019 [W6] ASSIGNMENT ONE

Strategy Statement:

Panel 1:

Panel 2:

Panel 3 & 4

[THOUGHTS ON ASSIGNMENT]

018 [W6] READING SUMMARIES

[STILL TO UPLOAD]

017 [W5] AUS. PRESENCE

Presence is an interesting topic to cover for this assignment. After good discussion our group has chosen a unique approach.
Australia is such a multicultural society that its hard to define what or two one particular place is, thus the notion of adapting or changing to ones environment is essential.
Almost like a chameleon the entity [parliament house] arrives at its new destination, thus its there that the presence over the local area is morphed with the structure.

This diagram was done for the final boards, yet it helps to show the ultimate vision of my entity [thus put in this post].
In this case the entity is represented by the 'slot-in' puzzle piece which is part of the mobile parliament. Here is arrives at the destination, thus immediately sets up with the local phone lines, internet... It begins to morph / change its form and shape and outputs/inputs, much similar to that of a chameleon [above image]


Chameleon like diagram:

:: THOUGHTS ON PRESENCE ::

016 [W5] AUS. INFRASTRUCTURE

What is Infrastructure? 
The basic physical and organisational structures and facilites (e.g buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society of enterprise.

[DIAGRAM OF CANBERRA CONNECTIONS TO ALL OF AUSTRALIA]

Air routes:

Roads:


















:: THOUGHTS ON AUSTRALIAN INFRASTRUCTURE ::
The effective utilisation of existing infrastructure networks shall be integrated with the new design, thus creating an  effective means of distribution for the people. Whether that be sea, air of land, or even some other means , all these issues that will need addressing in order to cover the issues of mobility concisely. The combination of these ideas, coupled with that of a shift into the future will have the architectural vehicle at the 
forefront of technology in terms of utilisation, optimisation, planning and strategy.


Why go mobile? How will it benefit the people when we live in such an establishing virtual world?
The idea of a direct democracy which was established in a previous post plays a big part in answering this question. If we intend to make this parliament a direct expression of the people then we need the capacity for people to directly vote at a place which is 'parliament' like in presence.
Plus factors such as diaster response give accreditation to the entity being mobile.

015 [W5] LECTURE & TUT NOTES

NO LECTURE TODAY

Tutorial Activity:


This was the second tutorial meeting with the newly formed team. We got straight into work sketching up ideas that would help communicate the overal vision we formed in last weeks tutorial. Ranging from infrastructure, theme integration to presence, the ideas began flow. Below are a few selected sketches:


1] Distribution of services & slot-in notion
          - Virtual plain extending from Canberra.
          - Linking local identities through technology and priority.
          - Packets from a unified Hub.
          - Distribution and integration of services into existing infrastructure.

2] Transfer of information
           - Canberra central to all states.
           - Distance, population and connections.

3] Population and services
          - Focus shift on political, infrastructure, connection and expansion.
          - Multiple layers connecting al states with population of each area shown through scale.




















4] Fragmentation at current
          - Services operate in unity.
          - Each element works with one another to achieve an integrated and flexible outcome.

5] Methods of Mobility

           Mobile | Distributed | Flexible | Virtual

          - Sketch examples showing different modes of transport.

6] Focus Shift & Distribution Network

              - Existing Canberra | Shift to that of Parliament itself

              - Australia Wide  | Effective Distribution Channels

7] By The People & Plug-In Notions

             - Integration of Services into existing

8] Presence

            - Chameleon type structure which adapts to the local township / city.

:: THOUGHTS ON GROUP WORK TO-DATE ::

014 [W4] PARLIAMENT HISTORY

In May 1911, competition kits were circulated across Australia and throughout the world, courtesy of many hundred of metre -long wooden boxes containing virtual everything a prospective entrant might need. The british embassy in Washington distributed more than 170 kits alone, and the australian high commission in long allocated even more. Some 725 kits were produced for circulation.

Each kit box contained:
A five-part set of instructions, 'information, Conditions and Particulars for guidance in the Preparation of competitive designs for the federal capital city of the commonwealth of australia' ( Invitation, Conditions, historical and introductory, requirements and [site] descriptions: a map of the preliminary contour survey of the yass-canberra area; two copies of the map of the contour survey of the actual site; a topographical map of the federal (in 1938, the Australian) capital territory, which had been established formally only months earlier, on 1 january 1911; a map of NSW; a map of south - eastern part of NSW; a geological map of the city site; a map indicating both rainfall and temperature statistics for the capital site and region; a report by the commonwealth meteorologist on climate in the yass-canberra district; and two superb cyclorama reproductions sketching 260 degrees of the cit site landscape - one drawn at what is now city hill and the other from capital hill.

Kits were dispatched to : Wellington, Ottawa, Pretoria and Cape-town, London, Paris, Berlin, Washington DC, New York and Chicago - and to the public works departments of each Australian state. They were routinely made available, as well, at the department of home affairs office in Melbourne.

A few quick stats can be found at this >> website <<

Below are a few images i have found throughout researching Canberra:

Canberra geological 1964 

Map of Canberra

Location Plan - Canberra

________________________________________________________________________________

The follow images have been compiled for investigation into existing parliament components.
I have curated a selection which i feel will help envision the ultimate details of the project.

Context image:

Parliament Front view:

Parliament Ground view:

Parliament Flag Detail:

:: THOUGHTS - PARLIAMENT HISTORY ON MOBILE THEME ::

013 [W4] AUS. POLITICAL HISTORY

The Political History of Australia is broken down into 3 main time periods:

Ancient (Pre 1788)
Australia was not always in the location and shape it is recognised today. Millions of years ago, it was part of the great land mass called Gondwanaland. Many years later the continent of Australia began to drift away from this great land mass and around the Mesozoic era, dinosaurs roamed the land. After the death of dinosaurs, mammals began to dominate and the first signs of mankind can be traced back with the "First Australians", the Aboriginal people. 

Colonisation (1788 - 1900)
At the time of colonisation of Australia, Great Britain was in need of new land to place its convicts. 

After early sightings of Australia by James Cook, it was decided that Australia would become a new British colony where convicts would be sent and used for labour in establishing the new colony. 

In 1788, the first fleet of ships landed in Botany Bay and so began the colonisation of Australia. 

Post Federation (1900 - Current)
The Post Federation period was marked by the two world wars. While science advanced the way we lived through the industrialisation of manufacturing, so too was it seen in its devastating form through never before seen weapons used in the wars. The warring periods were interspersed with the Great Depression and further armed conflicts that Australia were involved in, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. While the wars eventuated, Australia was becoming more involved with their outdoor lifestyles and the passion for sports was great.

Political history

Federal politics in Australia is based on a parliamentary democracy founded in 1901 when Federation was formed. The Australian Constitution then established a federal system of government. Under this system, powers are distributed between a national government (the Commonwealth) and the six States whilst the three Territories (the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, and Norfolk Island) have self-government arrangements. The Constitution defines the boundaries of law-making powers between the Commonwealth and the States/Territories. This is based on the Westminster System from the British.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Labour party

The Australian Labor Party is the oldest and largest political party in Australia. Its origins stem from the maritime and shearers’ strikes of 1890 that were brutally suppressed hence its name. This made many people within the trade union movement realise the limitations of industrial action and the need for political representation. As a result separate labour parties called Labour Leagues were formed in New South Wales in 1891, Victoria in 1892, Queensland in 1893, Western Australia in 1901 and Tasmania in 1903 and in federal Parliament in 1901. The first labour government held office in Queensland in 1899.

The Federal Parliamentary Labor party’s name was informally known as the Caucus and after Federation had it’s first federal meeting on 8 May 1901 at Parliament House, Melbourne. The party’s official name was adopted in 1908 and was spelt without the ‘u’ because the Australian movement felt that it had stronger ties with its American rather than British comrades.

The party is a social democratic party that tends to believe that government is generally a positive force in the community and that it is the responsibility of governments to intervene in the operation of the economy (and society in general) to improve outcomes. Its belief is that the government should ensure that all members of society receive a basic income in order to have a "decent quality of life". Labor also believes that the government should ensure that all members of society are able to access quality and affordable housing as well as education and health services. Although it is debatable whether or not these policies are still being upheld.

The Australian Labor Party is a democratic and federal party, which consists of both individual members and affiliated trade unions, who between them decide the party's policies, elect its governing bodies and choose its candidates for public office.

:: Thoughts 'ALTERING' Australia's political structure ::


We need a political system which meets the needs of the everyday australian through to the highly payed professional.
I believe we should create a direct democracy which still has representatives who draft bills
Then due to such mobile facilities we effectively allow the people to directly vote on them.

_________________________________________________________________________________

STATISTICS ABOUT AUSTRALIA

                 - Population: 20,264,082 (July 2006)

                 - Total Area: 7,686,850 square kilometres. 

                 - Birth rate: 12.14 births per 1000 population (2006)

                 - Death rate; 7.51 deaths per 1000 population (2006)

                 - Sex ratio: 0.79 males to females

                 - Life expectancy: 80.5 years

                 - Literacy: 99%

                 - Government: Federal parliamentary democracy

                 - Inflation Rate/Consumer Price Index: 3.8% (2006)

                 - Internet users: 14,663,622 (2006)

                 - Airports: 455 (2006)

012 [W4] LECTURE & TUT NOTES

Week 4 Lecture:

>Yasu was away this week thus Phil Crowther and Paul Sanders took the lecture.

Below are a few notes i took down through the lecture...

Strategic New York – Dr. Phil Crowther

The cooper union ‘New york’

- New york city zoning resolution, 1916

- New york / Amsterdam 2040 glimpses

Aspects of a society

Breathing, eating, making, moving, dwelling

Breathing:

Dredges cape: an estuary evolution

o   Title flood water

o   Sifted for gravel & road base

o   Recognizing the significance of breating space

Eating:

Infoodstructure Brooklyn WorkAC

o   Community gardens & pedestrization

o   Expanded into public st space

o   [Map takes every second third st – turned into linear farmland

o   Gray water introduction

§  what does that do to street value

Making:

            - The refinery       Solid objectives – Idenbur liu {SO-IL)

Moving:

Transport Hybrid Urban Base (HUB) Dlandstudio

o   Transport becomes a generally integrated transport model for a city

o   [Rising Sea Levels] Turn dock into significant ferry terminal – integrate trains buses/ pedestrian networks

Dwelling:

 The neward Visionary Museum

The HIGH LINE Example    

Landscape Design: James Corner – Field operations

Architects: Diller Scorfidio + Renfro

________________________________________________________________________________

Tutorial Activity:
Theme group first meeting!

                                             MOBILE 2 THEME

Formation of groups (3 people max):
                  - Josh Dallas
                  - Kieren Robinson

                            :: CAPITAL STRATEGY BRAINSTORM ::
Here we met with out tutor Jane Foster. Jane runs a successful design company on the sunshine coast thus very much looking forward to working with her.

As a group we began to discuss what we were looking to achieve for the project 1. We went through the CRA and project brief extensively, highlighting important parts for further investigation.
The tutorial was well utilized with a few main points of focus emerging throughout the session. The vision was beginning to form:

:: Not one strategy, but all ::
This looks at exploring the possibility of incorporating all of the themes [distributed, virtual & flexible] into one incredible entity.


:: Emphasis on the local ::
We seek to give the local people more of a front when it comes to parliament decisions. Macro to micro we aim to please the individual as well as the community.

:: Distributed Services ::
Australia is such a vast country that it takes an incredible amount of resources to connect all the people. The east, south, west, north and central Australia will have equal access to all services thanks to our mobile parliament design:
   - Internet
   - Telecommunications
   - Fresh water
   - Electricity


:: Current Disconnection ::
As a group we came to the conclusion that their is a current disconnection within the current government structure and its peoples [see political post]

:: Refocus identity ::

:: Nomadic parliament ::
Having the ability to go mobile gives endless possibilities for a parliament type structure. This entity will be completely self sufficient thus not relying on external help for navigation or repair. Much similar to that of the nomadic abattoirs which i covered earlier in my blog.


:: Ownership of the community ::


:: Identity, via ingrained culture ::

:: Disaster response ::
Natural disasters occur at any given time.
People rely on the stability of the government to help in times of need.
Though often is the case that help is not always given to those people / business's directly affected.
We brainstormed that our architectural entity will in some way be able to respond in rapid time to the affected area. Not only will it supply food and water but necessities like power and communication infrastructure.

:: Thoughts on vision/tutorial ::
I am happy with the direction in which our group is heading. We are working well together considering we have only been a group for such a limited amount of time. I'm eager to start producing some quality work.

011 [W3] DISTRIBUTED

Context:

The year is 3000:
            - Water levels have risen by 30m since 2011
            - Food shortage worldwide
            - Climate has increased on average by 7 degrees
            - World population is down to 1 billion
            - Water stress on 95 % of earth
Fossil Fuels have depleted

Users:

- President of Australia            52 yrs
- Wife                                      46 yrs
- Son 1                                   16  yrs
- Son 2                                     4  yrs

Current Address:

Parliament House

Canberra

Situation

Below is a diagram showing immediate concerns facing australia;
   - average temp increase
   - hunger
   - water levels

The president has just been told that a epic 1 in 200 yr. storm is about to hit what is left of Australia.

He sits through the progression of information, which his minions have established…

The family has two options of approach.
1. Stay, leading the people to an uncertain future
                  - Possible death
                  - Uncertainty
2. A scientist has recently approached you regarding a new system that maximizes resource collection and distribution whilst catering for accommodation and communication
                  - Has not been completely tested in all elements
                  - Only room for 4 people to live for prolonged period of time [wife and both son's?]

Strategies / Results

Strategy one:

Stays to battle the uncertain elements
           - Earths population dwindles after too many years of starvation
           - Lost son due to lack of healthy food
           - Wife becomes pregnant which ends up as a miscarriage and death of wife

Strategy two: 

Receives new mode of distribution which scientist proposed.
           - Changes the fate of human kind
           - Connects up with other people utilizing this system
           - Together recreates mankind as a distributed, well oiled system
Ideally reaching a stage of enlightenment:

010 [W3] VIRTUAL

[STILL TO UPLOAD]

009 [W3] MOBILE

Context:

The year is 2040:
        - Human race has just discovered the side effects of peak oil
        - Resource collection is at a standstill
        - Great depression grips 9/10 world
        - World population at 11 million
        - Water scarcity
        - Mexico has just won a major war against USA
                      - Because USA was decimated by EMP bombs sent by the Russians
        - The world is in uncertain times
        - 90% of worldwide farmland is useless due to air pollution

Users:

          Farmer John            Yr. 48

          Wife                        Yr. 52

          Son 1                      Yr. 28

          Son 2                      Yr. 18

          Son 3                      Yr. 11

          Daughter 1             Yr. 20

          Daughter 2             Yr. 12

          Daughter 3             Yr. 8

          Daughter 4             Yr. 2

Current Address:

Rural Brisbane

            - Fire Prone

            - Flood Prone

Situation:
Two options for the farmer.
    1] - Continue living where he is, tilling the land hoping for a decent harvest.
        - Times are hard. His children are hungry and he constantly has no energy to work
        - The mother has fallen sick
 
     2] - A local government official drives up to the front door of the farm. He is offering all farmers in   this area the option of government help [they have just devised a new system which links the local people to the whole of australia. Giving them a voice.
         - Government aid
         - Food & supplies
         - Medicine

Strategies / Results:


Option 1
The follow diagrams show what will happen if worst case scenario is chosen;
    No fossil fuels - People can't use automobiles anymore.
    Crime and destruction

Due to such high temperatures and humidity no farmers can grow crops;
     - Everything is rotting

Option 2 
After 6 months the government aid which was offered at a early date is well and truly underway.
The local community has benifited widely with better infrastrcutre and technology available to them.
The future looks positive.

008 [W3] FLEXIBLE

Context:

The year is 2250. Aliens are invading earth to enslave the human race.

The current super power is Korea [Korea has signed a treaty with the aliens. Exchanging the earth’s resources (people) for food.]

            World Famine

            One currency

            Fossils fuels are depleted.

Apple is the biggest company, bought out by LG, holding 30% of the current market.

World Environment:

            Average temp increased by 6%

            Corn does not grow anymore

            Sea levels have risen by 3 m in the last 4 years

            No polar Icecaps

            No more Panda

            No more Bees

            No more Tigers

            No more Elephants

            No Koalas

Users:

            An Australian Family

-       Mum [Sharon Smith age. 62]

-       Dad   [Bob Smith age. 45]

-       Child 2 [Mable age. 24]

-       Child 1 [Keith age. 16]

-       Child 3 [Dave age. 6]

-       Child 4 [Libby age. 2]

Current Address:

45 Pioneer dr,

Giraween,

Northern territory

Situation: 
Below is a diagram showing the immediate concerns facing Australia.

One world government – Based in Canberra

Aliens communicate through this entity.

The aliens have established a brief for human selection. 

The Smith family meet the criteria of this brief and have received a letter of conscription.

They have been instructed to collect their belongings and prepare for eviction.

The family has two options of approach.
1. Go underground with a nomadic resistant approach
               - Receives a modular pod to live in
               - Part of the resistance
               - Humanities only hope
2. Follow the letter of conscription
               - Certain Death

Strategies / Results

Strategy one:

            Receives live pod 

-       Communication via virtual means

-       Networking is essential

-       Mobile, virtual, distributed all means of survival


Sketch of proposed pod below:

Strategy two:

-       Communication with Aliens

-       Living under a communist regime

-       Distribution is main means of survival

007 [W3] LECTURE & TUT NOTES

Week 3 Lecture:

>Yasu has planned the unit around 3 main sections:

- Infrastructure

- Strategy

- Presence

A selection of unique examples was shown throughout the lecture focusing on aspects, which would enhance our future assignment.

These included;
                 - Next 21: Osaka, Japan
                 - Shigeru Ban : Nomadic museum, New York
                 - Red Telephone Box : Sir Giles Gilbert Scot

:: Thoughts ::

I quite like the ‘red telephone box’ example Yasu used, as the design itself is so widely known and acknowledged yet the design so basic.

Below are a few notes taken from the lecture for later perusal:

What aspect of parliament am I to re-design?

Does my new proposal need to replace all functions of the current parliament building??

            -No: need to come up with an architectural solution to replace or enhance one or more specific function the p. house currently provides.

            - Discuss with team leader

Do I need a solution for week 6?

-       Own specific strategy to deal with the rest of semester.

-       Design brief for building.

-       Very much schematic.

Support structure:

-       Things that move have to be supported by something…

-       How do these distributed functions get support for it to exist

-       Virtual – organizational structure

How users of architecture entity interact with design?

-Certain design decisions by thinking about certain scenarios

Transportation:

-       Cannot say my building moves around without showing ‘how’ it moves around.

-       How can all my entities arrive at specific spot

-       National Train line

o   Road network

o   Airplane network

o   Shipping

- Shigeru Ban: Nomadic Museum, New York

Digital Network:

-       Rely on digital network

-       Available and useful

-       Satellite network vs lan-line network

-       Provide access to people in various locations

e.g Keith Urbahn – Osama death

            -    Map digital to physical locations

Wi-Fi: creating ‘wifi’ areas [better solution needed]

Presence:

-       No one can identify what parliament is ‘actually’ doing.

-       Extremely important ‘what Australia as a nation is aiming for’. Design for this

How to give identity to architectural spaces?

-       Color and specific design repetition…

Code more defined by color

-       e.g Bernard Tschumi: Parc de la Villette

Tutorial Activity:

Formation of Groups (4 people max)

Katherine Aland

Hannah You

Steve

What issue should parliament be focusing on?

-       Disaster mitigation

-       Ageing issues

-       Water scarcity

-       Resource depletion

Good way to go about it…

What, Who, When, Where, Why, How

Think about specific story. Give a context, users, situations and strategies.

            What solutions are available?

The following 4 posts will show the results of each theme brainstorm…

006 [W2] DISTRIBUTED

The following diagrams/images highlight important research within distributed theme.
Once again this post has been split into two sections...

Mobile Mind-map:

:: Thoughts on brainstorm ::

Distributed Sketch:
The follow sketch was inspired by a thought i had within the lecture. Yasu was giving examples through class which focused on infrastructure. I remember seeing a photo similar to this sketch many years ago which connects local desert communities through a virtual progression. This distribution style allows for mini societies to dominate the desert type landscape.

005 [W2] VIRTUAL

[STILL TO UPLOAD]

004 [W2] MOBILE

The following diagrams/images highlight important research within the mobile theme.
Once again this post has been split into two sections...

Mobile mind-map:

[THOUGHTS ON BRAINSTORM]


Mobile Sketch:
The following sketch has been chosen to push the boundaries of mobile research.
These pod like structures exist in the ground, yet distributed at a rate which makes it mobile.
Not only will it re-nourish dry land, but create a homestead for humans and animals.

003 [W2] FLEXIBLE

The following diagrams/images highlight important research within each theme domain.
The theme research posts are broken into two section...

First being the tutorial tasks: Group of 4 we brainstormed up anything associated with theme.
Whilst second part is individual research of images/ sketches which will influence the coming projects.

Flexible Mind-map:
This mind map exercise was quite fun as we kept trying to come up with wacky different examples.

[THOUGHTS ON BRAINSTORM]


Flexible sketch:
The following sketch has been done as i like the way it morpths with the context whilst creating a place for someone to inhabit. Its flexible construction allows for robust use ranging from garden seating to horticulture setups.
The sketch has tried to capture its flowing simplicity in construction with much flexibility in design.