Project One - Folie Posters

Site Plan

The site originally known as the Brisbane Central Wharves were constructed in conjunction with the Story Bridge during the 1930s. The locale was subsequently leased to the shipping company Howard Smith Co. Ltd, which lead to the eventual name of the site as we now know it, the Howard Smith Wharves.

The storage sheds that were constructed during the running of the shipping company, as well as the air raid shelters, which were erected along the cliff face to provide a safezone during world war two are regarded as providing significant evidence of pre 1940 port of Brisbane facilites and being one of the most intact air raid shelters within Brisbane. The site is recognized as being a culturally important heritage site and is now registered in the Queensland Heritage Register.

Objective and Response

The proposed site offers three key elements that serve as the primary focus for the project, these components are namely, the Story Bridge, the cliff and the wharf area (the sheds, air raid shelters and river).
The folie responds to these elements through two ways. The first method is through the abstraction of form from the elements and the incorpration of materials that the elements are composed of in construction.
The second method is the use of visual, auditory and tactile cues that enagages users within the space and during the approach towards the space. The folie design consists of three main members, 2metres
high and 5 metres wide which represents each of the key elements.

The overall form of the members draws inspiration from the rectangular structure of the air raid shelters.While each segment has similar form, the segments are aligned on different axis parallel to the element they represent while beingconnected by a central point. Each individual section is constructed with materials that are associated with the element they represent. While the external facade is fashioned to reflect the relationship between the folie space and their respective elements. Interactive components incorporated within the architecture allow users to learn and discover the materials and the essence of the site while making it a pleasant and enjoyable experience.

Design Overview

The story bridge element is located on the top floor with steel and glass being its major construction material. The form of the steel frame is an abstraction of shapes perceived from observing the storybridge trusses, while the voids on the sides of the segment allow a play of shadow and light. The main element of interest are the vantage point that allows views of the city and the bridge and a feature wall with asphalt extrusions that allows users to feel the texture of the motorway as well as the contours of the abstracted form of the story bridge.

The wharf area segment makes use of similar materials used in the construction of the shipping warehouse
sheds of the howard smith, such as hardwood timber and corrugated iron. The walls and floor are constructed
with hardwood while the ceiling consist of both hardwood and corrugated iron. The main elements of interest
are the vantage point that allows views of the wharf area and the sound fins. The sound fins are constructed from sonorous metal slats arranged in a row with a fixed point on top to allow the fins to be strummed or if wished struck to produce an interesting melody.

The cliff element is constructed from concrete as pictured above. While the open face side is attached to the cliff face via steel hooks. The main elements of interest are the experience of touching and climbing up the cliff face and the sensation of floating as the flooris constructed of thick glass.

Week 3.1

Folie Design

Strong narrative and interpretation

3Plicity is a reflection of its incorporated surroundings. It is an interpretation of three connecting suburbs of Fortitude Valley, Kangaroo Point and Brisbane city and creating significant focal points that frame those views.

The recent social and cultural changes of the Howard Smith Wharves have been considered in the design and construction of 3Plicity. This design has responded to the 2011 floods and recognised future possibilities by elevating the structure.

Before the floods, the area’s main local attraction was the floating boardwalk and the people of New Farm used it regularly to get to the city. Since the inundation, the flow of activity, which it had attracted, has diminished.

The area has experienced many missed opportunities that could have improved and benefited Brisbane. 3Plicity as an installation is designed to attract a variety of Brisbane back to the Howard Smith Wharves by encouraging a dynamic space for interaction.

3Plicity responds geographically to its surroundings by using the cliffs, river and the bridge to influence the design. The three experiences that it offers, is placed according to an axis. By doing so, the occupant’s views of selected elements of the city are framed and maximised. The installation of 3plicity compliments the historical heritage of the bridge and the sheds through the integration of its key design elements.

The learning experience at 3Plicity is based on sensory interaction with the different vantage points. The design invites the occupant to enhance their 4 key senses to experience and appreciate their environment.

Each module focuses on a different sensory experience. The design incorporates materials that are in context with the environment and allows the inhabitant to interact with the feel of materials or the clatter of sounds.

The installation encourages a sensory learning experience by restricting the most relied on sense, - sight. In the different vantage points the individual is forced to rely on a particular sense in a particular space using smell, touch, hearing and seeing.

 

The above picture is a spliced together image of different stages of the design process as the group attempted to utilzed the theme of the senses into the folie design. The design goes from being a three simple blocks to complex shapes that encourage an indepth experience of the folie and its surrounding environment. My part in the folie was to design the CAD model and create images suitable for the posters and try to explore and interpret through images our groups themes and ideas.

Week 2.2

Folie Concept

The story and the background will be explored through the design process and the context of the site. The story can be extrapolated through the use of materials and the experience of the folie. Through the use of collages and superimposed photo manipulated images will give great depth and meaning to the story and concept.

Folie Context

The folie context will be the most important of the five ideals in our groups opinion. It is through the context you can explore the concept the experience and the function. Without a strong context the folie can look awkward and bizarre when placed in the site. The folie must harmonize with the site its surrounds and the greater Brisbane context.

Folie Function

The function of the folie is most creative of the five design outcomes. It can add depth and meaning to the folie. This can further define the concept and create a powerful design solution. Using bold materials and colours could add both to the context and the design. Varying the experience within the folie is a very important idea to add to the aesthetics of the function.

Folie Tectonic

The tectonic is the forgotten outcome. To our group the visual representation is by far the best asset can this can be the make or break outcome that can effectively visualize the folie with its connect to the site and its context.

Folie Experience

The experience will be shown through the use of CAD. The experience will need to utilize both text and photomontages in an effort to express the nature of the folie and its purpose and design context. This experience outcome links directly with the function and tectonic outcomes.

Preliminary Folie 

Concepts utilizing methods from the reading and tectonic and concept ideals. Simple forms and ideas are often the most powerful and can lead to aesthetic solutions.

 TOP VIEW

 ISO VIEW

SIDE VIEW

TOP VIEW

 ISO VIEW

 SIDE VIEW

To get some ideas about scale and possible folie designs; i went to lincraft and obtainted a number of stryofoam parts in order to create a experimental modeling session coming up with a couple solutions which I photographed above. Each experiment was based around the idea of capsules which higlight different 'views' of the city. This was a major highlight of the anaylsis partaken in the previous week.

Week 2.1

 Site Anaylsis 

Key photos from the walk to Howard Smith Wharves. The trip on the Citycat went under the bridge giving a full view of the site and its surrounding cityscape. On the right of the Storey Bridge overshadowing the structure is the CBD filled with skyscrapers and large concrete structures. The bridge is a gateway connecting Kangaroo Point to Fortitude Valley. Each photo was divided into imporant nodes, elements and structures. 

 

Week 2

Tschumi, B., 1987. Cinegram Folie: Le Parc De La Villette, Princeton, N.J: Princeton Architctural Press. pp1-27.

The reading was detailed incite to Tschumi’s Parc de La Villette project. The reading references a number of points which can be beneficial to our folie design. The main points are ideas such as context, concept and function in the design which correlates with the design outcomes. One of the more useful diagrams in the reading was the design structure implemented by Tschumi. This is extremely useful because we are currently designing this week and having this reference was greatly appreciated.

Figure 1 Tschumi, B., 1987. Cinegram Folie: Le Parc De La Villette, Princeton, N.J: Princeton Architctural Press. p.23

The reading incorporated a number of philosophical concepts with regards to the layout on the site; the context of each folie and the design. All concepts that will be required on our folie design in order to achieve the desired grade.