Project 3- Nook : a learning centre for ages 6-18

By tuesday morning i had nearly all of my drawings completed and all i needed to do was edit and annotate via the computer. My dad had a major heart attack tuesday morning and is now in hospital for over week to recover. Needless to say this put a bit of a spanner in the works. I could have gotten a special consolation form for the assignment but i decided that I was nearly finished so I would just plod on and get it done. Consequently I cant see him until after my presentation. Here are my drawings :

THE USE OF COLOUR:

Colour is used in lots of children's projects because it gained their attention and interest. Colour can also change how a person feels in a space. In the case of this building I have used colours such as yellow greens and blues for the upper levels because i want this area to be calm and serene and also help the children concentrate. In the social areas there are colour such as red, purples and pinks because they encourage movement and activity. Yellow has been used the most in this project because it is a happy colour and can be used in both calm and active spaces.

THE USE OF THE TREE:

The tree provides a few good things in this project. It starts below ground level which lets light into the space below. The foliage create shade in the courtyard as well as providing interesting shadows on the rigid building. Also it provides a central focus for the building emphasising centrality of the project. Furthermore the use of the tree fits in well with the site context as there are trees in all parts of the site.

DRAWINGS:

Elevation From River

Elevation from Entrance
With the elevations i had wanted to show shading of the different levels of the building. This would have helped to create more depth in the drawing. Also I wanted to put context in the background... Unfortunately I just ran out of time. 

Below Ground - Floor plan
In this level there are mostly activities based on technology such as computer use and audio. There is a hire station for laptops for the children as well as computer desks. There are rooms for audio listening and visuals projected onto the walls these are relaxing spaces. There is also one room designated for interactive learning where movement changes the audio and colours of the room. Additionally there is storage space for the library. To create lighting in the underground level there is a light source from the centre outwards from the upper level. There is glass surrounding the best of the tree which is inset about 1.5 metres below ground level, that allows the viewer glimpses up into the levels above and also natural light into the space. There are also other glass parts of the ceiling which again allow for light into the space and views of the upper storeys.

Ground Level  Floor Plan
The level is the entry level 

Above Ground Floor Plan
This level is a quiet reading and reflecting level. There is a library area for collection of books. and there is both small scale individual spaces for reading and larger areas for group reading such as for the younger children who have group reading time. There is also green space between each building that has two purposes. One is that it provides views out to specific contextual elements such as the cliff face. down the river along kangaroo point and also out towards the city. The other purpose is that it provides a break from the silence of the the reading areas and can used as social areas. 

The floor plans are not annotated how I wanted them to be. In my presentation i did not have the proper annotations such as sections lines and elevation symbols or the names of each room. This is simply a time issue. Additionally if i had more time i would have added shading into the floor plan to show how the lighting works.

Roof Plan. The is the roof plan of the building. There are perforations in the ceiling to allow for light to stream into the interior especially for the upper level because this area is a library, reading and studying area.  

Window diagram -

This diagram shows how the lighting and views work with the windows. Windows of a large size are placed on the interior of the building facing the courtyard and there are smaller perforations in the sides of the building to allow for light to stream in. This is so that the focus is into the centre of the building.

The Hero shot - perspective from the bridge near kangaroo point

Perspective of Ground Floor area with play areas for children.

Perspective of below ground level large sound and visual room. This is relaxed space for children to take in what they are listening to or watching.

Perspective of wave floor area in group setting in the Ground floor level. There are flat areas available for easier group gatherings and also are cozy because they are circular .

Perspective of above ground level individual reading areas. As it can be seen different size occupants can go into different areas. A teen occupies the larger scale space and a smaller child uses the smaller space.

Perspective of the approach to the entrance.

Perspective of green space on Above Ground level. In this area people can relax and chat or play.

Diagram of Building spaces. The top level is a quiet zone mainly for reading, studying and reflecting. The ground level and entrance level is a bustling busy social level and the below ground level has a mixture of quiet areas and active social spaces.

Section 1.
This main section cuts through the main play areas of the building. 

Section 2

Section 3

Site Section.
The size of my building fits in well with this site because it does not impose on the site too much. It is only two levels high sinze the third level is underground. This is so that the building does not feel like it is overarching patrons in the courtyard. 

Site plan.

Site Diagram.
This diagram shows how the building works in terms of access around and to and from the building . Additionally it also shows the views from the building.

  POSTER:

  

MODEL:

PLAN FOR PRESENTATION:

*PROCESS*

Folie was based on the river and is constant movement. It is an internal experience . centralised.

Folie to Building:

The brief maintained that a learning centre for the ages 6 – 18  was to be created in the same site the HWS. In analysis of the site I could see that the spot where the folie ahad been placed was the best possible option for a buildning, due to the sunpath, shadows and views to and from the building; Also this location is a turning point for pedestrians that access the  HSW  when running or cycling or just walking. I endeavoured to create a building that harnessed this aspect of the site and acted as a ‘joint’ in the site providing opportunities of exploration for the pedestrian. 

In this phase development I was looking into splitting up the age groups via spaces into 3 separate groups of 6 – 10 yo, 10 – 14 yo, 14 – 18 yo. This was because there was research to suggest that children can benefit from having specific spaces created for them. Also I desired to have 3 different types of activities over the levels. The base was to be visual and Audio, the central space was to be social and the top level would be reading and reflecting. Consequently there was a myriad of spaces that got quite convoluted in the end output.

In keeping with the centralised theme of the folie the shape of the building replicated a donut with a central space. The idea maintained that the interior walls facing the courtyard would be mostly glass and the exterior walls would be opaque but still allow light in to encourage the internal perspective.

I carried through with the centralised theme for the next phase of the project.

In this stage I also wanted to look using the architecture of the building to indicate the interior happenings. 

To do this I played with a model to try to figure out spatial configuration

I was still working with having separate buildings for each age group and looking at having the idea of levels of chaos for each age group. Metaphorically speaking having the 6- 10 yo as a very destructed structure, the 10 – 14 year olds as slightly less caotic and the 14 – 18 yo structureto be streamline and organised.

In the end it was decided that because of the structure the building would be twisted… creating some interesting spaces between the top levels buildings for green space opportunity.

The actual structure of the building was as if building blocks had been pushed and pulled to create a different shape. Within these pull outs there would be occupiable space . little nooks and crannys for children to use.  Different age groups would use spaces according to their scale and comfort.There is not specified space designated for each age group but rather scaling restrictions which is  personal choice for the child as to whether they occupy the space or not..

*THE FINAL PLAN*

In the final design for the building there are occupiable spaces at different sizes all around the building. The tighter spaces are essentially for smaller children or individual study or reflection. The larger spaces for more social or group activity. On each level there are these types of spaces but each level itself has specificity  in terms of sound levels. The entry level ground level is encourage for social activity, meaning that this level has a high sound level. The level below is still a more social setting but has individual areas as well meaning the sound level would be lower than the ground level. The top level would be the quiet zone. For learning via reading, and relaxing in the space. Eacb building has a green space szone in between allowing for louder activity and a break from the silence within.  These spaces also create unique views to parts of the context of the building.

There is still predominantly internal persuasion with large window to the interior of the structure towards a focus which is a tree. There are windows on the exterior of the building but these are mainly for gaining natural light into the building. This is specifically so for the top level due to it being a reading space.

I wanted to provide an experience of having many options and having to explore the building to find your own special spot to learn. .

The spaces are highly flexible in that most do not have permanent furniture. This is with the exception of the café for parents and reception and information desks.  There is an area full of bean bags on the base level which children are able to take anywhere in the building to use as seating for casual reading or use of laptops. There Is also a laptop hire area so that the devices can be portable around the whole building.

Typically the scale of circulation space is higher than that of functional space. Particular parts of the building have special ceilings and floors to add experience to the space.  The main set of stairs are the main circultion other than elevators between levels and is highlighted by using glass on the outside and a brightly coloured wall.

The tree in the centre of the building connects all three levels an the building to the site. It starts from about 1.5 metres below the ground level with glass between it and the base level. This allows for light and glimpse of the spaces from the base level up into the courtyard and around the building. Additionally the shadows of the tree create interesting patterns on the buildings straight façade. Trees are a common feature of the HSW site and this tree as well as other surrounding the building connects the stark exterior with the harsh cliffs and shrubbery.

The clad is light coloured concrete with areas painted bright colours. It has been identified that colour can be conducive to learning environments for children.  In this building I have used colours such as blue, green and yellow for the top level, reds, pinks, purples and yellows for the ground level, and purple, pinks, yellows and greens for the base level. These colour choices are so to encourage quieter activities in the upper levels compared to the base level then the most active happenings in the ground level.

*CONCLUSION*

Overall the building acts as a convenient stop for pedestrians to explore their surrounding via the views allowed in the building. It isn’t clear the activities within the walls of this building lending it to be an internalised building.  The journey through the building lets people discover for themselves their own pathways to their special or favourite spot to learn and take in their surroundings and this can change as they grow and change.