THE URBAN INFILL
Transit Oriented Community Center, Parramatta
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“In the long run, Sydney would have to depend less on fossil-fueled vehicles.” SYDNEY is experiencing an urban sprawl crisis. Like many American counterparts, the city experienced a surge of growth in the 1950’s til the 1970’s when personal automobiles became an affordable means of travel. Suburbia sprawls about 50kms out of the CBD, accomodating thousands of low density apartment blocks and single-family dwellings.
BUS TERMINAL CHURCH URBAN PLAZA TOWN HALL
Such sprawls require long travel distances, resulting in immense greenhouse gas emissions. In the long run, Sydney would have to depend less on fossil-fueled vehicles. This calls for buildings to be more transitorientated as inhabitants start to use electric public transport more.
“The train tracks cut across this fabric, manifesting in a“wall”that separates that plaza from the behemoth Westfield mall.”
It also calls for higher densities, especially in regional hubs. Social sustainability is an agenda little addressed, but still remains important, as society needs to be able to coincide in higher densities, which means sacrificing the luxury of space wastage, as suburbia has spoilt us with.
TRAIN STATION
WESTFIELD MALL
“Such sprawls require long travel distances, resulting in immense greenhouse gas emissions.”
“The idea is to open up those walls, and enble the linkage between theWestfield mall and the urban plaza on the other side.”
“... building on new land would only worsen the situation.”
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WIND GENERATED FROM TRAIN MOVEMENTS’ VORTEXES
THE SYSTEMS
LOW PRESSURE AT INTAKE NOZZLE CAUSES FRESH AIR TO FLOW IN
WIND TURBINE SPINS TO EXTRACT RETURN AIR
VENTS AT CEILINGS COLLECT RETURN AIR
AIR WELLS Because the building is mostly underground, it is imperative that natural light finds its way down. Airwells encourage air exchange, similar to the internal courtyards of traditional Malaccan houses in Malaysia. Since this airwell is shaded, the air remains cool. And since traffic is mostly active in this area, there is guaranteed airflow in and out of the airwell.
GREEN FEATURES of buildings today are highly componentised, making green buildings seem like an assemblage of green building systems or components. There is little architectural articulation from which one can appreciate the spaces that the building creates.
The bottom of the airwells are green zones, complete with courtyard plants to fascilitate visual stimulation for the spaces beneath.
This proposal takes advantage of its site and context to achieve both architectural articulation of spaces and its green targets.
The timber used for flooring, especially for the audiotrium could come from the nearest native Australian hardwood forest, as outlined by Forests NSW. Harvesting and replanting in native forests encourages the ecological continuity of the forest, instead of plantation forests that upset the natural ecology.
Steel used for the extensive airducting could come from recycled sources.
THERMAL ROCKBED In the summer, the ballast above absorbs heat and retains it on the roof, giving the roof a thermal efficiency similar to inhabiting a cave. In the winter, the sun's rays heat up the ballast. Water pipes can run through those rocks, exchanging heat and can be used for a fan-coil system.
Appreciated for its thermal and compressive properties, concrete is a preferred material when building underground. Since Parramatta is developing as a major regional city, there is going to be much demolition of existing buildings, and much construction waste of new buildings.
The recycling of lost or forgotten space encourages higher density and large-scale sustainability with reduced fossil-fueled transport.
“Essentially, the proposal is car-free.”
Some of the rubble could be recycled as retaining walls during the construction of this building.
Let this be the prototype for future developments; to be car-free and transit-oriented, making full use of electric and public transport infrastructure, as well as being extremely pedestrian friendly.
CAR-FREE & TRANSIT-ORIENTED Australia is the 6th largest in greenhouse gas emissions, with 27 tonnes per person, ahead of the United States with 23 tonnes per person and other developing countries such as the UAE and China.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT Since there is abundant reflected natural light, there is no real need for artificial lighting during the day, save for the locker rooms. Nevertheless, at night, these fixtures are motion-activated and use energy-saving bulbs wherever possible. NATURAL LIGHT White paint is used to reflect as much natural light as possible, without relfecting or transmitting too much heat. As for the auditorium, natural light pours in to reduce the need for artificial light. However, for presentations, roller screens can be used to block off sunlight.
WIND-VENTILATED Trains pass by this station very often, creating wind vortexes around its sides. Wind turbines harness this energy to power fans in the ventilation ducts, and creating air flow within the underground building. Fresh air is pulled in from the northern edge of the building as there is less traffic there, and return air is exhausted on the south where buses frequent the roads from a bus terminal further west.
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THE DRAWINGS TRACK LEVEL TO BUS TERMINAL GYM ENTRANCE CAFE
CAFE & COURTYARD
STREET
STREET ENTRANCE
FOYER
GYM LEVEL 1 ADMIN AUDITORIUM
B1
CLASSROOM 1
TOILETS LIBRARY LEVEL 1
STAGE
AUDITORIUM LOCKER ROOMS
GYM LEVEL 2
B2 BASKETBALL COURTS
CLASSROOM 2
LOCKER ROOMS
B3
LIBRARY LEVEL 2
BASKETBALL COURT
TO TRAIN STATION
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