INITIAL IDEAS

I was interested in looking at the historical aspects of the site such as the air raid shelters and the bridge. I was looking at the function of the shelter as a refuge and a place of safety and seclusion.

I wanted to create a Folie which appreciated the beauty of the bridge and reminded viewers of its uniqueness. I am interested in its form, it's structurally expressive nature and scale. I was also looking at the geometric nature of the bridge. This could be abstracted to create interesting forms.

This is a rough sketch of my concept of the air raid shelter as sites of refuge and safety. My concept was looking an an air raid shelter as a place of safety and calmness amidst an environment of chaos: it is calm on the inside and harsh and scary on the outside.

BEYOND REPRESENTATION

This quote about objects of encounter and recognition was shown to us in the lecture. It really inspired me and helped my understanding of the first project. An object of encounter creates its own unique world - one that experiences our world differently or from a new perspective. It creates a special place that forces us to challenge our thoughts and opinions.

"An object of an encounter is fundamentally different from an object of recognition. With the latter our knowledges, beliefs and values are reconfirmed. We, and the world we inhabit, are reconfirmed as that which we already understood our world and ourselves to be. An object of recognition is then precisely a representation of something always already in place. With such a non-encounter our habitual way of being and acting in the world is reaffirmed and reinforced, and as a consequence no thought takes place. Indeed, we might say that representation precisely stymies thought. With a genuine encounter however the contrary is the case. Our typical ways of being in the world are challenged, our systems of knowledge disrupted. We are forced to thought. The encounter then operates as a rupture in our habitual modes of being and thus in our habitual subjectivities. It produces a cut, a crack. However this is not the end of the story, for the rupturing encounter also contains a moment of affirmation, the affirmation of a new world, in fact a way of seeing and thinking this world differently. This is the creative moment of the encounter that obliges us to think otherwise. Life, when it truly is lived, is a history of these encounters, which will always necessarily occur beyond representation."

O'sullivan, S. 2006. Art Encounters Deleuze and Guattari: Thought Beyond Representation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p1.

ANALYSING THE SITE

Topography:

The site is long and narrow and mostly flat, with a vertical cliff to the north and a drop-off to the river to the south. It is located at a bend in the river.

Sunlight:

The site will recieve the most sun during the morning and afternoon (cooler hours). During the majority of the year, the site will be shaded by the cliffs during the mid hours of the day (hottest hours).

Shadows:

The most notable shadows will occur during the afternoon from this general direction. Bridge will cast interesting shadows on the site during the afternoon creating a dramatic scene.

Zoning:

The site involves natural elements such as the river and the cliffs, as well as public walkways and a car park. The area further to the left of the site is residential.

Wind:

The site receives a lot of wind as it is on the river’s edge and will receive a strong draft. The bridge will also channel wind beneath it. This will allow for the site to be exposed to breezes at any time of the day.

Views:

The site has many opportunities for views. The bridge above, the river, the cliffs and of the historical buildings within the site. The wharfs are at a bend in the river. The nature of this bend encloses the site and also gives opportunity to uniques views of the river.

Nature of the site:

The site is the junction of 3 elements, where 3 differnt conditions comes together harmoniously.It is a site of connectivity of these elements. It connects the valley, bridge and the river.

WEEK 2: WALKSHOP

The walkshop partaken on the 7th of March was an exercise to familarise ourselves how the site can be approached. I chose to focus on the different opportunities for views of the Story Bridge (monument) and how these are revealed to the viewer. I chose to focus on how the site is approached as well as the procession and hierarchy of spaces. I tried to find where along the walk there were connections with the site and where it could be viewed.

Here are a series of photographs taken and sketches completed as part of the exercise on the day.

Pathway bounded by palm trees.

Glimpses of high rises through trees.

Main Access point - Edge of two districts

Trees bounding the path leading up to the gate.

Area outside the gate leading onto Edward Street.

View of Story Bridge through trees in background.

Journey from Edward Street to the Riverside Centre

Sails - Artifical shading

Reflective Buildings line Eagle Street.

Glimpse of the Story Bridge through a threshold in the buildings.

Story Bridge through the columns of the Riparian Plaza ground floor.

Open area at the Riverside Centre.

Elements that bound the riverside walkway to the Story Bridge.

View of the bridge through the Riverside ferry terminal.

Riverside walk up approaching the Bridge.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOWARD SMITH WHARVES

To fully understand the context, purpose and meaning of the site I thought it would be a good idea to research its history. The Story Bridge was built in the late 1930’s as a connection between Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley. The Howard Smith Wharves was originally established as Queensland's prime shipping port, where the two sheds that were used for this purpose still remain on site. first port. The site is also home to a one of the last intact series of air raid shelters that were used during WW2.These shelters were used in WW2 and have since been abandoned. I thought this was an interesting aspect of the site and could be used in my design concept.

The Story Bridge during construction.

One of the tunnel-type air raid shelters present on site.

PROJECT 1: URBAN RENEWAL BRISBANE

The aim of this project is to design a Folie in the chosen location: The Howard Smith Wharves. This blog will serve as documentation of my design process of my Howard Smith Wharves Development. Here are a couple of photographs of the site to help establish the context.

Aerial View of Site

Plan view of site