CONNECTING THROUGH
KINETICS WYNDHAM CITY GATEWAY PROJECT, 2012
VICTOR WONG. JESSICA ZHANG. TRACEY NGUYEN
“Architects play a lot with transparency, translucency and reflectivity but here’s something that does all the same things but the atmosphere makes the decision” Ned Kahn, 2010 ‘Connecting through Kinetics’ is a Wyndham City Gateway project aiming to reconnect residents and people travelling through Wyndham with the site. Heavily influenced by artists and designers such as Ned Kahn, Ruben Margoln and Janet Echelman, the project uses motion and dynamic objects to generate interest. This project aims to use Wind as an important changing variable and uses its power to generate different geometrical shapes and effects. The users of the site, bound in the seats of their cars, sit through the experience of this invisible phenomenon becoming visible through the movement of spinning turbines.
Although many of the precedents work without the use of computation, this sculpture uses Rhino3D with the plug in Grasshopper to further enhance and simulate the effect and execution of this proposal. These turbines are massed on site and distributed according to their function. For example, the topography determines the span and height of these turbines to utilize the maximum catchment of wind. Simple rules determine the spread of these turbines. The project further advanced the interaction between people and site, this is depicted through the moving vehicles and the design of the wind turbines. To achieve such a connection the turbines close to the roads harnesses energy through the air movement left behind by the passing vehicles. Its ability to activate the site on human contact as well as responding to the site’s environment (wind condition) proves that gateway designs ought to consider social and environmental demands on top of being aesthetically pleasing.
INSPIRATION FOR WIND TURBINE: WIND TURBINE, PIN WHEEL AND RAAF PLANES
CONCEPT DIAGRAM
RECONNECTION
MOTION OF VEHICLES vs MOTION OF DESIGN
SITE PLAN 1:2000
LOCAL INTERACTION CAR INFLUENCING WIND
DISTANCE FROM THE MODEL TO OBSERVE: INFLUENCE OF LOCAL WIND CONDITION
MATERIAL OF TURBINE recycled plastic with tinted polycrylic for gloss
TOP VIEW
PRESPECTIVE 0.2m
VIEWING THE INTERACTION OF OTHERS
PROGRAM: INTERACTION OF AN INBOUND CAR
1.6m 0.1m
0.7m
Tower
TOP VIEW DISTRIBUTION OF SIZES: RELATIVE TO CONTOURS (HEIGHT)
TURBINE ROTATING DETAIL
BLADE CONSTRUCTION
Gear Box
Generator. Power goes back into grid and helps power onsite lights
road
CARPARK
walkway
WIND TURBINES OBSERVATORY
WALL framing view & channeling wind
10mph 10mph 20mph
CHANNELING WIND
OBSERVATORY - PERSPECTIVE ELEVATION