the Sirius situation

the Sirius situation

a research report by Thomas Chen, Sophie Corr, Mackenzie Nix, & Miriam Osburn

This report was created and compiled on the unceded lands of the Gadigal, Garigal and Wangal people.

long section sketch through harbour, east-west

As an example of a case study for changing housing systems in the neoliberal city, Sirius is not unique. However, what makes it so is its public prominence, both in its conspicuous siting between landmarks on the harbour’s edge, and its place in public discourse.

Since well before its construction, Sirius has triggered debates on public housing, unionism, government budgets and design. Within these debates, worlds collide; the personal becomes political.

Individuals from Sirius made public their lives in their fight for the right to the life-long homes they had made.

At the time of writing, the aesthetic and economic desires of the rich are set to supersede the needs of the vulnerable through the vehicle of BVN’s approved proposal.

Central to these debates are issues of value, perception, and the even more intangible issue: who deserves what?

Our studies on Sirius attempt to explicate these connections through careful analysis of the existing and proposed conditions, from the domestic to the superstructural in scale. This analysis is tested through a series of hypothetical interventions aimed at improving the quality of life residents may have enjoyed under alternate circumstances.

This report does not aim to provide concrete solutions. Instead, it serves as a case study that can build on our own understanding of ‘housing,’ and considers how future issues encountered under that broad umbrella term can be better identified, analysed, and thoughtfully addressed.

To begin, we consider Sirius as a building composed of a series of structural, formal and organisational systems. what makes Sirius formally coherent– ...in its use?

...in drawings?

...when observed?

clear 4m grid modular facade panels stepped facade in plan

room modules, 10 or 12m regular level heights, split level units stepped form in elevation material restraint orientation

east-west walls These formal qualities create rationality and homogeneity, which points towards values of equality embedded in the design ethos and presentation of Sirius N

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F I R S T I M P R E S S I O N S : W H A T M A K E S S I R I U S F O R M A L LY C O H E R E N T ?

Some of the aformentioned systems appear to us as able to facilitate potential change or renovation - they are robust. Other qualities of Sirius, though, are constraints to appropriate renovation. Notable in our consideration of the current BVN proposal for the Sirius redevelopment is the question: what responsibility does an intervention have towards the integrity of the system? constraints...

...in the building:

...of its context:

organisationally

ceiling height

building height

the regularity of organisation in plan and section allow the programmes of Sirius to be reorganised or groups of units joined or divided while maintaining organisational clarity

- limits height for ventilation and light penetration - the floor-to-floor height limits the capacity for new services along the ceiling to bring in new services. (note BVN ADG response table) - raising the ceiling height in some areas disrupts organisational clarity - higher ceilings required by government regulations

- the height of the building should be restrained to avoid views being blocked further from the bridge towards the harbour

robust elements

contradictory relationship

window modules

structurally similarly, this regular organisation creates a clear structural diagram

of a concrete frame with modular panel units, making it easier to alter and create additions to.

- removing window modules disrupts facade clarity and a vital part of the building’s identiy - balconies are required for access to outdoor space - internal strucure and fixtures of the module make it difficult to cut out part of a module and leave the rest.

materially

contradictory relationship

E the Wrestrained material palette of the Sirius facade allows it to withstand S material additional additions to its facade while maintaining visual clarity.

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environmental constraints to the north facade - noise from the bridge steel to the north and fumes from the motorway to be avoided - strong opinion from the original architect that permeations in the northern facade should be avoided - privacy concern due to visibility from north

N INTEG RITY OF THE SYSTEM W

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requirement for outdoor space/ balconies - removing window modules disrupts facade clarity and a vital part of the building’s identiy - balconies are required for access to outdoor space - internal strucure and fixtures of the module make it difficult to cut out part of a module and leave the rest.

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...of improvement &/or regulation:

views - market demand for views means that views for values should not be obstructed for economic viability and building longevity.

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V A L U E S T U D Y: C O M PA R I N G E X I S T I N G S I R I U S W I T H B V N ’ S I N T E N T I O N S

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High-Rise and Low-Rise Height Distribution BVN’s proposed additional massing to the tower generally follows the massing of the existing building as a “modulating roof line that builds to a peak at the top of the tower.” (BVN 2020, 7) The articulation of the horizontal and vertical outline has been maintained.

outline of existing building BVN proposed apartments

Facade Unification BVN’s proposal to attach prefabricated copper balcony pods on the facade and new copper-clad modules above existing roof line breaks the repetition of the existing precast window frame system. The evenness and coherence of the existing system contributes to a sense of egalitarianism.

Sirius Apartments (existing condition)

2m balcony pods on facade additional levels above existing BVN proposed response

BVN PROPOSAL: RESPONSES TO SYSTEM COMPONENTS

10m 12m Apartment Length BVN has proposed to eliminate the existing smaller balcony and attach a 2m prefabricated copper-clad balcony on the facade to ensure all apartments have access to outdoor space. (BVN 2020, 20) However, this breaks the existing module system of 12m and 10m unit length.

existing condition

BVN design proposal

BVN’s proposal for a cantilevered balcony

4m Grid BVN did not follow the 4m grid closely and combined the apartments to form larger apartments. Studying the bedroom layout, there is a strong sense of heirarchy in BVN’s proposal, where some apartments are more than twice as large, whilst the existing bedrooms are consistent in size and are almost as large as the living room.

existing condition

BVN proposal

BVN PROPOSAL: RESPONSES TO SYSTEM COMPONENTS

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DOBELL & DRYSDALE

P R E C E D E N T S T U D Y: D O B E L L & D R Y S D A L E , W AT E R L O O

SHADING STRUCTURES

D O B E L L & D R Y S D A L E C O M PA R I S O N : S H A D E S T R U C T U R E S

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FLEXIBILITY

D O B E L L & D R Y S D A L E C O M PA R I S O N : F L E X I B I L I T Y

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PLANTING

D O B E L L & D R Y S D A L E C O M PA R I S O N : P L A N T I N G

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Courtyard Private Balcony Rooftop Garden Communal Balcony There are four main categories of outdoor space at Sirius: ground

Certain trends become apparent through this mapping exercise:

floor courtyards, private balconies, rooftop gardens and communal

Apartments with the most direct and generous access to outdoor

balconies. By mapping the various outdoor spaces within and around

space are the ground floor 4-bedroom apartments and the 3-bedroom

the building and the circulation routes and distances between them, it

top level apartments that open directly onto rooftop gardens.

becomes apparent that within Sirius, many residents don’t have direct

Apartments with the most indirect access to outdoor space are

access to outdoor space and often have to travel to get to it.

generally 1-bed apartments, which are without balconies and must use the communal balconies and courtyards to access the outdoors.

There is a correlation between apartment size and access to outdoor space.

A C C E S S T O O U T D O O R S PA C E A C C E S S T O O U T D O O R S PA C E

L10

L9

L8

L7

L6

L5

L4 L3

L2

L1

Podium

Private Courtyards B1

Private Balconies Rooftop Gardens

B2

Communal Balconies NTS

Internal Area vs Private Outdoor Space • • • • • •

•

01) 1 bed 02) 1 bed 03) 1 bed 04) 1 bed 05) 1 bed 06) 2 bed 07) 2 bed 08) 2 bed 09) 3 bed 10) 2 bed 11) 2 bed 12) 2 bed 13) 2 bed 14) 2 bed 15) 1 bed 16) 1 bed 17) 1 bed 18) 1 bed 19) 4 bed 20) 2 bed 21) 1 bed 22) 1 bed 23) 4 bed 24) 2 bed 25) 4 bed 26) 3 bed 27) 3 bed 28) 3 bed 29) 3 bed 30) 1 bed 31) 2 bed 32) 2 bed

Around 53% of the apartments (42/79) have private access to outdoor space via balcony, podium courtyard and/or green space.

Around 40% (32/79) of the apartments have a total area of private outdoor space greater than 5sqm.

Around 36% (29/79) of the apartments have private outdoor space greater than 15sqm.

All 3 and 4 bedroom apartments have private outdoor space.

The apartments located at the lower levels tend to benefit more from outdoor space, due to the podium courtyards and rooftop greenspace.

There is a huge gap comparing the ratio of internal area and private outdoor space. For example, a two bedroom apartment of 84 sqm is allocated a total area of 80 sqm of outdoor space, while some residents have to travel great distance to access communal outdoor space.

Around 32% of the total outdoor space is communal.

33) 2 bed 34) 2 bed 35) 1 bed 36) 1 bed 37) 1 bed 38) 2 bed 39) 3 bed 40) 2 bed 41) 2 bed 42) 2 bed 43) 2 bed 44) 1 bed 45) 1 bed 46) 3 bed 47) 2 bed 48) 3 bed 49) 2 bed 50) 2 bed 51) 2 bed 52) 1 bed 53) 1 bed 54) 2 bed 55) 2 bed 56) 2 bed 57) 3 bed 58) 1 bed 59) 1 bed 60) 2 bed 61) 2 bed 62) 2 bed 63) 2 bed 64) 1 bed

A C C E S S T O O U T D O O R S PA C E

65) 1 bed 66) 2 bed 67) 2 bed 68) 2 bed 69) 1 bed 70) 1 bed 71) 2 bed 72) 2 bed 73) 1 bed 74) 2 bed 75) 2 bed 76) 1 bed 77) 2 bed 78) 2 bed 79) 1 bed

owen’s apartment

myra’s apartment

total shared outdoor space

total private outdoor space: 1485.4 sqm total shared outdoor space: 680.8 sqm

internal area private outdoor space shared outdoor space

Sirius Apartments A number of apartments in Sirius have a strong connection to the outdoor space via balcony.

However, the space is generally tight and is not available to all apartments. The interior of the apartments have a less straightforward connection to the outdoor rooftop terraces, which are only accessed through stairs.

BVN Proposed Response BVN’s proposed intervention improves the connection to outdoor space by the provision of direct access points to rooftop terrace.

However, this is only available to the privileged few. Theses spaces located at the top of the roofline are extremely exposed to sun and wind.

The proposed prefab copper balconies attached on the facade provide outdoor space for all apartments. However, such design decision affects the evenness and coherence of the existing facade, which is important in communicating the sense of egalitarianism.

Dobell & Drysdale Dobell & Drysdale has a luxurious terrace condition in terms of the size and layout when compared to Sirius Apartments. The living spaces and bedrooms have direct connection to the external terrace. In addition, the outdoor spaces are equally distributed among units and rooms.

outdoor terrace

A C C E S S T O O U T D O O R S PA C E : P R E C E D E N T & P R O P O S E D

A P P R O A C H S T U D Y: E X P L I C AT I N G P U B L I C P E R C E P T I O N

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PA R A L L E L W A L L S

WEST

EAST

WEST

EAST

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The siting and organisational system of Sirius along an almost east-west axis leads to two very different sets of conditions on the east and west facades.

This dichotomy is particularly apparent for apartments which do not span across the depth of the building, but instead only open to one direction. These apartments are only located in the tower section of Sirius.

At the same time, the east-west orientation largely denies N and the south. the interior spaces the qualities of the north

FA C A D E C O N D I T I O N S

In the following studies, we further investigate two specific flats and the lives that took place within as examples of these east and west facade conditions.

M Y R A D E M E T R I O U F L AT S T U D Y

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M Y R A D E M E T R I O U F L AT S T U D Y

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M Y R A D E M E T R I O U F L AT S T U D Y

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The collage above was constructed from documentary footage of Owen McAloon’s apartment in the Sirius Building.

The rear face of McAloon’s iconic ‘One Way! Jesus’ poster is visible, mounted onto the Living Room window behind a lightbox. A varnish or paint over the windows, presumably used to further block out light and views into the space is also present.

The block colour palette of the walls is sourced from the colours within each photo, clearly showing how dark the interior of the space can be.

Here the view from the apartment has been superimposed back into the space of the windows, revealing the strong westerly light and visual proximity of the neighbouring Cahill Expressway to McAloon’s apartment.

Here the view from the apartment has been superimposed back into the space of the windows, revealing the strong westerly light and visual proximity of the neighbouring Cahill Expressway to McAloon’s apartment.

Cahill Expressway

The proximity and height of the pedestrian walkway to the Sirius Building is responsible for McAloon’s sense of exposure to prying eyes, and added to his desire to cover up his principle source of light and views

Cumberland Street

O W E N M c A L O O N F L AT S T U D Y

McAloon’s Apartment

Source of Images - Save Our Sirius. 2017. ‘Sirius People: Owen McAloon: One Way! Jesus’.

Youtube Video, 10:31. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofoIdmsfYY4

Owen’s own solution to blocking out the sun and inquisitve eyes is perhaps the most memorable at Sirius, but is not unique on the western facade.

This collage clearly shows many other apartments at a similar level to the neighbouring motorway have covered up their windows.

The contents of apartments where screens or interventions haven’t been used are also clearly visible.

Cahill Expressway Parapet Height

The contents of apartments where screens or interventions haven’t been used are also clearly visible.

Living Room

Kitchen

The close study of McAloon’s apartment also revealed how McAloon used - or was forced to use - his apartment space.

Bathroom Bedroom In the apartment, only one small built in wardrobe is provided as a storage option, and only takes up around 3% of the total floor area of the apartment

Plan of Apartment as Designed

Office.

Bed.

K.

A section through the designated kitchen and living room spaces reveals the presence of no living room furniture per se, yet shows a bed, desk, and bookcase present.

Section of Apartment as inhabited

Office.

Bed.

K.

Bath.

Storage.

Plan of Apartment as inhabited

O W E N M c A L O O N F L AT S T U D Y

McAloon’s flat ends up functioning less like a 1 bedroom flat and more like a studio, with the living room containing both the bed, a study area and storage boxes and shelves, while the bedroom is solely used for the storage of clothes and McAloon’s possessions.

McAloon standing opposite his apartment.

BVN renders of the proposed development at Sirius

Comparing renders of the proposed BVN project to the existing building reveals that McAloon’s apartment sits below what will be an entirely new addition to the building that forms part of a future 3 Bedroom apartment.

The section clearly shows that the issue of privacy and excessive solar gains from the afternoon sun have not been dealt with, and may be amplified by the decision to raise the overall ceiling height and in extension, the height of west-facing apertures.

Master Bedroom

Office. Bed.

Terrace

K.

Further, the drawings also illustrate the sheer difference in size between both apartments, with the entire footprint of McAloon’s apartment given over to a master bedroom with ensuite.

K.

Master Bed.

WIR.

Terrace

Storage spaces shaded in red

McAloon’s Apartment

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Bath.

BVN Scheme Proposed 3-Bed Apartment

Living.

Kitchen

Storage.

Pantry

Bath.

Balcony

Office. Bed.

Dining.

One benefit of the BVN scheme is that the amount of space allocated for storage within the apartment is 7% of the total floor area, more than twice the amount allocated in the existing single bed apartment which sits at 3%.

En.

Bed.

En.

Bed.

amenities

as described by Owen McAloon

Ability to communicate and interact with the exterior world

“The sign is my way of saying thank you,” he says. “I believe that God put me here in this apartment. In return I wanted to pass on his message in some way.

“It was really designed to be just a talking point for anyone who sees it. To get them thinking: ‘What does that mean?’ ” - McAloon in Brewster, Anthony. 2014. “The Man Behind the Most Famous Sign Seen from Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.” The Guardian, May 8, 2014.

our own translations and additional observations

1 - McAloon’s intervention indicates a desire for a communication with the world outside.

His intervention allows for the vitality of interior life of the building to be registered from without, playfully working against the “milk crate” facade condition of the prefab panels, which can be read as being ‘egalitarian’ and ‘anonymous.’

2 - The intervention however is a practical one, born of the need to block out the harsh western sun in the warmer parts of the year, and to provide privacy for the occupant.

There is no buffer zone between the outside of the prefabricated panel and the surface of the glass, or the glazing and interior where both of these issues can be managed.

1-

3 - The apartment doesn’t provide adequate storage space, or flexibility

of use to the occupant to store possessions without losing key spaces, in this case the bedroom.

In a contemporary context, a lack of adequate space could be read as forcing an occupant to decide between comfort and belongings, a choice that shouldn’t have to be made.

Single Aspect Only

4 - The single aspect

decreases access to Winter sun, not providing enough opportunity to close or control summer sunlight from the west.

5 - There is no private outdoor space provided 6 - Due to the single aspect, there is very poor air circulation and no prospect of cross-ventilation without opening the front door

O W E N M c A L O O N F L AT S T U D Y

4-

issues

Privacy and overheating issues caused by exposed western aspect

Issues of storage and spatial organisation due to existing space and fixtures

“When I came here, I walked in, and there’s everyone walking and crossing over the harbor bridge on the footpath as well as the traffic as well as the trains, and I thought ‘god I feel like a goldfish in a bowl!’

“When you’ve been in a place for ten years its easy to accumulate so much stuff. I always think ‘Oh well, that could come in handy’”

- McAloon in Save Our Sirius. 2017. ‘Sirius People: Owen McAloon: One Way! Jesus’. Youtube Video, 10:31.

- McAloon in Save Our Sirius. 2017. ‘Sirius People: Owen McAloon: One Way! Jesus’. Youtube Video, 10:31.

“The apartment is like an oven in summer,” McAloon says. “I’m not the type of person who is into window dressings or anything, so I decided to give the world something to look at, provide me with some privacy and also block out the sun.”

After a series of experimental failures, such as using aluminium foil to reflect the heat, McAloon eventually decided on a single white piece of fabric to display his now famous message. The addition of a newsagent’s lightbox means the hand-painted black lettering that says “One way!

Jesus” is also visible at night.

- McAloon in Brewster, Anthony. 2014. “The Man Behind the Most Famous Sign Seen from Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.” The Guardian, May 8, 2014.

Actual use of Apartment - Section and Plan

3-

Storage space = 3% of total floor area

2No cross-ventilation

No Private outdoor Space

5-

6-

In the following series of studies, our previous analysis is tested and extended through a series of hypothetical interventions to our westfacing case-study - Owen’s flat.

Five different scales of intervention were tested, each aiming to address several of Owen’s issues within the site constraints and the existing building system. Each intervention has different benefits, issues, price-tags and infrastructural value.

Central to this study is the consideration of the complexity of amenity, especially when the idosyncratic needs of an individual are taken into account. Some of Owen McAloon’s issues with his flat in Sirius would not apply to every potential inhabitant, but through understanding and exploring the specific needs of the individual in context, we hoped to better understand the Sirius building and, even more widely, the process of creating amenity for all.

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intervention to building context

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intervention to facade

INTERVENTION STUDIES

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intervention across flats

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intervention to flat

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intervention within flat

Before proposing an intervention to the surrounding context of the Sirius Building, it is necessary to first study the effects of the Cahill Expressway pedestrian walkway on the privacy of the Western Elevation.

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60m

Cahill Expressway

R Eye

tion ota

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Ma xi

In this diagram, the range of human eye rotation is diagrammed.

In order to test the range of visibility for onlookers, the maximum legibility of the ‘One Way! Jesus’ sign is diagrammed (sitting at 60m), along with the ideal distance of legibility (at 25m)

Fairly deep penetration of gaze is present within the field of vision enabled by human eye rotation.

The height of the Cahill Expressway allows for even the highest apartment to be clearly seen into.

mu m

McAloon’s Apartment

25m Eye R

ota t

ion

-3 0D e

gre

Cumberland Street

Resti es

ng Ey e

Line

- 15 Degr ees

Highest Apartment

McAloon’s Apartment

None of the view lines from the pedestrian path exceed the length of the maximum distance of sign legibility as diagrammed above, meaning that visibility into the apartments is clear.

Apartments within 0 degrees and -15 degrees of rotation (Resting human sight line) are between these red lines

S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N T O C O N T E X T

Approx. 36 Window Panels fit within this section of the field of vision

Up to 16m Intervention

An exceedingly tall and impractical device would be needed to effectively block out direct western sun in the warmest parts of the year.

Up to 6m Intervention

A screening device would need to exceed the human scale in order to provide privacy from cars on the expressway during peak hour traffic

Although being practically effective in providing privacy, sunlight is not addressed.

1.4m high intervention mounted on parapet

Further, the simplicity of the section does not properly reflect the scale of the intervention needed in plan.

Diagrammatic Section

Target Apartments Shown Red

The smaller arcs represent a radial distance from the point of observation of 42.5 metres.

l bo ym f S ees t o egr ten D Ex - 30 um n im tio ax ni M cog Re

The largest arcs represent a radial distance from the point of observation of 60 metres.

S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N T O C O N T E X T

The closest points of intersection are dashed in red

Two potential wall types are created using the two fields of vision.

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One blue wall - longer than the building in elevation - and a shorter green wall are shown here.

Target Apartments shown Red

St

Bar

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42.5m Radial Length Field of Vision Bar C ah

rier

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60m Radial length Field of Vision ssw ay

Bar

rier

When contrasted against this elevation of the Sirius Building, the immense scale of both barriers becomes more obvious.

Blue Barrier = 122 Metres in Length

Apartments within 0 degrees and resting human sight line

Green Barrier = 66 Metres in Length

In the same way that we believe that inhabitants of the Sirius building should not be judged due to their proximity to ‘valuable’ harbour views, we should not be taking those views away from other citizens in the name of a small few.

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An intervention of this type risks further alienating a public that may not be as sympathetic to the Sirius Building as ourselves.

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S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N T O F A C A D E

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S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N T O F A C A D E

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S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N T O F A C A D E

Intervention Across Flats (Variation 1) The intervention across flats aims to assess the feasibility of providing an eastern aspect to the west facing apartments. The dual aspect could provide cross ventilation, the luxury of having a view of the Sydney Opera House and a diverse experience in the apartment.

However, the merging of the apartments could be restricted by the existing drying room and garbage room. The deep 4m wide apartments will also develop lighting issues and restrict acceess for neighboring apartments.

3

current layout

drying room

garbage room

1

1

2

east-west aspect

dual aspect apartment

1) the intervention of merging the apartments would lead to demolition of communal facilities such as drying room and garbage room, which also contains risers for electrical and hydraulic components.

2) the merged apartment would block the entrance for neighboring apartments that require access from the lift lobby.

3) the 20m deep apartment result in long and narrow corridors, which could give rise to lighting and circulation issues.

extent of the merged apartment proposed corridor

S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N A C R O S S F L AT S

Intervention Across Flats (Variation 2) The intervention suggests a possibility of combining one of the east-facing bays or modules with the west-facing one bedroom apartment to provide an eastern aspect. Such intervention is relatively efficient compared to the previous arrangement. However, this will result in restricting access to the neighboring apartments from lift lobby.

In addition, merging one of the neighboring modules meant that the split level stairs of the neighboring apartment will be underused, which goes against the design intention of a split level arrangement.

current layout

2

1

east-west aspect

1

dual aspect apartment

1) merging a module or bay from the neighboring apartment could result in the underused or demolition of the split stairs. Such arrangement creates a number of single level apartments around the lift core and sacrifices the split level system.

2) the intervention would block the entrance for neighboring apartments if the layout is applied on every level. The neighboring apartment from lower levels would have to merge with other apartments in order to gain access to other communal stairs. The circulation issues of such intervention require complex replanning of the existing split level typologies.

extent of the merged apartment neighboring apartment

High level windows could let in light without sacrificing the privacy of the occupant within the flat.

However high level windows do not offer an outlook to the occupant.

A window roughly in the middle of the available northern wallspace would allow for a maximum penetration of sunlight into the apartment.

However, due to the location of the rooftop terrace adjacent to the apartment, this solution offers little privacy.

A smaller window placed closer to the western elevation of the apartment would offer greater privacy as well as an outlook to the north, though would allow in less sunlight.

A larger window placed in the same position would not allow for the same level of privacy, but would maximise solar gains and provide a greater outlook towards the north.

The window could also be sized to align horizontally with the existing western window panel aperture, to allow for a greater sense of cohesion with the existing building

S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N T O F L AT

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S. Solst ice

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Vertical Brise Soleil NORTH WINDOW - SECTION 1:100

Any northern window will need to be protected from the summer sun in order to not increase the heat gains in an apartment already featuring an unshaded west-facing window

NW Sun

An externally mounted brise soleil would still allow in winter sun whilst blocking out the worst of the summer sun.

Sun from the Northwest could be blocked by a vertical brise soleil (shaded blue) to the west of the aperture.

Issues of privacy and overlooking from the adjacent terrace into the apartment are confined to only a small part of the living room.

Rooftop Terrace

W

Living Room

OWEN MCALOON’S APARTMENT

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PLAN 1:100

Bedroom

An additional vertical brise soleil - shown red - of equal size could be mounted in order to lessen the amount of the living room exposed to overlooking, however the impact of this would be negligible.

As part of this study, the issue of high noise generated from the structural junction between the expressway and the steel superstructure of the bridge was considered.

Site of Bridge Structural Junction Approx. 74m from McAloon’s Apartment

A possible fix for this privacy issue would be a partition of the terrace, with a portion allocated for private use by the apartment dweller, with a new door installed.

Partitioning the communal terrace would privilege one apartment over others, which is undesirable.

Two thick blade walls are shown here, the red angled at 60o and the orange at 45o, both extended until they shield the window from the direct line of sight to the junction

Overall, it is uncertain that a simple wall between the window and the bridge would have any genuine effect on the level of noise within the apartment

The blades may stop any noise from directly hitting the new aperture, however they force the outlook from within to be turned further east, directly towards the communal terrace.

Mcaloon’s Apartment

Visibility into the apartment from the bridge and through the proposed window is minimal, mostly due to the window facing away from the walkway Mov the ing clos aper e ture r to th beco e apa rt min g sm ment = aller

Cum b Mov mov ing clos visib ing out er to th of ra e ap ility er nge of ture =

S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N T O F L AT

erlan d Str eet

Existing West-Facing Window - Sunset

Proposed North-Facing Window - Sunset

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S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N W I T H I N F L AT

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S T U D Y: I N T E R V E N T I O N W I T H I N F L AT

When considering Sirius, the experience of the individual residents must take precedence. By mapping out individual apartments, issues can be diagnosed, and potential appropriate solutions provided. This report has considered a range of interventions with the existing residents in mind, from minimal to more involved, that could be implemented as an alternative to the current proposal by BVN architects. These interventions aimed to work coherently within the existing systems of the Sirius building.

None are a perfect solution which addresses all issues or constraints. Each involves the sacrifice of amenity elsewhere on site, or are not applicable to the whole building. This analysis has demonstrated the complexity of Sirius, as well as the complexity of providing amenity for all despite varying needs and contextual conditions.

Through this, it has highlighted the level of consideration and analysis needed in interventions to housing, particularly on a site where public perception and discourse is so determinate of the outcomes for the individual and their dwelling. Any intervention must always help to provide a good and dignified life to its current or future occupants. We consider this vital in the face of a marketised housing system which increasingly views the dwelling as just an asset for accumulation.

real estate signage on Kent Street, Millers Point, 2021

IN CONCLUSION

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