SITE ANALYSIS
CONCRETE LAWN
GROUP MEMBERS: ALISTAIR MCDONALD (387974) PHOEBE COTTON (867832) MING-WAI CHUNG (7916890) NURUL SYAHIRAH MUHAMAD (779893)
HISTORY 2 1 4
4 6
7
5 3
Pre-1835 Melbourne Site
Prior to colonization, most of Modern day Melbourne was owned and occupied by the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. The people occupied lower areas, such as the modern day Hoddle grid (1) during warmer months. In the colder part of the year they would take refuge on higher ground like the University of Melbourne site (2).1 The University area would have also been a year-round food collection site for the hunter-gatherer society.2
1853 Melbourne
(showing proposed University sites and land grants) In May 1853, the University Council convened for the first time, requesting 20 acres of land from Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe. The intended site, at the city's eastern edge (3) was not granted, however the University Council's proposal to cut off Collins St. at Spring St. was adopted, and the land set aside for the Treasury building and gardens.
1853 The University of Melbourne
1860 The University of Melbourne
1945 The University of Melbourne
The University council was granted 20 acres (4) north of the city (the area to become Carlton) in September 1853.3 The site of the Concrete Lawn was originally the marshy floodplain of a small stream that ran from Princes Hill down Bouverie St.
From 1856, the stream was dammed and the marsh transformed into a lake. This combined with the creation of the Systems gardens (5) to give the campus the air of a country estate.4 The original grounds did not extend to Swanston St. (then Madeline St.) as the Crown retained a corridor 130m wide comprising 5 acres of the initial land request (6).5 The 20 acre campus was bound by Tin Alley to the North, Elizabeth St. to the West and Grattan St. to the South.
Facing rapid expansion in the interwar period, in 1939 the Public Works Department (then in control of campus developments) reclaimed the lake. This created Union Lawn (7) and allowed for several new buildings to spring up on its former edges.6
2016 Union Lawn/ Concrete Lawn
In 1968, half of the remaining Union Lawn was redesigned into a paved area (known as Concrete Lawn) to gain more use from the former marsh. Given drainage problems and trouble with existing foundations in the traditional watercourse, the lawn has been set aside as open space in the University Master Plan.7
Figure 1: Old Zoology building, University of Melbourne, circa 1931-1936.
Fiigure 3: Rebuilding of Union House, University of Melbourne, circa 1967-1968
Figure 5: The Old Commerce building and Union Lawn.
Concrete Lawn : 1840-2016
KEY Lawn Lake Original stream and marsh
Figure 2: Women students, University of Melbourne.
Figure 4: Union House with Union Lawn in foreground, University of Melbourne.
Figure 6: Aerial View of Union Lawn 2016.
1856-1939
1939-1968
1968-Present
LAKE
LAWN
CONCRETE LAWN
9 AM
PANORAMA
11 AM
1 PM
3 PM
5 PM
7 PM 9 PM
ACTIONS USES OF SITE KEY
INTENSITY
GRADUATION PHOTO STUDYING SOCIALISING/PHONE SMOKING DRIVING SITTING CYCLING EATING/DRINKING WALKING
TIME 9AM
11AM
1PM
3PM
5PM
7PM
9PM
INTENSITIES 9 AM
1 PM
There were not many students around at this time. Very little was happening in regards to actions besides the few people who were walking through.
Black Circles: These areas have a higher intensity of people around 1PM as they are where students can get lunch and are major entry and exit points between buildings. Blue circle: This is where many students were taking graduation photos throughout the day, increasing the intensity of that spot. The high intensity points are also where bikes and cars travel around the concrete lawn.
Low intesity
5 PM
The lawn was not being used much as it was getting a lot colder in the afternoon. The high intensity spots are again major entry and exit points for students as well as the same area which saw many students pass through to take their graduation photos. There were fewer bikes and cars travelling around the concrete lawn at this time.
High intensity
CL I M A T E SUN AND SHADE 1PM
9AM
5PM
9 AM
1 PM
5 PM
TEMPERATURE 9 AM
1 PM
Hottest
5 PM
Coldest
MOVEMENT EDGE AND CIRCULATION
Highest mobility occured during between classes and at afternoon
Students tend to find shortest way when walking through the lawn
Students stop to sit here, at the benches and on the grass
Cyclists tend to move between available parking spaces and avoid pedestrians
Barrier Threshold
CIRCULATION TIME
9 AM
1 PM
5 PM
SUBJECT
Pedestrians
Cyclists
Vehicles
ANALYSIS HISTORY
ACTIONS
The site of the Concrete Lawn has seen three pragmatic and idiomatic transformations from its natural state. The damming of the floodplain and marsh into an ornamental lake was a classically European solution for an unusable site. By the 1930s, the population of the University and colleges had become dependent on lake seepage to treat septic waste. The creation of a public sewer system allowed for the area to be reclaimed (i.e.: lake filled) for development and thus the Union Lawn was created and slowly eaten away and penned in by newer buildings. The final halving of Union Lawn and creation of the Concrete lawn was, again, a pragmatic choice. Watercourse drainage problems made one of the few remaining open areas at the University unusable during persistent precipitation, thus half was paved with adequate drainage underneath.
Over a 12-hour period at the Concrete Lawn, the highest intensity action clustered around the main entry points of surrounding buildings, as well as cafes and restaurants, towards and throughout lunch time. Walking comprised the majority of action, followed by people eating and drinking. The day we analysed the space also saw many students and visitors cycling, driving, socialising, and taking photos for a graduation ceremony. The flow of action was also relatively consistent with most people staying on the roads and pathways with few venturing onto the grass to sit as it was a cooler day and many were avoiding loitering outside.
CLIMATE
MOVEMENT
The climate of the site was greatly affected by surrounding buildings. Although the only high rising building (Raymond Preistly) lies to the south, smaller buildings had an amplified effect due to the low path of the sun at this time of the year. At 9am Redmond Barry and The Melbourne School of Design only allowed the sun to hit 30% of the site. Coupled with the tree shadows, the sun could only warm the westernmost edge (Union House side). By Midday, the buildings are removed from the sun's path and the temperature only remains low directly under tree canopies. In the evening, Baldwin-Spencer and Union House's shadows only mildly reduce sunlight, compared to that observed at 1pm.
Pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles comprised the movement through and within the Concrete Lawn. The movement of users depend on barriers and thresholds along the perimeter and interior of the site. Major movements were observed along the central and perimeter paths. Minor movements are found on the grass area and benches. To understand the circulation of users, buildings surrounding the site are taken into account. Buildings facing into the site, clockwise from north, are Baldwin Spencer, The Melbourne School of Design, Raymond Preistley and Union House. Users are more likely to find the shortest route to travel from one building to another. Cyclists tend to use the outer paths and vehicles are restricted to the road. Users rarely use north route compared east, south and west area of the site. This is due to the larger number of thresholds along east, south and west, thus creates more choices for users to move between points. There is greater mobility in the afternoon at peak hours; which are between classes, the lunch hour and after the graduation ceremony.
ENDNOTES "Billibellary's Walk" Murrup Barak, Melbourne Centre for Indigenous Development, accessed 10/8/2016, modified 2/11/2015 http://www.murrupbarak.unimelb. edu.au/content/pages/billibellarys-walk 1
Philip Goad, George Tibbits and Patrick Bingham-Hall. Architecture on Campus: A Guide to Melbourne University and its Colleges. (Parkville, Victoria: Melbourne University Press, 2003), 1. 2
George Tibbits & University of Melbourne. The planning and development of the University of Melbourne : an historical outline. (Parkville, Victoria: History of the University Unit., 2000), 5. 3
Goad, Tibbits and Bingham-Hall, Architecture on Campus, 4. 4
5
Ibid., 2.
6
Ibid., 41.
Daryl Jackson. The University of Melbourne Master Plan 2008. (Melbourne, Victoria: Jackson Architecture), 10. 7
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Old Zoology building, University of Melbourne, circa 1931-1936. archives. unimelb.edu.au Figure 2: Women students, University of Melbourne. archives.unimelb.edu.au Figure 3: Rebuilding of Union House, University of Melbourne, circa 1967-1968. archives.unimelb.edu.au Figure 4: Union House with Union Lawn in foreground, University of Melbourne. archives. unimelb.edu.au Figure 5: The Old Commerce building and Union Lawn. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ University_of_Melbourne Figure 6: Aerial View of Union Lawn 2016. maps.google.com