Project Stage The project designs a flexible stage capable of staging and hosting various types of philosophical and political debates and entertainment events throughout the year at Melbourne’s University Square.
Xeyiing Ng 596296 ENVS10004 Designing Envs
Issues & Opportunities 1. The design stages performances of various natures. How can the design adapt flexibly and efficiently to the different requirements of the performances in terms of its’ form and users’ experience?
2. The qualities of the site resembles very much its’ surrounding, the university, which in many ways contradict the qualities of performances. Without altering the qualities of the site, how can the design enhance the experience of the audience at the site?
3. The site serves as an important commuting ground to many; however they rarely interact with the site despite their daily usage. How can the design attract the commuters to pause and experience the site without obstructing the commuting functions of the site?
Design Agenda The design will investigate the relationship between linear geometries and performances by creating a series of typologies that each creates a different audience versus performance experience.
Context
Project Stage
Refining Connections
Functional
Connections
Elements
Connecting individual elements to give rise to a grand system.
Bottom-Up Organisation
Functional Elements #1 Prominence The height of the stage will determine the performer(s)’ visible crowd size and vice versa. The greater the visible crowd size, the more prominent the performer(s).
High
Low
#2 Interactions The interaction between the performer(s) and the audience is determined by the distance in between. The shorter the distance, the greater the intimacy.
Observatory distance with a view of the ‘bigger picture’.
Very Far
Group interaction distance.
Personal interaction distance.
Very Near
#3 Activity Spaces Different performance nature requires different platform sizes. It should neither be in excess or insufficient.
#4 Boundaries Boundaries are passive elements that direct attention to the performance and exerts crowd control.
Basic platform
‘Active’ performance
Solo performance Bounded space Group performance
Context Elements #5 Vehicle Traffic
#7 Seclusion
During peak hours, the site is surrounded by heavy traffic. Areas closer to the street and unscreened by trees are highly affected by the noise.
Performance screened from direct eyes provides privacy and provokes curiosity.
B
Audience
A
Zone 1 Noisy and Inactive
A
Zone 3 Noisy and active.
Zone 2 Quiet with minimum activity.
#6 Human Traffic Provoking the curiosity of commuters, the design should attract commuters to the stage but should not obstruct the commuting flow.
B
#8 Space Creating
#9 Topography The stage down the slope accomodates a larger audience with a good view of the performance.
#10 Background Non-distracting and neutral background to prevent distraction.
View A
#11 Sunlight The play between light and shadows can enhance or decrease the quality of performances.
#12 Views
Views of audience and performer(s) should not be obstructed by others and/or structures.
View B
Connections on Paper
Stage Typology
Performance Platform Viewpoint
The height provides landscape views of the Melbourne CBD skyline and the main entrance of the University of Melbourne.
Perfomer(s) Audience View
X
View of the audience at the back are not obstructed by people or tall structures at the front.
X
Landscape Center of attention
Extended parts of the design trace back and intersect at this end, forming the center of attention of the stage.
Separated yet interactive platforms designed specifically for debates.
Connections of Paper - Prototypes Making Ground Connections Connections from the platforms to the ground were added to connect the audience with the performance and to provide structural supports for the stage. Scale Testing The stage was tested against the human size in terms of the platforms’ accessibility and crowd size. The Big Picture Platforms with different sizes and connections were joined together to test the proportion of the stage as a whole.
Refining Connections Hierarchical Staging
“Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity...� - Hunter S. Thompson
Very Superior
Least Superior
Adaptable Hosting - Defined Space
Small Crowd
Adaptable Hosting - Continuous Space Due to the stage flow and slope position, audience’s movement – entrancing and exiting can occur without disrupting the performances. The stage structure also enable multiple visual aids to accommodate a huge crowd.
Visibility
Interactive
Flexible Staging - Recreational Space
Flexible Staging - The Nightlife
NORTH ELEVATION
View from the bottom of the side, SouthNorth, is obstructed to encourage audience to optimise the view down the slope, the North-South view. .
Backstage entrance and platform.
Audience
Zone 2 Quiet with minimum activity.
N
Relative Human Traffic
Audience
Zone 3 Noisy and active. 1mm : 750m
Site Plan
Zone 1 Noisy and Inactive
N
Floor Plan
Y X
X
Y Increasing crowd size
1mm : 200m
Section 8505
Section X-X
Section Y-Y
Elevation
43200 South Elevation 40400 West Elevation
1mm : 200m All measurements are in mm.