PROJECT ONE: INDIVIDUAL STATEMENT

OUR PADDINGTON

“Supporting each other through knowledge”

Our future scenario has been communicated through a carefully planned timeline. The timeline runs from 2010 until 2110, it runs parallel to a specific resident we have focused on. The timeline begins with the negative impact that online shopping has on “bricks and mortar” businesses. As a result food prices soar and people begin to grow their own produce, in effect causing the Paddington store to close. This occurrence caused the community to come to together to create a solution which initially begins with a community market arrangement.

Sustainable future then comes into effect with a NFP organization established by residents, consisting of the shared ownership of Paddington Central. Residents have the opportunity to each buy a share in the property to ensure ownership belongs within the community as a whole. Retail spaces then no longer need to be centralized, a diverse range of professions and trades of residents are established in a home business set up in order to service the community. This leads to changes within the community dynamics. Elder generations remain within the community and adopt roles such as mentors. Families also want to stay within the community, and multi- generational family homes are established with exchangeable floors and rooms that can be circulated within the community to cater for different housing needs at different stages of residents lives.

This runs alongside our individual resident. Jaques is born and raised in his family home in Paddington. His education commences at Petrie Terrace State School, and continues on until his Architectural studies at QUT. He feels compelled to travel during this university years, but soon returns to his place of origin again in Paddington. Three years after he meets his wife, they are married and purchase a family home within Paddington to start a family. Overtime he experiences changes in his family dynamic with his elderly family moving into his home, as does he when he is older and needs to rely on the support of his own children. Due to the unique social changes occurring in Paddington by 2080 he is respected in his mature years and his knowledge valued by the community. Jacques eventually passes away, but his life experience and knowledge remains within the Paddington community.

Based on this model we have established certain architectural possibilities. With Paddington Central now belonging to the community, it is transformed into Multi- Generational Homes. Housing becomes flexible with the idea of living pods being exchangeable according to the needs and family dynamics of the time. Nothing is packed when a move occurs. The whole house/pod is moved to integrate to another when the older generations wish to link their homes with their adult children for support in their mature years. The retail spaces are moved to the residential sectors and the amount of home businesses increase. A community center is constructed in the core of the community. The elderly live near the community center so they can interact with the younger residents and share their valued knowledge with the later generations. 

WEEK SIX INTERM PRESENTATION: FUTURE SCENARIO AND ARCHITECTURAL OPPORTUNITIES

WEEK SIX INTERM PRESENTATION: PANELS

WEEK SIX PROJECT DEVELOPMENT: ARCHITECTURAL POSSIBLITIES

WEEK SIX PROJECT DEVELOPMENT: TIMELINE

Green Text = Sustainable Future

Red Text = Future Visions and Scenarios

·         2010: Online shopping begins to impact on bricks and mortar businesses

·         2015: Petrol prices hit $5 per liter (www.csiro.au/files/files/plm4.pdf)

·         Food prices sour and people begin to grow their own

·         Woolworths starts rationalizing stores- changing model to increase online distribution

·         Series of short-term tenancies- books, furniture etc.

·         Paddington store closes

·         2020: Many of the smaller shops also close

·         Paddington central falls into ‘teraine rague’ state

·         Sits in this state for 5 years

·         2025: Local residents establish community markets

·         2035: NFP Corp. established by residents

o   Property purchased jointly by Paddington residents in same system per property

o   3600 properties

o   $20 000 000 purchase price of Paddington Central

o   $6 000 average share buy in

o   Deed stays with house (Price added to house price)

o   Board developed per town center

·         2040: Retail spaces no longer need to be centeralised, diverse range of professions and trades of residents

·         Allow them to set us home businesses to service community

·         2050: Found families not wanting to move out of community, multi generational family home developed with exchangeable floors

People and Lifestyles

2010: Born

2020: Education

2030: Independence

2040: Family

2050: Parent move in (parents aged 70)

2060: Mid-aged, kids leave home (parents aged 80)

2075: Retirement (parents pass away some time before)

2080: Move in with children (age 70)

2110: Pass away… dead (age 100) 

WEEK FIVE STUDIO: ARCHITECTURAL POSSIBILITIES

Building on the discussions from last week we focused on developing our scenario to be more specific. We are focusing on methods and ideas that will change society’s perceptions in order to create long-term solutions.

Miller’s Triangle and the ‘Young at Heart’

The significance of Miller’s Triangle, and how the levels connect and depend on each other.

This corresponds with our ideas as we place the ‘Young at Heart’ at the top, as they are the source of life experience and knowledge.

This knowledge is intended to be passed on to the younger generations. This is knowledge that can be lost over time, experiences of natural disasters or of war.

These individuals will become mentors for the community and will have specialized knowledge in differing areas of life.

The aging community needs to be exposed to the young community and involved in educating the younger generation so that past knowledge and life experience is not lost or wasted

The Merging of Home and Trades

Skills and knowledge will be traded along with goods

Certain homes will specialize in certain skills

As skills develop in a household we discussed the potential of having residential houses connection to the commercial family business

This idea reduces travel time/expenses and minimizes traffic congestion at peak times, while also catering for urban sprawl through a higher density of living/ working

Follows the tradition of Japanese to have business on the ground floor and living areas above

Architectural Opportunities

The idea of a home that can change in size to cater for the constant changing in occupancy throughout our outline ‘life cycle’. It was suggested that rooms are able to be added or subtracted to a house based on the users need at certain times of their life. When this home is not in use it can be shifted to another family that needs it.

Paddington Central would become a meeting/ community/ market place of knowledge and learning. I wouldn’t hold the commercial shops but instead be the source of a directory as to the location of businesses in the area.  Homes and businesses would all be situation within close proximity.

Due to parking as an issue in this area, we proposed a chairlift solution system for produce to commute in and out of Paddington. This could also cater for the circulation of pedestrians through the area.

Utilizing the Topography

We explored the concept of utilizing the topography of the area due to the location of the site (situated on a hill surrounded by a gully).

Paddington Central is stretched along a ridge rather than on a central level location

The gully would provide good fertile land to sustain some crop, able to be utilized within the community

Buildings would be constructed with the slope of the gully terrain

Nice vista of surrounding suburbs

WEEK FIVE LECTURE: STRATEGIC NEW YORK

New York City Central Park (1857-1873)

Response to population growth
Reclamation of private land (1600 residents were forcibly moved)

New York/ Amsterdam

Breathing
Eating
Making
Moving
Dwelling

It was proposed in 1990 to demolish the remainder of the High Line. Residents and Council members protested and activated to have the line converted to park.

WEEK FIVE READING: ERASING ARCHITECTURE INTO THE SYSTEM

The reading outlines the system of architecture and the relevance of mechanisms. The architecture work of Cedric Prince is explored, who is known to have an individual approach to building which involves extensive attention to detail. His work has the ability to adapt to varying applications depending on the situation.

He had the ability to design a specific type of integrated software within his building designs. I believe he took architectural design to a level beyond the obvious and typical.

The importance of learning to design for a diverse group of people is expressed (young but also old, less educated and highly educated). Design should cater for all kinds of people by accommodating to a diverse range of users.

The importance of research and design are discussed. Architecture is directly affected by the changes in the way people interpret design.

WEEK FOUR STUDIO: PEOPLE AND LIFESTYLES

Today we tried to further develop our group Scenario. We are focusing on…

The changing demographic within the suburban area of Paddington in 2025

Scenario: Changing demographic in a suburban area

Building on last week, we explored the lifespan of an individual, and common changes that occur within that lifespan.

Topics and Ideas discussed:

The meaning of home for individuals/ families/ community

The tendency for people to live in a particular area from a young age > leave that area to travel > eventually return to the same area to live out their mature years of life

Life cycle: Grow up in the family home > Stay in the family home for the duration of the education years > Move out and seek independence > move in with friends > move in as a couple > start your own family > become elderly

How should this be represented? Triangular format?

How can we change the role of the elderly in the community? They need to become more involved and more of and integrated asset to community

Changing societies perception of the elderly… changing their identity by referring to them as ‘The Wise’ or ‘The young at heart’ and not the elderly

WEEK FOUR LECTURE: PEOPLE AND LIFESTYLE

In Your Architecture Fiction:

Define Fiction > Characters, scenes and sets
Characters > Future citizens
Senses > Future Lifestyles
Your sets > your own proposed spaces
Fiction based on > Realities and facts

The aim of project one is to identify and demonstrate

Architectural Possibilities.

 

Consider the needs of users…

Shearing layers of change > Because of the different rates of change of it’s components, a building is always tearing itself apart

How can machines contribute?

Architecture as infrastructure?

How do you present ideas?

Communicating lives of people at the given location in a future context without ignoring what 

WEEK FOUR READING: POLITICS AND THE SITUATIONIST INTERNATIONAL

The reading discusses conception of architecture and its relationship to political and moral standings.

Van Eych:

Looked beyond structuralism
Influenced by patterns of human movement through a site
Sought to incorporate underlying structure
“Derive and detournement”

The modern work has an evident increase in consumption. Mass demand for productions then lies in the control of manufacturers. This leaves limited room for urban design or architecture.

Architect and Designer’s focus:

Considering all attributes of a site
Flow and movement of people
Natural elements such as sun and shade
Location

Relevance of ‘Paper Architecture’:

“Paper architecture consists of in works which are put forward as works for architecture but which are never intended to be built and indeed in most cases they could not be build”

WEEK THREE LECTURE: HOW TO MEASURE SUSTAINABILITY

Principles:

- Connection to earth (land and food production)

- Architecture provides shelter, communion, learning, love, sharing, quest, connection, safety, comfort, security, and insight

- Selfish Architecture: Reasons without sufficient universal appeal

Generous Architecture: Bases on universal principles and well- reasoned context

WEEK THREE STUDIO: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

To maintain a sustainable future what do we need?

Frame work:

- Human needs

- Security and safety

- Sense of belonging to a community

- Self esteem

The group discussed a range of topics. We found that the topic of ‘Sustainable Future’ lead us to all sorts of avenues for further discussion. Although we found ourselves often getting off the direct topic, I felt the in depth discussion lead us to maintain a deeper understanding of the concepts. We seemed to be verbally exploring all avenues of possibilities

Topics we explored:

Time: Individual and family life span patterns

-Single (Child & Adolescent) > couple (Young Adult) > families (Mature Adult) > Elderly

- An individual is born into a family, they grow up, they move out, they travel, they couple, they start a family… this pattern is a cycle

Changing in Demographics > The Aging Population:

The elderly population is growing and will continue to grow in the future
Elderly people are becoming isolated from the community
They are physically moved away from the community and into retirement/ elderly homes

Society Expectations:

People are choosing to have children later on in life, it is considered more and more socially unacceptable to have children young when this is that age which nature intends us to reproduce

Are having children later in life unnatural? Are we changing the laws of nature? With advancements in technology? Why are we doing this?

Society Separation and Location:

It seems that certain demographics are separating due to demographics

Young adults with children that have less financial means live in one suburb, while mature adults with children that have higher financial means live in another suburb

The Integration of Technology:

A prediction that technology will become more integrated in the future. Connections between phones, computers, printers etc. will become more simplified.

How will we cater for changes in density? Things to consider…

Access in and around the CBD
Owning vs. Renting Homes
Growing Population
How can we make this sustainable?

WEEK THREE READING: SHEARING LAYERS

Shearing Layers

The reading discusses architecture on a professional and commercial basis. A comparison is drawn regarding how architecture is pervieced and advertised in the real world through the media. I agree with the notion discussed that suggests the design process should taking into consideration present and future impacts to occupants and users, and that designing buildings that are adaptable to changing social norms of society is essential.

Frank Duffy (theorist in change rate of buildings) suggests that a building is not just one entity but is made up of four components.

Shell- The structure
Services- cabling, plumbing, air conditioning
Scenery- layouts of partitions, ceilings
Set- Shifting of furniture by occupants
“The unit of analysis for us isn’t the building, it’s the use of the building through time. Time is the essence of the real design problem”
Six categories to allow us to look at a building in the simplest forms:

Site

Structure

Skin

Services

Space Plan

Stuff

WEEK TWO STUDIO: FUTURE VISIONS AND SCENARIOS

Future Scenarios:

Robots of Brixton (2011)

Won RIBA student prize
Not traditional archi project
Heavily scenario based
Looks like iRobot design and industrial influences

Movies for Inspiration

Fifth Element (2012)
iRobot
Bicentennial Man
I am Legend

“History repeats itself…”

Island Paradise > Seen as a place of refuge and safety

Urban Theme:

Car free environment
Congestion charge
Massive investment in public transport
Investment in bicycle/ self sustaining transport

Suburban Theme:

Paddington
Change in Retail
Display only
‘New business model’

Regional Theme:

Woodford Folk Festival
Self-sufficient community. Managed and run sole sufficiently
"Needs to become centre of something”
Open source ecology

Virtual Theme:

Where to start for scenarios
Age of population > aging baby boomers
Baby bonus is a fail
Find data
Find possible crisis’s
Cashless society?

WEEK TWO LECTURE: FUTURE VISIONS AND SCENARIOS

How to create Architecture Fiction?

We are asked to design an architectural entity that provides critical scenes and successfully demonstrates that it responds well to your future scenario.

What will my Future Scenario be?

After listening to the lecture I instantly knew which scenario I would be interested in doing…

Suburban:

What if all retail stores in Paddington Central stopped selling goods in favour of online stores, but decided to keeps physical presence for customer experiences.

This topic interests me, and I feel suits my design style. I prefer to attempt a smaller scale project and pay more attention to detail, to truly explore my design ideas. 

I feel the concept of retail stores no longer selling goods, is a very realistic and relevant prediction. It is evident to see this occurring more and more as online shopping becomes more accessible and convenient. 

This leads to the most important questions… what will be the future purpose of shops? What material objects will be found in them? What experiences will occur in them?