Architectural Design Studio 4 -- Coal Loader Concept Design

 

Our site, located in Waverton peninsular, was first lived by the aboriginal people, as evidences of Aboriginal stone engraving and stone arrangements were found around our site; and then been used as a coal loading place during the colonial times since the huge monumental coal loading platform and the tunnel underneath were left behind. And because of the enrichment of history in our site, I try to merge the aboriginal elements into the existing coal loading tunnels and platform which stands for its industrial background.

 

 

In my previous assignment, I did a lot of research about the aboriginal stone arrangements relating to their arts, therefore, I found that the circles where one of the most significant elements in Aboriginal art representing their meeting places, places of significance or waterhole, hence I started to develop my design based on the centric circle.

 

 

Since the circles in Aboriginal art represents meeting places or waterholes, I try to make circular meeting places (garden , external theatre, etc) and water elements on top of the coal loader platform; meanwhile, as the lines between circles represent Aboriginals’ travel, I therefore planned to think of my circulation around or between the circles this way. Then I started to think of not only the circulation around or between the circular gardens but also how spaces would be defined between or around these circular elements.

 

 

 

While thinking of defining spaces around or between the circular elements, I did research about how other famous architects deal with this and Sejima's Okurayama apartments in Tokyo became one of my most suitable biulding for precedent studys in terms of its spaces around the garden so that gardens are enclosed or semi enclosen inside of the apartment, and this makes this building significantly successful as in every space, the garden can be seen; this makes everyone living in this apartment feel like they are having their own back yard.

 

 

 

Besides, when I looked at the roads around our site, I found that the existing circulation are quite linear, all the roads are like starting from one side and ending at the other side, I think this sort of circulation should be avoid as it would not attract people; therefore, I decided to make circular circulations around the circle elements(gardens) where people have to turn from one space to another, the contrast would attract people move from one space to another.

Then when I looked at the surrounded buildings, they were also quite linear square, I decided to make my buildings curvy or organic, contrast were again made for people to have different experience.

So by considering about the circulation and the biulding forms on top of the coal loader platform, as well as utilising the consept and forms of the Okurayama apartments by Sejima, I came up with the primary shape of the building on the platform. I decided to use this space as my external art gallery with an open air theatre and the cafe because the transition between differnet circular spaces, from one circle to another, from inside to the semi out side and to the out side, from inside to the garden, from narrow space turning into the large gardens or display area, these transition between differnet zones again creats contrast and this would provide people with differnet experiences, by the wall, because of the different heights of the walls, gardens can also be directly seen from the internal or semi internal areas.

 

 

Inspired by the ancient Roman colosseum, I used the similar structure for my internal gallery space, I made this space a centric circle inside of the tunnel, by trimming off a cylinder space in the centre of the tunnel, and it creates a round enormous shape inside of the linear but narrow tunnels, therefore this contrast of narrow to spacious, linear to circular were again made, by adding stairs around the cylinder, people transiting from one space to another will explore different experience and this would again attract them to go to the next level or next space. For example, people enter into the narrow tunnel and then after a few steps walk, the round spacious internal art gallery space will emege in front of them.

All the stuff offices will be located in the existing buildings on the upper site which I am not going to demolish since some of them were heritage listed, again, I am going to use the idea of “emerge” again by building tall walls along the edges of the stuff offices therefore, people cannot see the sea but once they turn and go down a few steps, the wide ocean view will emerge in front of them and this attract them to go forward towards the tunnel and the art foundation.

Moreover, the exsting road betwwn the upper site buildings were extended to the coal loader platform for easier access for the stuffs who work in the upper site offices.

 

 

 

The perspectives showing the spaces and the garden and how the space change from narrow to wide; how spaces change from linear to curve and how spaces change from inside to the out side.