Wk4. reading reflection

"Politics & Situationist International" 

+ The building is a representation of the context of the location and people that inhabitat it so the architecture is a reflection of values of human and the spatial enclosure.

+  'paper architecture' consists in works which is put forward as works of architecture but this never intended to be built and indeed most cases they could not be built.

+ Architecure can accomodate works where the thought contained in the work is of architectural nature.

wk4. Lec note (People & Life style)

+ Are architects providing the right type of spaces for the user? If the space has been designed well how does the one simplify the space so easy? If the space was designed to suit such specific needs how can they be so easilly dismissed?

+ The aim of Project1 is to identify and demonstrate architectural possibilities..
  - consider the needs of user
  - how can machines contribute?
  - architecture as infrastructure?
  - how do you present ideas?

wk3. reading reflection

"Sharing Layers "

Brand, S., 1997. Shearing Layers, in How buildings learn : what happens after they’re built, London: Phoenix Illustrated. pp12-23 


+ It was interesting idea that what will become of our buildings once they were used for the purpose that we intended them for.


+ A building conceived as several layers of longevity of built components


 a. Site : geographical setting, the urban location (site is eternal)
 b. Structure : foundation and load-bearing elements (change is perilous and expensive so rarely attempted)
 c. Skin : exterior surfaces and external cladding (change often due to improved materials, technology)
 d. Services : the working parts of the building ( when change is needed outdated, systems need accessible)
 e. Space paln : the interior layout of walls, ceilings, floors, apertures (can be changed with relative ease)
 f. Stuff ; furniture and decoration ( easily and often changed)

+ Longevity of building is often determined by how they absorb new services technology.

wk3. more discuss

+ Car free city
the use of existing parking have no functional uses anymore. It leds apotential in the buildings to allow for sustainable infrastructure to be installed. This can be rainwaer harvisting or aquaculture place, water filteration plant farm , etc.. This means that we possibly can use existing spaces to retrofit these sustainable advances that would take valuable  and needed space in the habitated space.

+ The number of shops, supermarkets and stores would need to increase with the population. Since this is the case, the production of food in city is only a supplement to the supply. As such the supply of retail products still need to be brought to city.

wk3. sustainable future.

+ concept deveopment

- Traffic Congestion
When trying to reduce traffic congestion in Brisbane City it would be to analyze what causes the amounts of cars to drive to and from the CBD. Brisbane has a low density than european cities and it seems to have a higher transport energy consumption. In South East OLD driving culture, people living on Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast commute to Brisbane CBD for work/education. Thus it's not fair to pointing the driver financially for their dependence on their cars.

- Place
In the global economy crisis, people work harder for less which would make Brisbane CBD very expensive to live in,causing people move to the city fringe.. what if people work at home or wherever they want, because people don't always get productive work in office. The idea of working at home may not work for all industries but would be eliminate a potion in city.

- Time
Working schedule from 9am-5pm might not work the most optimally for all. Thus the idea of working at home is being connected to their work environment virtually.

-  Future Scenario
If the business leave the CBD and less people go to CBD for work, this will give an impact to business within. If business doesn't pull people to CBD anymore.. somehing else would replace it. an option can be balancing the CBD out to its surround areas creating mix uses to business, residential, space and farm.

Wk3. Lec note

+ principle
Fixed - shelter, safety, communication, connection, sharing, comfort..
=> universal quality- no 'selfish architecture' = I want, I like etc.

+ context
ever changing - community, site etc

+ sustainability
environment - economy - society

+ they all need to work within pattern of basic needs, time frames and space scales.

wk2 reading reflection.

"Urban form and locality"

The reading discribed the idea of eco-neighbourhoods as new option for developments in future to arrange the built environment to be more sustainable. And it presents the benefits of urban concentration considering the compexity of our economical, political and social environment.


Dimension1. The degree of dispersal or concentration
- a. dispersal into hamets and villages
- b. concentration into dominent cities
between these extremes are " dispersed concentration"

Dimension2. The degree of segregation or intermixture of urban activities
- When industry and commerse is situated in center of the urban city as a whole, it's suggested that the mixed use is suitable however it's not definited to how much should occur within neighborhoods.

Dimension3. The question of  LOW vs HIGH density
- what's the appropriate density of neighborhoods in regards to "net density" and "gross density"

Dimension4. The 3 basic types of shape; stellar, grid, linear
- The shape refers to whole city and the neighborhoods are building blocks that create wide pattern.