Week 2 - Concept Design

Concept
Learning through adaption.

CYCLIST FAILS TO ADAPT TO THE CHANGING ROAD SURFACE. HE LEARNT.

Group 35 decided to define 'learning' as an adaptive process. Through adaption we learn, therefore the folie design should challenge the users to adapt and therefore learn about their physical surrounds. People adapt to their surroundings everyday, most of the time subconsciously. But bringing adaption to the forefront of someones mind, by forcing them to adapt to unusual surroundings will make this concept strong.

A USER IN A SPACE, HAVING TO ADAPT.

We started with the idea of having walls that are not straight. Moving from open space to having walls either side of you that are tilted would become quite disorienting. Adapting to this would be a conscious effort. 

DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH A USERS NEEDS TO ADAPT TO CHANGING SPACES.

Context


The wharves site is a particularly challenging site. In response to the site team 35 has set some parameters to how the folie should behave.
The folie should:
    - Not compete or take away from the aesthetic of the story bridge.
    - Keep a low(ish) profile to make the form more personal. (the maximum height of 5m, would still be insignificant next to the bridge and cliff.)
    - Give space to the Heritage buildings on the site, and utilise some of the vast free space on the site.
    - Be positioned where the folie will have a large amount of visual contact to people passing the site, but not entering. 

FLYOVER OF THE HOWARD SMITH WHARVES SITE

Function.


The concept has described that group 35 wants the folie to make people adapt and use the space in a number of ways, depending on how they see it. To do this the elements the folie is made up of, need to be visually nondescript. That way, the user may see a physical folie element positioned at roughly horizontal as some sort of seating, or a bench, of a shade structure.


This nondescript nature should program the space with multiple programs. As Bure says in the reading 'Paris / La Villette' describing Tschumi's vision for the folies, "they resisted a precise architectural meaning and, instead, implied multiple meanings". The Howard Smith Wharves folie by Group 35 aims to replicate a similar functional paradigm as Tschumi's redevelopment of La Villette.


Tectonic


At this stage of the design process little thought has gone into the specific materials of the structure. 


The primary goal tectonically is to not take away from the site as much as possible. The site has a wonderful rawness that we seek to compound through the use of non processed materials. 


Materials such as Cor-ten steel, sandstone and other naturals stone, and weathered wood are all being considered for the design proposal.

1. COR-TEN STEEL, 2. WEATHERED WOOD, 3. SANDSTONE BLOCKS, 4. VARIOUS STONE USE.

Experience


The folie is meant to be experienced with a slight amount of wonder at first, but then the user will eventually create a program specific to themselves.