Xavier Barnett 1767908 Spreads

representation ii

stage 1 submission

xavier barnett a1767908

SITE ANALYSIS brown hill creek conservation park xavier

barnett

a1767908

topography The site is located in the lowest point of the valley in Brownhill creek, resulting in a site that is isolated from the rest of society, yet situated only 15 minutes from the Adelaide CBD. Situated 144 meters above sea level, the site is nestled between two tall hills, emphasising the tone of urban seclusion.

• location within adelaide

• location BROWNHILL CREEK

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The site on Brown hill Creek is situated on Stolen Kaurna Land. The Kaurna people had inhabited the Adelaide Plains and the Adelaide Foothills for thousands of years, until the European Settlers set foot in South Australia for the first time in 1836. The Kaurna people had used the site regularly as a space for hunting and fishing, as well as a space for camping and recreation, with up to 150 people using the site at any given time. It wasn’t until 1837 that it was settled, being used by the european colonisers as farming space, with some of these first structures still visable today, stark in contrast to the untouched beauty of part of the site itself.

SUN PATH, JUNE 22

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SUN PATH, december 22

The site has a sun path that provides excellent sunlight towards the east of the building all throughout the year. This is imperitive to the potential design, with a great potential for well lit windows in the east, particularly allowing a comfortable amount of light over the hill during the morning hours of the day. Having more windows in the east will also add to a sence of seclusion, with Brown Hill Creek Road more hidden from the eyes of an inhabitant.

URBAN

SECLUSION

selected tree on site

The site is situated on Brown hill Creek Road, past the caravan park and on the eastern side of the road. The site itself is accessable by car, however the user will have to encounter nature to properly appreciate the site of the development. In doing so, the user must brave the bush and cross the creek to the east side, which can present as a challenge during winter when the water is flowing, however this is crucial to the site itself. Brown hill creek road is accessable as a short walk from the Mitcham train station, or has access to the 171 bus route from the CBD. The site experiences temperatures that are about 1 degree less than the rest of the city, due to its low lying position, along with the valley acting as a corridor for the wind passing through. As a result, the climate is far more comfortable in Brown Hill Creek during the summer than it is for the rest of the city. The lush, evergreen vegetation of the site adds to the feeling of an Urban Oasis on site, with the feeling of comfort, literal and metophorical, continually present through this notion.

The main native flora on site consist of the River Red Gum, the South Australian Blue Gum, the Grey Box Eucalyptus and the Rough Bark Manna Gum. The ground is littered with bushes, such as the Mount Lofty Ground Berry, and the Sticky Hop Bush.

Native Raspberries are also abundant on the site, providing a good source of food for the marsupials that feed on them.

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Olive Trees line the eastern side of the open plane on site, however the Olive Tree is introduced and invasive, threatening to many of the other native flora and fauna on the site.

black winged currawong

red browed finch GREY FANTAIL

eastern brown snake

The native fauna found on the site is largely indifferent from the native wildlife for the rest of the Adelaide Plains, however due to the slightly cooler temperatures, Brown Hill Creek Conservation Park is absolutely abundant in these species, particularly as a hub for birds and birdwatchers alike. The Black Winged Currawong is a common bird here, generally referred to as a crow, due to its dark features.

The Grey Fantail is another common bird found in the canopy of the trees, abundant in population here, along with the Red Browed Finch. Less common birds consist of the Eastern Shriketit or the White-winged Triller to name two. The park is home to abundant possums and bats that enjoy the naturally growing fruit on site, along with commonly seen Kangaroos and Koalas. The Southern Brown Bandicoot is also found on site, which is notable for being nationally endangered. Brown Hill Creek however provides sanctuary for this species.

During the warmer months, the Eastern Brown Snake can be found, so bushwalkers must remain cautious of this highly venomous snake.

southern

bandicoot

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week 3: design

The tree located on site as the basis for the design has been picked due to its serene location in Brownhill Creek. Nestled on the slope down to the creek, the beholders ears comfortably bear the sound of the creek when it is flowing, and this was a consideration needed when thinking about the design of the treehouse. One of the key requirements of this is that there was enough open space outside and enough natural encouragement for the user to be spending less time in the treehouse and more time out of it.

Furthermore, a key design consideration was that there were enough windows on the treehouse to let in as much light as possible. The majority of sunlight during the day year round is from the east, meaning there would need to be large open windows on this side of the treehouse to really capture the sunlight into the house, further engulfing the user in the treehouse.

I needed the design to compliment nature and the beauty of nature, rather than overpower it.

The following are a serious of sketch concepts and digital models that are an attempt to effectively portray and manifest the key considerations listed above.

1: inital spacial idea

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concept sketches The forms that were roughly sketched attempted to embody these characteristics. The initial sketch (Left) was a truly bare bones perspective of the outlined brief, however it was important that internal spaces were still a crucial element of the design. The thought that followed on from this is an interactive space with two levels that merge into one final form. The interactivity of this space is akin to that of tree climbing, with the elevated bedroom space only accessable by a ladder that climbs up the wall.

Rather than having a staircase or space that was simply on the same level, having this ladder further engulfs the user into the design and the natural site, climbing up to not only get to the sleeping space but aim to truly be part of the canopy of the lush trees.

interior space idea generationlower room

2: cubed form sketch

interior space idea generationupper room 7

digital model of concept sk

east windows

The makeup of the tree itself primarily features a large fork about 8 meters up the main trunk.

This would provide further support and visual flow for the higher bedroom space as outlined in the sketches above. The tree used to develop the digital concept is largely similar to the tree on site with a large fork as the centrepiece of the tree.

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ketch

considerations

The conceptual digital design was created to replicate the initial ideas for a treehouse space put to paper in the sketches. The site itself is accessed from the east, with a stairway from the grass clearing to the east of the creek. Only being able to be accessed by this side forces the user to become more in touch with nature, having to work out how to safely cross the creek and the wilderness that ensues, before they can enjoy the comfort of the treehouse, emphasising the idea that the treehouse shouldn’t replace or overpower nature, it should simply compliment it.

shading device With the sunlight coming in from the east, overhead shading has been used in an effort to ensure the sunlight does not become overpowering, with the roof joists also having an impact on the sunlight that enters the building. Another impact of the joists is to ensure that the shading device only totally shades the windows when the cun is at a certain angle high in the sky.

It can be seen as well that the windows to the east of the treehouse have large windows that capture the sunlight, as well as large windows on the west, being on long continuous window that spans both levels of the design. The thought behind this is that it keeps the user more in key with nature as the windows are such a dominant feature. Having larger windows allows the user to really notice and appreciate the surrounds.

west windows 9

WEEK 6: FRAME

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SYSTEMS The stability of the treehouse is based upon a series of joists that span the underside of the structure. The joists are measured at 140x35mm, that are bolted into place.

The joists sit upon a horizontal rafter on the underside that transfers the load down onto diagonal bracing that transfers the load onto the ground. Furthermore, a metal rod spans this distance to serve as further bracing for the structure. The bracing transfers the load onto concrete foundations underground.

UNDERSIDE TIMBER RAFTER 140x35 TIMBER BRACING, 140x35

TIMBER JOIST 140x35 UNDERSIDE TIMBER RAFTER 140x35

TIMBER BRACING, 140x35 STEEL BRACING STEEL BRACE HUB

CONCRETE SLAB TO ENGINEER’S SPEC. 11

FLOORING

90x35 FLOORBOARDING

The flooring of the treehouse spans the structural base joists. This is made up of 90x35 pine wood, acting as a floating floor that adds an element of spring to the treehouse.

140x35 JOIST

TREE TRUNK The structure of the treehouse itself has no physical connection to the tree itself, rather wrapping around it and complimenting it, rather than acting as a parasite on nature. This alludes to the idea of complimenting rather than overpowering the nature in the site.

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ROOFING/CANTILEVER SYSTEM The stability of the upper level is cantilevered upon the western wall of the diagonal bracing. The bracing transfers the load to the ground, but the timber eastern wall is also loadbearing, supporting the weaight of the western third of the second level.

The timber roof rafters, measuring at 90x35mm span the ceiling distance of both levels, with a corrugated iron sheet on top of this. This minimalistic approach to roofing embraces Australiana, along with having 90mm of open air below the iron sheeting allowing air flow during summer.

A 1000mm gap between the 140x35 joists allow for users to climb up an inbuilt ladder up to the upper level of the treehouse. The ladder is made up 300x30 planks that are recessed into the wall with timber cabinetry allowing for this.

CEILING RAFTER 90x35 TIMBER JOIST 140x35

STAIRS/LADDER

TIMBER BRACING, 140x35

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