Post Presentation Resolution & Final Discussion

Final Discussion:


The purpose of VOICE is to provide a social and political virtual hub in the heart of Canberra, establishing similar infrastructure systems in cities and towns across Australia, essentially connecting the people of Australia on a social and political sense. VOICE serves as a social and political outlet for the public to engage with. The issue that VOICE addresses within the capital/parliamentary/government sense is the issue of class division between the people of Australia created by those with power and authority. Generally, the public refuse to involve themselves with politics and government issues as the process is confusing and information is often misleading through the media and other outlets. It is often difficult to find the answers that people seek, as to either (hypothetically) influence voting, polling, introduction of new laws, proposed infrastructure projects and developments that directly effect the people. 


VOICE provides intelligent integrated virtual technologies in which gives the opportunity to people to discover the relevant local and national political information that would potentially (and hypothetically again) directly effect them, or in which they could directly influence change for themselves or others. It provides the opportunity to virtually socialise and immerse ones self within the current (and possibly past) politics of the Australian Government System. This is opposed to sitting at home and watching the news, or surfing the web. It gives people the sense of direct action and direct democracy, being given direct access to a virtual government. The information is interactive and simple to use, provided to the public for everyday use. The technologies integrated allow people to explore political information either publicly or privately. Software used would take advantage of the advances with computer based voice recognition and communication, as we are now seeing with Apples iPhone (what will they think of next).


The element of presence is established through its identity and built form, taking influence from a few architectural languages that the current capital is identified with. This creates a virtual connection and function for the people of Australia to those who govern them. The ability to voice concern or protest is structured and informed. The ability to leave these "voices" is present with the technologies that are provided. Lets take this to a "hypothetical question" (as the theme describes) -


"What if, with the current "Occupy the World" issue which addresses the peoples concern for Wall Streets demise (and similar entities around the globe) on the economy and decline in employment and quality of life, that cities and towns in Australia could connect to the relevant issues and information on the topic at home and abroad, giving the people a more informed decision as to whether or not to join the protest/movement? What if, the people of all cities and towns with these concerns could voice their opinion together, and possibly come to a resolve? Or what if, the people with these concerns could address the government/parliament within a virtual system that the government/parliament respond to accordingly within question time, or another designated time to connect back to the people?"


This would ease tension/s that arise between the general public and the people of power and authority, by providing informed responses, decisions, and possible action/s. Again, this is opposed to just watching the news or reading the paper or surfing the web, that may lead to ill informed decisions and opinions based on political issues.


By providing these opportunities to the people and the public of Australia, it could (hypothetically) change the way that we respond to government policy and control. It could create more faith in the system, allowing the people to (hypothetically) connect to the government/parliament, giving the people of Australia more of an informed say on whether the current government system is working effectively for them or not. This isn't necessarily talking to the Prime Minister directly, but talking to the government as a whole. The people with the power and authority not afraid to communicate with the public on a more social and interactive level. 


Again, hypothetically, say in a small town, the national government has proposed and approved infrastructure development for a major highway to run through the town, yet the people of that town have been ill informed, and subsequently created negative opinions based on this ill informed information being communicated to the people. Rather then create a webpage or simply talk to the media, where politicians or authority never truly respond to in depth, people could virtually talk to the government and interact with the plans for development. Opinions, concerns and the like could be left for the people of authority to hold and respond to accordingly, to again improve peoples faith in the system, which would lead to positive results for all (or most). Again, this is opposed to just viewing a set of plans or text explaining the situation, this is social and interactive, direct action taken by the public to the people "in charge" (virtually).


Another opportunity that exists with this proposal is the interaction with Australian Politics and Government with tourists. Tourists who come to Canberra and other Australian cities to try and understand and identify the meaning of our government and parliament system can immerse themselves in this facility, providing informed information and detail of our rich political history.


Post Presentation Resolution:


It has become apparent that a few elements of my design can be more resolved in terms of purpose, function and structural integrity.


Firstly, the pedestrian access and subsequent infrastructure was designed and implemented to provide a sense of realistic accessibility, although the engineering and general design was not completely resolved. Three issues are structural support, safety and functional performance, which have now been identified and addressed in the following image, which uses green walls for barriers to enclose the bridge paths for safety, as well as architectural language that is continued throughout the precinct -

Secondly, after looking over the sections of the VOICE building, it became apparent that the building would require a basement level and access both internally and externally. This would house short term parking facilities for some staff, as well as general delivery and maintenance services, which are described in the following images -

And thirdly, the original ideation of a private booth/kiosk system was partially resolved, where the individual patron can immerse themselves in digital reality/virtual world, being able to privately talk to the virtual entity to discover what the individual seeks to find (similar technology would compare to Siri from Apple, and the relevant information displayed on a screen and user touch screen to control). The following images describe this virtual entity and its functionality as a resolved product -

Project 1 & 2 Presentations

*NOTE: CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO ACCESS FILES. FOR PROJECT 2 FILES, ONCE IN GOOGLE DOCS, CLICK DOWNLOAD ORIGINAL FILE TO VIEW AS PDF*
Project 1 -
Panels
Project 2 - 
A1 Panel
Digital Presentation

Programming and Development

Masterplanning and Proposed Infrastructure:

The master planning of the site located within Vernon Circle, Canberra, connects the major routes and places of interest, such as the retail and commercial precinct, entertainment the schools and universities, and the law (police, courts etc.) (Refer to ...).

The new precinct proposed for development will include the VOICE building (the hub), as well as outdoor amphitheatre space, restaurant and bar facility, and general park and green space. This development enhances the usability of Canberra's city centre, and provides pedestrian accessibility to all the major areas. 

Amphitheatre space provides an area for large groups to gather or small public events to be held. 

 Access from amphitheatre space to the VOICE building.

Eastern View, proposed space for public facilities or restaurant/bar.

View from Entertainment/High Rise Residential precinct (City Centre). Obviously safety needs to be resolved on the bridges, with the inclusion of side rails or barriers.

This new precinct provides pedestrian bridge and path access from these specific areas, mainly from the cities centre/entertainment precinct. The bridges pass over the road (Vernon Circle) at a height of 5 metres, which I feel is sufficient.

Main Building: VOICE

These elevations and sections show the building form in context to its position in the site. The elevations reveal the complexity of the exterior. The sections reveal the internal functions including the core and structural columns that give the building structural integrity.

The building represents a 'Virtual Orientated & Interactive Communication Environment', better known as VOICE. The structure itself boasts a large curvilinear conceptual structural form, with various exterior treatments to compliment its form and function. A central well is also a dominant feature, as it connects the buildings internal spaces through the large void that it is, as well as filtering the building with central light. The light is distributed and filtered with internal shading devices to compliment the internal spaces, as well as provide control of natural light. Roof space and access is provided through the internal staircase, which would house the buildings services outlets as well as the vertical transportation (elevator) services. 

The third and final level boast large floor to ceiling space, social media outlets, private individual booths and interactive partition screens. These spaces and technologies allow for the exploration and sharing of information amongst the public, and as well individually. Connecting the vistors to their social media outlets is also aimed at sharing information, having a general concern or enquiry and sharing it with your friends and community.

The second floor is the central control/management of the distribution, collection and general maintenance of the virtual facilities and technology of the building, and connecting the nodes. This floor serves as an open office for staff to facilitate the supply of 'direct democracy'. Virtual meeting rooms also are provided for both staff and the public to use/hire depending on the situation where a group requires privacy when connecting with other nodes or exploring political information/government policy etc. Open plan floor space also provides lounge and breakout space.

The programming and planning of the ground level is as shown above. After experimenting with spatial form and functions, this is the final constructive layout. This floor boasts a large news and reading facility, which will provide news and media virtually to patrons who may sit at virtual stations or chose to sit in comfort, or stand, providing a range of personal choices/options. This ground floor is also the 'hub' where information on the building, its services etc. can all be accessed via large interactive screens. This is central and directly in line with the entrance. Bathroom facilities are also available, and will obviously be completely reliant on artificial lighting and ventilation. With that in mind, it is crucial that sustainable energy options are explored and integrated.

The programming of the main building is divided between three levels. 

The ground level will house a news and reading room, with integrated virtual technologies, as well as providing an information area for patrons to discover the purpose of the building and to guide them in the right direction.

The second (middle) level will house the management and control facility. This space will be used by officials who monitor virtual activity and ensure that information and data is being correctly distributed and received etc.

The third level will house the 'virtual world', where patrons can share interactive materials and information amongst the public, as well as discovering information and sharing it privately in booths. This level will also have an emphasis on the role of social media, with express booths to allow access to the multiple social media outlets. This will provide communication with the wider community with fresh information, concern, etc. can immediately be published to others, rather then waiting to get home and use their own devices. This also provides social media to the public who may previously not have access to. The option to post as a guest to a specific group/webpage set up for the 'virtual parliament'/ the peoples parliament. 

Conceptual Design Ideation and Inspiration

Conceptual Designing:

After completing a thorough site analysis, I began to model the selected site and its surrounding context in Revit. This will aid in designing for suitability of the location and grasp how a design would best work within its surrounding built environment and infrastructure.

As stated below, a strong influential design element for the virtual parliament will be the inclusion of green path systems that connect the various spaces together, whilst adding sense of height and position. The space below these paths will also act as circulation spaces. 

 In an attempt to conceptualise a design for the building to be unique it its structural form, I experimented with the conceptual massing tool in Revit to create abnormal building structure in which further investigation would be required for the suitability and proper functionality of such a proposal.

I am also beginning to experiment with families for the creation of the exterior shell (facade treatments).

A not so curvilinear shape was also experimented with and suitable facade treatments to compliment its structural form.

I was unhappy with the linear, sharp edged building form that I had created, and reverted back to my original form. The form boasts a very curvilinear shape, which sits harmoniously within the landscape. Suitable master planning will follow, and has been experimented with as well. 

In beginning to form a feasable solution to the structural integrity of my conceptual design, the core was explored and thoroughly investigated. The following proposal for the core allows a central well to filter the internal spaces with natural light, as well as boasting translucent elements such as the wall casings around the vertical transportation and stair access.

Inspiration:


The green rooftop of the Parliamentary building is an architectural feature that I wish to adopt into the virtual parliament. The idea is to make it usable public space, rather than just a aesthetic feature. Similar designs are seen around the world, more interesting then some is the Singapore School of Art/Design and Media at the Nanyang Technological University.

The design of the virtual infrastructure has to be easily recognisable and instantly an iconic building. This will aid in the peoples understanding of the building and refer to it through its architectural identity. When thinking about these considerations, the façade/s treatment/s come to mind. I am currently working on how to use the circuit board configuration as inspiration and will update this when I have made good progress with it. 

Week Ten - Site Selection Cont.

The following mind map is a schedule of the proposed programming to be integrated into the virtual infrastructure and master plan.

Heavy arterial traffic routes along Vernon Circle and London Circuit that pass through the site area. Would have to consider accessibility and how not to obstruct traffic routes as well as patron safety. Focus accessibility points have been identified based on social context and current infrastructure.

From using the measurement tool on nearmap.com over the selected site, the area of space to work with is 722 m2. From here I am able to begin master planning and programming of the site and proposed infrastructure.

Week Ten - Site Selection Cont.

After perusing possible site locations for the virtual infrastructure, my focus has been drawn to the central elements of the existing city centre of Canberra. This focus has been developed by the presence of public space and social locality. The context of the city centre has been explored and described in the following image - 

The context of this area provides a busy thoroughfare for the inclusion of virtual parliament infrastructure. The area for selection will be based within the confines of the London Circuit. 


Separated from the parliament building itself, although still strongly centralised within the capital city, this space will be easily recognised and identified as a location for the community of Canberra to use effectively. 


The idea of recognised and identifiable location will be used for the basis of site selection around cities and towns or Australia, for the 'nodes' of virtual parliament to be used and work effectively.

Week Ten - Site Selection

Before I can fully comprehend the architectural infrastructure to be proposed, a chosen site within the context of Canberra and the Parliament House will be investigated and selected.

I have narrowed down the site selection to three significant regions of the capital city.These areas are the City Centre, where the public reside mostly; Capital Hill, the parliamentary building; and the thoroughfare of Anzac Parade to the Parliament house. These areas would provide a suitable location for the virtual parliamentary infrastructure to be housed.

Week Ten - Booth Ideation Cont.

The idea is to incorporate virtual technology where people can access the virtual world of the government where information is readily available and accessible. The booths will be designed for comfort, ease of use, and for both private and public use.

Other booths that will be available are 'Express booths'. Express booths will harness touch screen technology, which easily guides people in the right direction, either towards parliamentary information, government information, infrastructure projects, voting, polling, forums etc. These express booths will be easily identifiable as compared to the private booths. 

Week Nine - Booth Ideation

After examining the programming and purposes of booths within a building, I have decided to begin researching the virtual realm to be used within these booths. The idea is to incorporate "futuristic" technology, that is becoming available to us today. Virtual simulation has been an inspiring and exciting technology that people have worked on for years. The following video examines where we are currently at with this technology, in the hope to inspire a design idea for my booths. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xna9savaNM&feature=player_embedded

This idea of being to access a virtual world is vast becoming a real possibility. An interesting site that I came across uses the idea of having members sign up to a virtual world, where they can interact with each other, meet in various places and events, play games and drive cars etc. You can create your own virtual avatar, create your own virtual home and other objects, sell these objects for online money, and do normal everyday activities and interact with others in a virtually created environment that reflects the real world and a futuristic world. You can find more information by following this link - 


http://secondlife.com/whatis/?lang=en-US

Week Eight - Ideation cont.

After examining the uses of the SLQ an idea for creating virtual 'booths' has come to mind. This week I am investigating 'booth' design and technology, and there purpose in a built form.


Booths are used in restaurants, public settings, transport offices, commercial settings, photography booths, and many more. Booths create a sense of privacy and ownership, where the user engages with its furniture or technology. This sense of enclosure and ownership could be used to inspire 'booths' where people can source information about the nations government,as well as state, local governments and councils.

Booths can be used to organise space/s. There design can create an immediate response to users for their purpose. Booths have been used for years for people to immerse their sense of privacy and ownership of space. These spaces have been used for individual and group purposes. They have designed for people to engage and interact with.

Firstly I will need to discover the purposes of these booths, how they differ to each other (or relate). The ideas researched above will inspire their purpose and design. Some initial concept planning for booths follows - 

Purposes:

- Voting

- Talking to departments of relevant information

- Opinions and question forums

- Meetings

- Political Addresses

Week Seven - Project 2 Ideation

This week I have begun to research ideas for the 'nodes' and the infrastructure that will surround/form the bases of these 'nodes'. Connecting these nodes with a virtual realm has to be considered as well as a strong connection to the people who will use these 'nodes'. 

At this point I am trying to avoid the cliché characteristics that surround a 'virtual world' and the technology that is imposed on a virtual environment. Although, in a virtual architectural sense some of these clichés may have to be considered or altered.

So far the idea is to create nodes that will incorporate technology to enhance the built environment and the infrastructure. These nodes will be made mostly public and interactive, immersed with technology and gadgets that people can engage with. After experiencing the refurbishment of the State Library of Queensland in South Brisbane, and how the public interact with this space, I have discovered why this place of reference is so successful with its focus on technology, and how this can be transferred into my concept.

The concept at this stage is to create a brief which can be transferred and altered to suit different sites and locations, yet the buildings will each represent the exact same meaning and reflection (architecturally) of the connection to the capital. The building will be designed to be used/accessed via responses to the  various technological devices that will be incorporated into the building.

I am beginning to research appropriate technologies that are available on the market now, and the technologies that we are expecting to be using in the near future.

This was an interesting quote from the essay forum about the role of technology in our world today.

"We are living in a society which is called "technologically civilized" society.Every small work we do is technology dependent. Today every other person is recognized withthe device or gadget ,he carries; which is technically advanced. Ultimately , we can say that ,"living without technology is like living without air" in this technical worldof today.Therefore, we are much dependent on technology."

http://www.essayforum.com/writing-feedback-3/role-technology-lives-today-have-we-become-too-dependent-16617/

Technologies that we are highly dependant on - 

- The Internet

- Computers/subsequent software

- Mobile Technology (Phones, Portable devices)

- Musical Devices

- Technology in Transportation (Cars, Public transport etc.)

- Credit Cards to control/hold money

- Medicine (Surgery and scientific research)

Technologies that will have an influence on the design of my concept are - 

- The Internet

- Computers/subsequent software

- Mobile Technology (Phones, Portable devices)

The world has become highly dependent on these three technological advancements, and to incorporate them into a political sense, and making it available to those who may or may not be familiar with it will encourage a stronger awareness and education of our world and how the political world is engaged with these technologies.

Upon entry to the State Library of Queensland (Infozone) it is made evident that people come to this place to immerse themselves with the open planned environment and free internet service. This holds strong significance to its source of reference purpose as a library, and this can also be translated into my 'node' ideation in a political sense.