Unconventional Centre

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

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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

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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.

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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