Week 3 - Charette - Sustainable Future

Brisbane's future of sustainability

Looking into our future scenario, we question the financial situation of Brisbane on the basis of the fall of the mining industry. Essentially, the economy would collapse, where businesses would no longer be able to support themselves and Brisbane will no longer be considered economically sustainable. The question is, how will Brisbane be able to uphold its current lifestyle. The government would therefore have to help sustain our economy. However, with this lack of economic and financial support, Brisbane's culture, way of living would undoubtedly change. The individuals standard of living would now be downgraded in order to survive. Social sustainability would now be questioned. 

FUTURE SCENARIO

How do we bring back Brisbane to a economic and social sustainability? Through Brisbane's corporate sponsorship, and the providing of billions of dollars back into the Brisbane Government, the city will now bring itself out of debt with return of Tax payers money to improve resources (financial sustainability). 

Businesses would now have Brisbane to experiment with new and alternative business models in a low-risk environment. Therefore ensuring that economic sustainability for the corporate sponsors and what they invest in Brisbane, they essentially will get back in profits, experimental ventures and an improved image. And hence, Brisbane is provided with all the resources it requires. This sustainability both economically and financially, allows its residents to now maintain higher standard of living (with more jobs on availability) and therefore a more socially sustainable situation. 

Key lifestyle elements that the corporate sponsors will have to provide for the community - Work, Live, Play and Invest. Each business also brings its own resources to the wellbeing of Brisbane. 

Political control Corporate sponsors will have on future Brisbane (designated zoning - connecting to the inner CBD)

  Government structure 

 Analysing the master plan - the key players and how they respond to each other (a connected network in which, public transport system and pedestrian movement would respond to)

We looked into our character profiles. We wanted to represent different personalities in which will respond to the future events differently. Looking at age differences and well as social standing. 

Week 3 - Lecture Reflection

In this weeks lecture we focused on two words: the principle and the context. These are two core components to architectural entity. One is highly recognised, whilst the other is an influencing element. The principle, can essentially be a symbol for shelter, communication, a place of connection, to learn, and a place to seek comfort and security. On the other side there is context, the underlying drive for why the principle exists. 

Context can be considered as the setting, the economic condition, the climatic influence, and the cultural impacts that define a given site.  Essentially as designers, we must always remember that without one the other does not exist. If the context is gone, the principle will fail and vice versa. The marriage of these two elements is crucial to architectural success as well as the successful functionality of society. 

Week 3 - Reading Reflection

This weeks reading "Shearing Layers" delved into the several layers/services of a building, which can aid in making it functional and look better. These services however, need to be replaced every 15 years. Exterior services on the other hand, can be changed every twenty years or can change along with the advancements in technology and architectural fashion. 

This reading somewhat relates to the functionality of project 1 in terms of fictional notions. The interaction between interior and exterior marks a perfect example of how changeable our ideas can be. Again, this idea of adaption and change seem to play a role in architectural success. Additionally, the concept of 'set' and 'scene', terms used in film making, was an interesting metaphor for the experiences and vision architects must envisage when designing future in mind. 

Week 2 - Charette - Future Visions and Scenarios

In todays tutorial, we were separated into groups of 4 to brainstorm future scenarios of a given context. The various themes are separated below.

suburban theme

One of the issues related to virtual shopping in the suburban theme - is the loss of physical social connection. How will public spaces such as shopping centres now function? Essentially they currently act as a meeting point a place for social activity. If we confine everything to small space, ie online shops, small virtual shops - experience is lost. We are making our world smaller in the physical and bigger in the virtual.

urban theme

One of our first questions was if the car tax was implemented on the city would it have a large effect on the demographic within the CBD. ie only the rich can afford to travel into the city more freely. In this case, it would be ideal that the CBD considered better public transportation to cover for this issue - and perhaps a newer method to make ease for travel (ie. underground metro or an above ground rail). What would the streets now become, pedestrian? bike and pedestrian? and which streets would still be open to buses and/or trucks for loading? Thinks to consider for the future city functionality.

One of the biggest questions however, is why do we introduce the car tax? Brisbane is such a small city, in comparison to large cities such as London (who would have had traffic issues, and now have already introduced the tax) - so why would Brisbane face this? This obviously links into the future scenario research.

virtual theme

In this theme of virtuality we talked on the disconnected qualities to virtual networking in relation to the physical. We questioned what the possibilities are in future scenario when society is so used to "quick information" on demand, how could this translated into architecture? We questioned if virtual can be brought into the phsyical. Architecture is just a framework but the virtual is continuously changing to meet our needs, how we want the architecture to look, function. We also looked at invasion of privacy, networks such as google who have power to see everything we do in the virtual world. More to look into...

video looks at the power online corporations can have (ie. GOOGLE)

regional theme

One of the key ideas from the regional themes charette was the idea to create a centre of services that accommodate for activities for relatively short peroids of time (ie conferences and workshops).

Week 2 - Lecture Reflection

In this weeks lecture, we were introduced to the 'what if" scenario. One of the key elements in todays lecture, was the idea of architecture acting in 'evolution, not revolution'.. Essentially, evolution can be seen as life adapting to the surrounding context and climate we are exposed to. Whereas revolution presents the architecture of the past, and provides the foundations for our future scenario. In a sense, both can be seen as positive elements to our future. Revolution attempts to take the past and current issues to provide a better future in a more aggressive manner, whereas evolution insures we adapt and evolve to the changing surroundings. In other words, architectural revolution is more abrupt in its manner, whilst evolution is more organic and adaptive in nature. Perhaps both should be considered in the development of architectural entity, it should be 'evolution and revolution', good design must consider the past in order to revolutionise architecture, but it also must adapt for a changing climate, and its future. 

Further, I enjoyed the fictional example displayed in the lecture, of Robots of Brixton by Kibwe Tavares --- a student project which won the Presidents Medal Student Award. This movie is a social comment on how technology may eventually destroy human beings. It is an interesting scenario to think how an architectural entity should respond to such issues, ie. architecture that disconnects the already disconnected? 

Week 2 - Reading Reflection

There were 4 main topics discussed in this weeks reading. 

• - dispersal vs. Concentration

Space is such a tricky issue, we all want more space, but at the same time, with space comes a heavy price or distance. It is virtually impossible to live in a city and have 100% of your needs met, without a strong financial backing. It was interesting to read that the concept of dispersion (in which most environmentalists prefer), was to help people be more vehicular dependant. Quite ironic really. There are various elements that impact why people prefer to live in a more concentrated cities as opposed to dispersed, including distance from house to work, the household's economy and public transportation etc. Another aspect related to a concentrate city is that the efficiency of facility increase as more activities and community interaction has more occurrence. This means a proper system of city planning is crucial in implementing concentration method which mainly relate with public transportation, energy, green area and community. 

• - High vs. Low Density

High density within the world has significantly increase through out the past 50 years, and it is without a question that society needs to develop a sustainable city approach along with this high density.

• - Segregated vs. Integrated Land use patterns 

Integrated "mixed used development" permits multi-purpose trips as people walk between work, shop and leisure activities. This strategy also has the benefit of providing a focus for the decentralizing forces of the market. 

• - Nucleated vs. Linear Form

Even where a compact city solution is appropriate it is yet important both to maintain/enhance green parkways and to maximize public transport accessibility. The advantage that linear form gives of good access to open space and countryside, together with the potential for local food production and recycling of organic wastes, is widely recognised.

 

Week 1 - Researching into Virtuality and Branding

Interesting movie/ scenario that looks at the future of branding - depicting the virtual and psychological power branding can have to control societies everyday wants and needs. After our first lecture (and curiously wondering about which theme to delve into for project 1) I was inspired by the concept in which technology (the unseen virtual world) can impact the needs and physicality of a given space. How do we interact with one another in the future? Who is interacting/controlling us, has the online world branded us? ... several things to think about in the coming weeks...