Architectural Presence and identity

Requirement for the architectural entity:
1. intergrade with the natural topography and existing nature
2. Interface with the existing parliament drawing elements of
     its form and siting from existing building.
3. Lighting effect as an unifying element throughout the
     the proposed architectural entity.
4. Integration of urban scales ie. parliament site and building
     integrated with small scale residential surrounding
5. Flexible in use ~ users, function

Point one > intergrade with the natural topography and existing nature
Exemplar > BIG architects: ice hockey rink in umea
 

Taking cues from the natural landscape of a bowl-shaped site, BIG carves out a nice spot for an underground ice rink. Naturally lit from the south, the rink enjoys bright day lighting on the interior and the adjacent amphitheater park becomes a protected area to enjoy the out of doors. The green-roofed Ice Hockey Rink in Umeå in northern Sweden is all about combining recreational programs that maintain the existing natural qualities of the site.

 The existing site is a naturally recessed bowl and BIG takes the concept and extends it further by sinking the ice rink into the bowl and covering it with a green roof. Facing the south, a huge east-west window naturally lights the interior of the rink and lets people on the outside see the ice hockey action inside and vice versa. A corner of the rink is peeled up to a small peak to act as a landmark and entrance facing the street. The green roof also becomes an extension of the adjacent Umedalen Sculpture Park.
Open to the public, the ice rink and surrounding park become a year round recreational facility, and in the summer the recessed bowl becomes an amphitheater for concerts and plays, and the windows of the rink open up to create a stage. Ramps allow wheelchair and stroller access down to the bottom of the bowl and inside the rink. The 4,600 sq meter ice rink includes a variety of different user spaces including a cafe, outdoor seating, a bonfire area and winter sliding zone.

http://inhabitat.com/big-unveils-a-green-roofed-ice-hockey-rink-that-is-downright-cool/ 

Point three > Lighting effect as an unifying element throughout the proposed architectural entity.
Change colour representing different group of committee that is in session such as

Blue - Joint Chamber Committees
Red - Senate Chamber Committees
Green - House of Representatives Chamber Committees

It can also use for different festiva, such as
yellow - normal day
sharp blue - australia day
light off - anzac day 

above is a map of the proposed sites for the architectural entities, to interface with the existing parliament drawing element of its form and sitting from existing building

left: this is one of the diagrams mitch did for his panel, it is about the infrastructure expansion for the parliament house. i have used this diagram as a base to create one of the diagrams on my panel.

left: this is the diagram i created with the diagram as a base, the smaller photos on the far left are showing what will be included in our architectural entity. The diagram on the right top, is showing the virtual interaction and connection with the committee meeting. The diagram on the right bottom is also showing the virtual interaction and connection with the committee meeting, but with a 3d view. Imagine the tree in the middle is the parliament, the orange dots are the resident and community, the red dots are the new infrastructure, and the roots are showing the interaction between each of them and showing how each of them connect to each other.

this is one of jim's idea: maximising unused unactivated space in and around parliament were also discussed as a flow on effect of the proposed expansion and increased public interaction with the new architectural entity.

Progress

Rough draft of the panel 3 during the tut

Week 5

Workload for the panels are equally divided,
Panel one > Capital Strategy > Jim
Panel two > Capital infrastructure and presence > Mitch
Panel three and four > Architectural types and purposes & Architectural presence and identity > Manho
Written project statement > Mitch
Combining the panels > All

suggestion from the tutor > more diagrams > less text

FLEXIBLE ~ EXPANSION

Inspiration from a group member Jim Stott

Organic flexibility of what architecture can be!!

Australia’s Representation Gap: A Role for Parliamentary Committees >>> found by jim

Australia’s Representation Gap: A Role for Parliamentary Committees? By Ian Marsh

This article reinforces the notion that the role of committees is extremely important and the current structure is inadequate

The present committee system provides basic infrastructure, but many of its features fall far short of what would be required. To amplify parliament’s contribution to the broader policy making process, its committees would need to have enhanced standing, roles and powers. The present system is inappropriately structured: committees are insufficiently focused. The present committees work on a shoestring and their staffing is totally inadequate. The incentives for committee work are weak: those with ministerial ambitions may be fearful of taking an independent line. Finally, the use of latent parliamentary powers, particularly in the Senate, to gain attention for committee findings and recommendations is hugely underdeveloped.

Developing the role of parliamentary committees on longer-term issues would be a radical step, since it would involve new parliamentary arrangements outside the immediate authority of the government and the immediate influence of the major policy departments. Those used to adversarial approaches may find an attempt to explore the scope for even limited consensus between the major parties impractical or worse. The idea of routinely probing the scope for even limited consensus between the major parties, at least on guidelines and principles, might instinctively be rejected as giving too much away. Yet this is one key promise of these changes. Of course consensus will be limited, often partial and often unavailable. This is at it should be. But the notion that we are stuck with present ritual adversarialism staunches any possibility of imagining an alternative approach.

In sum, an assessment of the neglect of longer-term issues by the Australian political system is also a study of the way in which the present structure of politics is implicated in Australians’ capacity to choose. The current political system does not provide the setting for sustained review and analysis of long-term trends. There are inadequacies in research, in technical analysis, and in public engagement and consultation. Australia needs to invest in each of these areas if it is to have the capacity to respond to new contingencies and persistent trends in an effective way.

An informed public opinion is the ultimate foundation for wise political choice. There is not now sustained concern for public education, involvement and debate. There is minimal capacity for constructive discussion of strategic issues in parliament. There is little capacity to make transparent the bipartisanship that is so patently present between the major parties. There is little capacity to engage interest groups in the consideration of strategic issues. The net result is a political structure at odds with our real situation and our real needs. The familiar competitive two-party system is now itself a principal obstacle to the capacity of Australians to exercise wise policy choice.

Week 4 ~ Architectural Type and Purposes

Form in group with Mitchell Stewart and Jim Stott for assignment one,

Tutorial exercise: Define a problem statement > solution to solve the problem

Idea 1 > Flexible Accommodation

Problem statement: 

Lack of accommodation within a close proximity to parliament house

Proposed Solution: 

Temporary accommodation around parliament house 

Target groups:
1) Political people
2) Tourists
3) Students
4) Staffs

~ could use as storage when not accommodate
~ flexibility adaption for all three group of people
~ adapts to who is visiting or exhibiting at the time

Idea 2 > Expansion of parliamentary committee

Problem statement: 

Current facilities unable to cope with the increasing role of the Parliamentary Committee, the lack of interaction and transparency for the general public with he roles and purposes of these committees.

Proposed Solution: 

To create a facility or facilities that expand and contract according to the roles of the committees. Has the ability for physical or virtual public interaction

Infrastructure required:
General utilities (power, water, sewer)
Office space
Data centres
Broadcasting
Ablutions
Accommodations – tied to idea one.

Idea 3 > Mixed use of unused spaces inside or outside parliament house

Problem statement: 

Large amount of unused spaces inside and outside the parliament house that are not being maximized

Proposed Solution:

~ change some rooms into public spaces when not in use
* change foyer into a market place / exhibition space occasionally
* change larger room into a function space such as gallery / private function room
~ bring  local / community into parliament house

Australia's Parliament House

The special needs of Parliament House

Each year, about one million people visit the building which houses the Parliament of Australia. This large structure sits at the apex of Capital Hill in the centre of Canberra—Australia’s national capital. The building was designed by architects Mitchell, Giurgola and Thorp, and opened in 1988. The flagpole that straddles the building has become a symbol of the Parliament and of Canberra.
Parliaments are unique. They are not like office blocks or law courts or convention centres. A parliament must do four basic things and the building must be designed to allow these four things to happen. The members of a parliament
must be able to:
1. represent people
2. make laws
3. scrutinise the government
4. form a government from elected parliamentarians.

Australia’s modern Parliament House was planned to facilitate these functions. All four functions of parliament take place in the House of Representatives and Senate chambers as well as other rooms. There are many other activities that take place in the federal Parliament such as radio and television broadcasting and printing reports and other documents.

 How the Parliament uses the building 

 This diagram of Australia’s Parliament House shows its scale and the relationship between the parliamentary, executive, ceremonial and public areas. The building is 300 metres wide, 300 metres long and covers a gross floor area of 250,000m². Massive curved walls separate and define the major component parts. The House of Representatives wing is on the eastern side with the Senate chamber and offices to the west. The executive wing is at the southern end of the structure, behind the ceremonial and public spaces of the central zone.


 The chambers

 The dominant spaces across the whole building belong to the House of Representatives and Senate chambers where members and senators meet to debate bills and represent the people from their electorates and states. The Australian Government is formed in the House of Representatives by determining the party or coalition of parties that hold the majority of seats and which therefore has the largest number of members. Opposition parties in both chambers scrutinise the work of the government especially during regular Question Time sessions.

 The House of Representatives currently seats 150 members and there are enough unused seats to accommodate future increases. The Senate currently seats 76 senators, and like the House of Representatives, has vacant seats to accommodate future needs.
In both chambers:

• Members of the government sit to the right of the Speaker or President (as the case may be) while members of the opposition sit to the left.
• Members of minor parties (such as the Australian Greens and the Family First Party) and Independents sit on the benches at the curve of the chamber. This group is known as the crossbench in the Senate; in the House this distinction is not made—there are only government and non-government members.
• The press gallery views chamber proceedings from above the Speaker's Chair in the House and from above the President's Chair in the Senate.
• Members of the public watch chamber proceedings from either side of the chamber in designated seating areas.

Committee rooms

 Parliament House contains 19 committee rooms. Although these rooms are formal parliamentary spaces, they are not used for debating or voting on legislation. A parliamentary committee is comprised of a small number of parliamentarians with a specific task; generally to gather information (on behalf of the Parliament) related to a current legislative proposal or an issue of community concern. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives employ a range of committees. This photograph illustrates a Senate committee in action. The senators are sitting in the background; members of the public observing the proceedings are in the foreground and one man at the centre of the scene is giving evidence to the committee. Technicians sitting In the glassed-in control room switch on microphones and record the discussions. Note also, the television cameras which are installed in spaces in the walls of the committee room.

Cabinet Room

 Cabinet usually meets in the Cabinet Room in Parliament House. The Cabinet is the centre of executive government. It is responsible for managing the policy directions and business of the government. Cabinet is chaired by the Prime Minister and operates as a sub-committee of the ministry.
The Cabinet Room is located on the ground floor in Parliament House opposite the Prime Minister’s office and close to the offices of the other ministers. Marquetry panels of eucalypt leaves designed by artists Tony Bishop and Michael Retter adorn the room. Hidden among the leaves is a cicada, a dragonfly and a blowfly. Despite these ‘bugs’ the room is highly secure and is regularly swept electronically because the Cabinet discusses confidential and secret matters that affect the life and well-being of the nation.

Facts about the building 

• The Parliament House site covers 32 hectares of Capital Hill; one of the hills around which Walter Burley Griffin designed Canberra in 1912. The building occupies 15 percent of this site.
• The building is 300 metres long and 300 metres wide. It is one of the largest buildings in the southern hemisphere.
• Parliament House was built to last at least 200 years.
• There are 8,340 spaces in the building including about 4,700 rooms and 2,700 clocks.
• Australian materials are used throughout 90 percent of the building.
• The building cost approximately 1.1 billion dollars.
• The underground car parks hold up to 2,000 cars.
• A multi-channel television and radio station broadcasts proceedings of the Parliament from both chambers and committee rooms.
• The building has two libraries; one a reading library, the other a research library for the benefit of answering questions on most topics from members and senators.
• The Parliamentary Education Office runs a parliamentary role-play program for visiting students and teachers to learn how the Parliament works.

http://www.peo.gov.au/students/cl/aph.html

New Parliament House - statement of significance

Parliament House is a landmark building which has become an icon of Canberra with the flag mast. It is a building of great creative achievement, nationally and internationally, designed by Mitchell Giurgola and Thorpe. Aldo Giurgola was awarded The Royal Australian Institute of Architect Gold Medal in 1988.

As the home of the Parliament and the seat of Government, this building has a significance unique amongst buildings in Australia, which is quite independent of its architectural, aesthetic and townscape values. Its Historic value is already being established as the site in 1992 of the overthrow of the Labour Party Prime Minister, by his own party.

The fundamental significance of the building lies within its concept of making a National place. It functions both as a working place for the Parliament and as a symbol and ceremonial place for events of National importance: a symbol of National unity and commitment to the democratic process of government. The building with its integrated works commissioned art, craft and specially designed furnishings, reflects the history, cultural diversity, development and aspirations of the nation. The building's design and siting on the land axis create a strong visual relationship and a linkage between the historic War Memorial and Provisional Parliament House. The building is pre-eminently sited on Capital Hill at the focus of Walter Burley Griffin's 1912 plan for Canberra and the Parliamentary Triangle. The building design re-states the original profile of the hill and its curved walls reach out to encompass the radial avenues established by the 1912 Griffin plan as the primary axes of the city. The building, particularly the curved walls and flagpole, is a strong symbolic and sculptural element in the landscape. It was awarded The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) National Sir Zelman Cowen Award and the RAIA (ACT Chapter) Canberra Medallion in 1989 and the Civic Design award in 1990.
 http://www.architecture.com.au/i-cms?page=222

1912 Plan
Walter Burley Griffin's
competition winning
design

1913 Preliminary Plan

1918 Plan
Walter Burley Griffin's
final plan for Canberra

1925 Gazetted Plan
Plan of Layout for the
City Of Canberra and
Its Environs

Week 3 ~ Infrastructure, Strategy & Presence

Tutorial activity - Architectural fictions.

Flexible architectural fictions.
1) Temporary accommodation:

User: staffs, students, tourists and politicians

These container are located in a closed distance to the parliament house to accommodate students or tourists who want to stay for a short term while visiting. It also can be used for meeting or lunch rooms for the staffs and politicians. These can also become storage space while they are not accommodate.




2) Maximize usage of existing spaces:

User: community, public
location: green outdoor space around the parliament house
function: small scale concert/ exhibition/ private function/ discuss forum

User: community, public, government
location: foyer areafunction: exhibition







 




Flexible architectural fictions.

THE NEW PARLIAMENT HOUSE

 During 1978 the Fraser government decided to proceed with a new building on Capital Hill, and the Parliament House Construction Authority was created A two-stage competition was announced, for which the Authority consulted the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and, together with the National Capital Development Commission, made available to competitors a brief and competition documents. The competition drew 329 entries from 28 countries. 

The competition winner was the New York-based architectural company of Mitchell/Giurgola, with the on-site work directed by Italian architect Romaldo Giurgola, with a design which involved burying most of the building under Capital Hill, and capping the edifice with an enormous spire topped by a large Australian flag. The facades, however, included deliberate imitation of some of the patterns of the Old Parliament House, so that there is a slight resemblance despite the massive difference of scale.

Construction began during 1981, and the House was intended to be ready by Australia Day, 26 January 1988, the 200th anniversary of European settlement in Australia. It was expected to cost A$220 million. Neither the deadline nor the budget were met. The building was opened finally by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 May 1988, the anniversary of the opening of both the first Federal Parliament in Melbourne on 9 May 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V), and of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra on 9 May 1927 by the Duke of York (later King George VI).

 

From above, the design of the site is in the shape of two boomerangs enclosed within a circle. Much of the building is buried beneath Capital Hill, but the meeting chambers and accommodation for parliamentarians are free-standing within the boomerang-shaped arms. The total size of the site is 32 hectares. The building itself is 300 m in length and width and contains 250,000 m² of floor space. 

There are 25,000 granite slabs on the curved walls which, placed end to end, would stretch 46 kilometres. The building required 300,000 cubic metres of concrete, enough to build 25 Sydney Opera Houses and has a design life of at least 200 years. The building has 4,700 rooms and has 2,416 clocks that are used for calling members or senators to a vote. On a non-sitting day there could be 2,000 to 3,000 people working there.
The flag flown from the 81 metre flagpole is 12.8 m by 6.4 m, about the size of half a tennis court. The flagpole weighs 220 tonnes and is made of polished stainless steel from Newcastle. It was designed to be the pinnacle of Parliament House and is an easily recognizable symbol of national government. It is visible by day from outside and inside Parliament House and floodlit at night. The flag itself weighs approximately 15 kg.

3,000 original artworks are displayed in the building. The Queen's Terrace Café located on the first floor is open to both the public and Members of Parliament.

Although security has been greatly increased during recent years, much of the building is open to the public.
The building was designed to "sit above" Old Parliament House when seen from a distance. It was proposed originally to demolish Old Parliament House so that there would be an uninterrupted vista from the New Parliament House to Lake Burley Griffin and the Australian War Memorial, but there were successful representations for preservation of the historic building, which now houses a parliamentary museum.

The original idea was for Parliament House to be open freely to the public, and the sweeping lawns leading up to the entrances were intended to symbolize this. The building is a major visitor attraction in Canberra with about 1 million visits each year. With the increased risk of terrorist attacks during recent years the security of Parliament House has been increased greatly. One result has been the construction of crash barriers blocking vehicular access to the lawns.

THE NEW PARLIAMENT HOUSE

The new Parliament House, with the provisional Parliament House which served from 1927 to 1988 in the foreground

Layout of the main elements of the new Parliament House

Longitundinal section of Land Axis, showing original landform and grading at 1988. 







The diagrams on the left, showing the relationship of the building concept to the Land Axis, are from Parliament House Competition Stage 2 entry No 177 by architects Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp. The Land Axis is shown in the picture below, looking across the new Parliament House to Lake Burley Griffin, Anzac Parade and Mount Ainslie.
http://www.engineer.org.au/chapter13.html 

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FOUR STRATEGY

From analyzing the four strategies during the tutorial, we realized that mobile, flexible and distributed have similar characteristic or functions. The three circle in the diagram above representing the three strategies, mobile, flexible and distributed. The overlaying representing they have similar characteristics or functions, also showing they are interacting with each other. The virtual on the outside showing it is different to the other three strategies, which can be expressed digitally, unlike the other three strategies which can be expressed physically.  

Week 2 ~ Four-Strategies-Exercise

WEEK 2 TUTORIAL
1.Flexible >>> 2.Mobile >>> 3.Distributed >>> 4.Virtual
......................................................................
<<FLEXIBLE DESIGN>>

~ adaptable > changing constantly 
~ multi function
~ responsive to changes > changing constantly > users, location, time, shape
~ transportable > movable
~ sustainable? > longer life cycle
+ opposite
~ fixed

......................................................................
<<MOBILE DESIGN>>
~ transportable > movable
~ temporary > users, location, shape, size
~ purpose of use
~ simple structure

......................................................................
<<DISTRIBUTED DESIGN>>
~ anything more than one > copies
~ separated in different location

......................................................................
<<VIRTUAL DESIGN>>
~ virtual reality (2nd life)
~ no need tangible
~ de-centralized goverment
* snap shot
* memory > based on experience
* computer virtual world