was brought into the layout of furniture and meeting areas within the rooms.
N
N
Fire escape / smokers
Neura lising Space
Ma le WC
Fema le WC Store
K
Note:
J
Ma nager’s Of f ice
OFFICE
J Cubicles
Large arrows indicate priviledged viewpoints of entry (top positions of heirarchal relationships)
L
L
LOU NGE ROOM
Temp
MEDIC A L WA ITING ROOM
Ba r
BA R
Small arrows indicate internalised viewpoints (equal
L a rge boot h
relationships)
I
Reception
Coloured arrows indicate viewpoints of inhabitants
Maga zines
Med. boot h Heads of household
Couples boot hes
Catering Disabled WC
I K
Neura lising Space
N
SECOND FLOOR PLAN 1:100
Fire escape / smokers
Neura lising Space
Ma le WC
Fema le WC
BEDROOM Robe
Store
Private dining
BR E A KOU T Noticeboa rd
Genera l dining
DINING ROOM
JA PA NESE R ESTAUR A NT
Heads of table
Reception Heads of table
Catering Disabled WC
Sushi ba r
Neura lising Space
THIRD FLOOR PLAN 1:100
N
DENSITY AND DIRECTION Distances between people and ideas Focus upon a central physical and/or ideological point The perception of density is the most significant quality that contributes to an experience of interiority and can be attributed to the physical and perceived distances between people. Distances were maintained from the observed meeting activities by the placement and selection of furniture, and also the ceiling bulkheads. The bulkheads condense space as well as locating a particular physical focal point or goal for the meeting
RECEPTION SECTION A-A 1:50
SHOE SHOP SECTION B-B 1:50
Ceilings condense volume and highlight focal points according to ‘density’ and ‘direction’
CINEMA SECTION C-C 1:50
CAFE SECTION E-E 1:50
HOTEL LOBBY SECTION D-D 1:50
GALLERY SECTION F-F 1:50
Minutes Meeting Type:
Work
Date:
12/04/2006
Location:
Six Degrees Office, Federation Square
Time:
9:20 - 9:35
Re:
Type up of UTAS Site Meeting for Pete
Attendees:
myself
Meeting No.
13
13 Meeting No.
Date:
12/04/2006 - 9:35 9:20
Time: Square Pete
Minutes Type: Meeting Location:
Federation for ce, Offi Meeting Work Site Degrees UTAS Six of up Type myself
Re: Attendees:
13
13 Meeting No.
Meeting No.
Minutes
Date:
12/04/2006 - 9:35 9:20
Date:
Time:
Work
Date:
12/04/2006
Location:
Six Degrees Office, Federation Square
Time:
9:20 - 9:35
Re:
Type up of UTAS Site Meeting for Pete
Attendees:
Meeting Type:
myself
Meeting No.
13
Type: Meeting Location: Re: Attendees:
Federation for ce, Offi Meeting Work Site Degrees UTAS Six of up Type myself
Minutes
Minutes Type:
Meeting
Meeting
Location: Type: Re: Attendees:
Location:
Meeting Type: Location:
MEETING ROOM SECTION G-G 1:50
HOTEL ROOM SECTION H-H 1:50
BAR SECTION I-I 1:50
Re:
Work Six Type myself
Minutes
Attendees:
Degrees up
of
Offi ce, UTAS Federation Site Meeting Square for Pete
Date: Time:
Work
Date:
12/04/2006
Six Degrees Office, Federation Square
Time:
9:20 - 9:35
Re:
Type up of UTAS Site Meeting for Pete
Attendees:
myself
Meeting No.
13
12/04/2006 - 9:35 9:20
Time: Square Pete
Square Pete
Minutes
12/04/2006 9:20 - 9:35
OFFICE SECTION J-J 1:50
LIVING ROOM SECTION K-K 1:50
MEDICAL WAITING ROOM SECTION L-L 1:50
Meeting No. 13
Federation for ce, Offi Meeting Work Site Degrees UTAS Six of up Type myself
Minutes Work
Date:
12/04/2006
Location:
Six Degrees Office, Federation Square
Time:
9:20 - 9:35
Re:
Type up of UTAS Site Meeting for Pete
Attendees:
Meeting Type:
myself
Meeting No.
13
It is through the inhabitants meeting with the materials within the environments that their identity can be acertained. However, the design of the floor plane requires the inhabitant to move throughout the building and thus to place that brief understanding of their surrounds under question. Through movement, participants enact and experience the impermanence of interiority.
...bypass the shoe store...
TRAVELLING FROM RECEPTION TO THE FOODCOURT
Traverse the neutralising corridor...
...and walk past the cinema....
...to enter the foodcourt.
CHANCE MEETINGS There are also moments whereby chance meetings can occur in the building. The central meeting space allows meetings between various meeting parties as access to this space is easily available on all floors. This central space was modelled upon a foodcourt environment as it is a spatial typology that has flexibility of growth and its anonymity allows tremendous equality. In the stairwell, reflective materials were applied to the landings to facilitate brief meetings with inhabitants above. Surreptitious meetings were facilitated by the exterior bench seating underneath the cafe terrace.
highly polished stone
transluscent green glass
STAIR SECTION N-N 1:50
C A FE
timber deck ing
The Unconventional Centre was intended to propose a model for a convention centre that uncovers the intricate potentials of the R ECEPTION
meeting experience that has been previously overlooked. However more importantly, I wish to highlight the impermanence intrinsic in our experience of interiority and to promote a consideration of impermanent interiorities within Interior Design practice.
FOOD COURT SECTION M-M 1:50
EXTERIOR SEATING SECTION 0=0 1:50