Week 15 - Presentation

Today was presentation day and i was not very well prepared in terms of my drawings. They were of sub standard and i was quite embarrassed by them. however considering the circumstances i am proud of what i managed to do in such a short time period. looking back on this semester i have learnt a lot of lessons

Week 14 - Progress

Here are some shots of my model development. I am quite satisfied with this component of my design however i am not left with much time now to produce the drawings and as such i think they will suffer greatly.

Week 13 disaster

I have been working on a revit file for the past 2 weeks, however 3 days ago i lost the file and was not able to retrieve it. I had invested a lot of time into doing so. this has been the first year i was planning on making a digital submission as in previous years i usually hand draw and make models of all my designs. this has taken a huge toll on my expected outcomes i am now under a lot of pressure to produce something in a short period of time.

Week 12 - Model making

These are some sketch models i made to help me develop my design one of the communal area at 1:200 and the other of a living quarter at 1:50

Week 11 - Public and private/ navigation

Navigation through the spaces is crucial to how one experiences design and the image below id my attempt at creating a cohesive environment for people to travel in and around the site. The main mode of transport will be walking, thus it is important to locate elements close together for convenience. I have somewhat ditched the tree house idea due to the comments i was given by my tutor, however i did feel strongly about the importance of being able to be in a place of solitude and among nature. so i decided that there will be pathways leading off the residential area up the hill side to little platforms elevated in the trees where people can retreat and contemplate, perform yoga, meditate, write etc.The views down onto the valley from here will also put things in perspective for them and hopefully instill a feeling of comfort and ease.

source: australia.shopsafe.com.au -

Week 11 - Development

The next step in my design process is to combine my adjacency diagram with my site knowledge and this is these images show the development of that. during this process i really began to be able to imagine my facility in this location in an effective way. this was done at a scale of 1:500 and then broken into smaller sections of 1:200. doing this at a large scale was important for me to envisage the built form at a human scale.

Week 11 - Adjacency

The next step for me in my design process is to figure out the adjacencies between the important functions of the facility. i have done this by a table and diagram which are both very useful tools in determining the design of the buildings. 

week 10 - Site understanding

Not being able to visit the site has actually been quite inhibiting due to the fact that i have no tangible experiences from the site and am finding it difficult to know where i am designing for. however i am trying to do the best i can to piece together the small bits of information i can get which are shown below:

Week 10 - Location

i have chosen to place my proposal in the GRAND CANYON,mainly because of its proximity to other areas within my master plan. It is strategically placed close to the main cultural hub however it is also isolated by the natural topography of the landscape.Having only one small entrance to the canyon makes it an oasis where people can feel safe, secure and sheltered, yet if they want to connect then it is just a short walk to the center of town. to understand the site more i made a topography model:

Week 09 - Events

The three main types of events will be:

1. rejuvenation
2. education
3. creativity

These all need to work together well to be an effective design. The way i will approach this is to aim to create a place which fosters growth and repair through creativity. In other words creativity is the common link between rejuvenation and education. 

Rejuvenation will include things like:

• juice fasting
• vegan food
• meditation
• yoga
• contemplation
• isolation
• therapy
• creative expression

Education will include things like:

• tutorials on mastery in creative arts
• introductory lessons on craftsmanship
• permaculture lectures
• cooking classes
• yoga and meditation mastery
• personal growth
• spiritual growth

Week 09 - Scale and logistics

From our master plan we decided that there will be 800 permanent residents and 200 visitors on site at anyone time. I estimated with accommodation in the cultural center as well my facility would need to cope with about 20 guests needing accommodation and about 50 guests coming through during the day.

My plan is that the people from the permanent community will build and operate the facility. therefore building techniques will need to be somewhat basic and easy to erect as the amount of skilled labor will be limited. The facility should include some offices for the staff which help run the operation on a day to day basis, however all staff will live in the main part of town. transportation around the facility and between locations will be by electric golf carts because of they are sustainable and also cheap.

Meals of the visitors will be shared and produced by staff members, however it will be an open kitchen in that the visitors will be able to come and help or just watch as meals are prepared so that they can learn some of the cooking skills.

Week 08 - Idea refinement

following my consultation with my tutor about the tree house idea. i have revised and considered what the essence of that idea really was and how i could maybe achieve the same thing with a different approach. The broad approach was to rejuvenate creative people so i decided instead i could approach it like a rejuvenation sanctuary with accommodation shared facilities and access to the tree tops but no accommodation in the trees.

i then listed down the general requirements a place like this would need:

Week 08 - Idea Development

After i talked to my tutor murray about my idea for a tree house he seemed hesitant to be positive about it. His concerns were that it was not the right area for a tree house and that structually it was too difficult to build. However i have done some extensive research and found sustainable techniques of construction which do not harm the trees lifespan, it is called a garnier limb:
source: harrisontreehouse.wordpress.com -


And i found many example of great tree houses which served as inspiration for my final design:

 source: www.woman.com.au  

source: www.dailymail.co.uk -

Week 08 - master planning

We as a group split up how we would do the master planning and it was my role to develop a background story and general ethos for the community. Here is what i produced:

BACKGROUND:

The Woodfordian community site, was formerly the site for the once a year folk music festival where city slickers could escape their mundane daily grind and experience a rich and diverse cultural exchange. Today it has become a continuous year round festival with an average of 200 visitors at any one time, whom all contribute to a perpetual creative arts exchange.  This economic activity supports 800 residents to live a self sufficient life-style on site permanently. 

The Woodfordia community began when a group of 20 people decided to become custodians of the land by running, maintaining and developing the festival from the site. In the first year they began building homes and stages, growing food and harvesting rain water. That year the festival was a great success and as a result a lot of festival attendees also decided to live there permanently. Many of these new residents made the sea change due to the peak oil crisis which made city living uncomfortable due to increased costs of living. 

To cope with the sharp incline of population a master plan and strategies for future development were developed. These were developed using two key principles, which were:

1.      Permaculture

·        Passive design

·        Renewable energies

·        Local materials

2.      Indeterminacy

·        Lightweight structures

·        Ability to facilitate growth

These proved to be successful guidelines for development as the community culture and creative arts program both flourished, and they were getting closer to their self-sufficiency targets. Despite some negative views from some social factions the community has become a catalyst for permaculture and sustainable living worldwide.

ETHOS:

·        We recognise, appreciate and graciously receive gifts from our ancestors

·        We aim to gift future generations a clean slate, free from financial or social debt

·        We’ll cultivate a convention of decision making, strengthening through time

·        We’ll plant a forest of goodwill and benefit from its shade

·        We will build with the eyes of artists

·        We’ll provide space for our descendants to meet the challenges of their generation with vigour, courage and imagination and encourage them to celebrate their journeys

·        We respect the natural environment and all living things, which is why we adopt the “permaculture’ principles

·        We believe the Woodfordia site is an extension of our very selves

·        We follow principles of indeterminacy in the way we build, communicate and live

·        We believe in eating a vegan diet to reduce our impact on this earth and also maximise our health

·        We use the creative arts as a fundamental base for  cultural exchange and a means to maintain a dynamic living environment and defy stagnation

·        We aim to be a leading example to the rest of the world of how life can be harmonious, fulfilling and successful. 

aand it was henry bennets role to develop a rough master plan from which we could develop our own individual design ideas. here is what he produced:

all of the figures to figure out areas where researched and calculated by alex hipgrave and scott wilson:

Masterplan Area Schedule_
Agriculture_
1 - 1,900,000 
2 - 1,000,000  
3 - 1x50,000 
4 - 22,000 
5 - 28,000
Total - 3,000,000 

Cultural_
6 - Dining & Eating - 650
6 - Studio Space - 760
6 - Retail - 37,500

7 - Ampitheatre (Existing) - 50,000

Total - 88,910 (200,000)

Manufacturing_
8 - 30,000 (40,000)

Visitors Accomodation_
9 - Dorm - 1600
9 - Apartment - 600
9 - Private - 300
9 - Studios - 760

Total - 3,260

Permanent Accomodation_
9 - Attached - 6,000
10/11 - Detached - 37,500 (2x18,750)

Education_
12  - 300 (10,000)
Existing Camping_
13 - 24,500

Week 7 - visitor scenario

This is a possible scenario of a tired artist trying to develop some new material:

To break out of my writers block i decided i needed to take a trip away from everything for a while. i want a place where i can not be distracted and have a chance to be by myself and with nature so i booked a trip to the woodfordia tree house sanctuary.

I drove my car there into the main car park, where i was greeted by one of the hosts and he drove me in the golf cart through the small village that is now woodfordia. There was lots going on market stalls, kids learning, farmers, resting, people, eating the little community they had created was buzzing. After i had a quick look around we drove up into what is named the grand canyon, which is sort of this natural escape due the surrounding topography there is one valley surrounded by three encompassing hills, immediatley i felt like i had left the buzz and entered a serene space. I was dropped off at the top of the road and then had the small walk up the hill to my very own tree house where dive even deeper into myself.

when i arrived at the tree house it had everything i needed even though it was a very small space. the views from up there were amazing and i could really get a different perspective on the valley and my life, almost a birds eye view as if i could view things from a distance now. i spent a few days just trying to unwind and not even trying to write sort of just preparing my body mentally and physically. So i had lots of time for bush walks, wanderign around town, eating healthy from the local stores plus some of my own creations. and over the next week i had many breakthroughs with my creativity due to the fact that there are so many other creative people here and seeing past creations and feeling the creative energy from the place itself really helped.

Week 07 - Opportunities

As we are developing our master plan it is becoming increasingly obvious that it takes many integral facets to make a sustainable community. We have assumed that in 15 years the community living at Woodfordia (800 people with 200 visitors at any one time) are aiming for self sufficiency but are not yet at that goal. The community grows enough food to supplement their vegan diet however there is not enough to sell to the public for a profit. And being that they are not fully self sufficient yet they must still purchase or trade for the items which cannot be made on site. Therefore I think my building proposal should have a strong emphasis on generating an income for the community. Without an extra source of money this narrative is not feasible.

there are a many ways to generate an income but it is important for it to not take away from the heart and soul of woodfordia which is all about expressing creativity, escaping city realities, relaxing, etc. if anything the proposed development must add to this character, so these are my possible opportunities to do so:

1. tree house retreats, focusing on an artist getaway where people can come to be creative among like minded people and nature.
2. health retreat focusing on juice fasting and vegan dieting.
3. learning center for people to learn how to live sustainably 

Week 07 - Reflection and initial thoughts

The project 1 went very well and i think we have constructed a great future scenario with many possibilities for architectural intervention. Because we have worked so well as a group we have decided to continue doing so for the first part of project two as well to create a master plan. then we will continue our individual work.

My first thoughts are that i would like to take on one of the following opportunities:

• educational facility
• accommodation for the residents
• accommodation for the visitors

As i identified in my project 1 poster i think it could be interesting trying to utilize the steep terrain of the site as this would allow the flatter land to remain somewhat vacant and open for temporary development during peak festival times.