Melbourne University 4th Year Project.

Site

Center Pier, Melbourne Australia

Brief

To design and reconfigure centre pier in Melbourne’s docklands precinct to cater for the future Australian Maritime Museum. The pier must focus on the hybridization of the existing sheds as well as explore varying methods of hybridization throughout the urban and architectural design.

Programs Used
autocad, rhino, sketchup, 3d max, photoshop, illustrator

At present, Melbourne’s docklands precinct fails in many ways including accessibility, micro-climate, and density among others. When I speak of density, I refer to the distance between each of the main piers or docks, which is so very large with no public program in-between. If we consider Darling harbor in Sydney that has proven to be more than successful for many years, we notice a distance of approximately 170 metres between adjacent shore/edges which allows for a consistency of human interaction. In Melbourne, the distance between New Quay and Victoria harbor, for example is approximately 430 metres. To densify this region of docklands by activating a large public program within centre pier, will consequently reduce the openness of the docklands precinct thus reducing the programs distances from 430 metres to approximately 150 metres on either side of Centre Pier.

Below: Concept Diagrams

The initial concept for the site was based upon the self sustainability. By locating the museum at the end of the pier, we were able to implement a prosperous commercial precinct of retail, office and hospitality that could feed off the anchor of the Maritime Museum. Also by positioning the museum at the end of the pier, it gave us the opportunity to create a new piece of Melbourne iconography as the pier is isolated from population and is viewed from above from afar. By introducing big name retail and hospitality to the precinct, the Australian maritime park will be able to support itself boasting a vibrant destination 24 hours a day, thus reducing the sparseness of docklands.

Below: Concept Diagrams

The commercial precinct, or Maritime Park, reflects the hybridization of old and new. The existing framework of Shed 09 and Shed 14 have been retained yet re-clad in colored corrugated iron to respect the history of the site and sheds whilst maintaining the need to progress. To increase the permeability of the site, radial dissections have been forged into the cladding and replaced by glass which also allows northern light into the sheds. These dissections have been made in accordance with the analogy of the Southern Cross that has been overlaid across the site.

The Southern Cross, along with other constellations was vital in ocean navigation before the satellite, and consequently it has been referenced throughout the maritime park. One of these references is the implantation of a steel mesh canopy that stretches out across the site leading to the museum’s interactive centre. The canopy’s steel cables and intersections mirror primary constellations in the southern hemisphere with lights attached at junctions when required. Not only does this mesh add to the aesthetics and concept of the site, but provides a sense of protection during the day and lights the park at night.

Programme Logic

Night View From New Quay

The notion of hybridization has been furthered in the architecture of the museum whereby contrasting elements dominate the scheme. A hybridization of form has been implemented though the fluidity of the interactive centre versus the rigidity of the ground floor. This design was inspired by the hybrid binding of water droplets on a leaf whereby both seem to work in harmony yet are from two different backgrounds – this imagery has been mirrored in the Maritime museum whereby the lower museum acts as a platform for the interactive centre. (The position of the interactive center reflects the analogy of the cross – the lowest star in the crux constellation.)

To further enhance this concept hybridization, the materiality of the two structures vary quite dramatically with the interactive centre clad in high reflection glass that serves a mirrored surface during the day and allows light to transfer from the inside at night and the ‘leaf’ clad in recycled timber boards that reflect timber of sailing ships . At night, the interactive centre may perform on many different lighting levels depending on the occasion.

Not only do these two elements contrast in appearance, but also the spaces within the structure differ quite dramatically. The timber ‘leaf’ illustrates a more conventional museum type space with large flexible exhibition halls adorning in varying timbers. Large steel and concrete columns inhabit the space whilst the exhibition halls provide access to the outdoor arcades and outdoor exhibition terrace whereby occupants can board real ships – thus gaining a more ‘hands on’ experience. These large spaces reflect the vastness of ocean travel however the interactive centre reveals a much more claustrophobic experience. The circular circulation spine of the museum – located at the base of the interactive centre – inhabits a large ramps the winds up in to the blob structure.

The ceiling of this central space mirrors the analogy of navigational constellations and it quite a feature as it sits above a reflection pool. Level 02 of the interactive centre inhabits the computer centre. Its architecture takes on a more fluid approach to the ground floor with a contoured floor and ceiling that moulds into ‘blob’ columns. The space is dark and closed with thus hybridizing the experience of the museum occupants.

Museum Entrance

Level 03 is a large auditorium that may be used for lectures and conferences but also to act as a planetarium for museum patrons whereby the entire ceiling of the ‘droplet’ is projectable. The ceiling will be a perforated soft lined material that can be projected upon but also allow light to project through the lining. This will allow the interactive centre to glow at night, increasing the iconic nature of the museum.

site_ park section

The park responds to a number of environmental concerns through various components installed in the scheme. Firstly, the introduction of green zones throughout the commercial precinct provide outside visitors shelter (wind and solar) from the elements whilst providing the above offices spaces with visual connections to the environment. These deciduous trees provide shading for inside the existing sheds during the summer months, particular on the northern façade, so that we minimize the use of air-conditioning throughout the office and retail interiors.

Due the seaside location of the Maritime museum, it is possible to employ a heat pump air conditioning system that draws heats directly from the ocean which reduces the overall energy consumption of the building. Cross ventilation occurs though the louvered façade upon the north and south of the building which allows the building to cool during the night. The ‘night purging’ concept has been further by more louvers between the junction of the interactive centre and the roof, these draw warm air out of the building via stack affect. Particular attention should be drawn to the use of recycled timber though out the museum to further reduce the museums carbon footprint.

Rooftop View

Rooftop Bar/Restaurant View

Over all, the Australian maritime park offers an hybrid experience on many levels, that of spatial relationships to visual aesthetics. Although the existing precinct and pier reconfiguration are quite different they are merged together harmoniously shared varying elements. The scheme offers respect to the site history however promotes a design for the future.

East Elevation

South Elevation

West Elevation

Interactive Centre Night Studies

The Maritime Museum’s Interactive Cnetre will be able to offer many different night time aesthetics depending on the occasion including standard glow, coloured glow, exposed structure and structure lights as well as diffused imagery and messages.

Exploded Axonometric View Of The Interactive Centre

Central Ramp View

Large Exhibition Space

Level 02 Computer Centre

Auditorium View

Detail & Material Palette

Dom, seeing you have provided so much information, I think it would take a bit of time for people to digest it before giving feedback.

Thanks for posting.

Yes, I am still absorbing it all... but first impressions Domc - this is terrific... I will get back with more meaningful comments later... I really love the thoroughness of what you have posted...

Fantastic presentation! It was interesting, lucid and coherent. Congratulations on a job well done!

too much information! :eek:

Just kidding...Looks like you had time to look at many aspects and it is rather thorough. I do think that the weakest aspect of the scheme is the relocation of the existing sheds and the very poor connection of the west to the east. What else could this be other than a simple material transition that you show? Or is there a reason for this?

I'm also not comfortable with the star analogy and the "ceiling" formed with the lighting: it is overwhelming during the day, when the idea is null in the first place. Are there no actual stars visible at night? How can this be done more subtly, as it seems the big focal point is the end of the dock and the actual interventions with the overlay of the constellation?

Also, I think you leave the door open for your ideas to become diluted when you let there be "potential" for nighttime facade changes on the "bean" (for lack of a better term at the moment). What should it be for the most impact of idea? The "potential" you list sounds more like a master plan brainstorm than an architectural idea.

my first thoughts without even looking at some aspects...we need projects like this posted more often. Thank you for taking the time to post this! We all know the kind of effort it takes to do this.
Cheers!

I'm impressed by the amount of thought and detail you've put into this. I think you have achieved an iconic building.

But,...
Creating an outer shell with a near to total reflection on a building of that size is a very risky idea, due to reflection and potential glare. The surrounding buildings (there are a lot to come as I understand it) will suffer an 'overlighting' problem and maybe even an overheating problem due to long wave radiation reflection.
Have you done any research on the passive ventilation system for your building design? Simulations maybe?

Sorry for looking for the hair in the soup.

interuption ,,what is rhino? what for is it? is it for 3 d animation?

I agree, too much information though we usually get the opposite on ppb2.

Can I ask what the feedback was from your tutors?

My first impressions are that it is really difficult to design such a huge environment but you have done a pretty good job. I don't really like the shape making in plan and I think you haven't taken the detail far enough but it is impressive still. The most interesting bit for me is the wire cables and stays but I think the architecture of these hasn't been developed far enough and the landscape in which they sit is a bit dull - and depressingly consumerist (apple store).

The main building is like a piece of product design and I admire your commitment to it without particularly liking the blob-like form. Not sure the writing / lighting will work as well as you have illustrated but it's a good idea though one has to ask who will see the writing?

Lastly I think there is a conceptual problem with the form as a maritime museum, okay I get the monocoque part but isn't the sea a bit more dynamic?

I admire the quality of the presentation images. :clap:


The product itself... I don't know. I have a feeling of rendez-vous. Been there, seen that. You got sea, and you got water > water droplet = shape.
You have this idea with water ripples and cross overlay of those, but I don't see that idea used further on. As also said before : the sea is more dynamic. I would even take that further and call the sea dramatic, a voluptuous coming and going of form, a clash of shapes/waves, ...


I'm also not comfortable with the star analogy and the "ceiling" formed with the lighting: it is overwhelming during the day, when the idea is null in the first place. Are there no actual stars visible at night? How can this be done more subtly, as it seems the big focal point is the end of the dock and the actual interventions with the overlay of the constellation?I was thinking the same! I think it is a strange idea to translate an outdoor event (aka the starry night sky) into an outdoor element. What you will get is this :

1. During the day, I doubt that someone will connect that whole structure to an idea of constellations. Your presentation pushes US into that direction, but I wonder what the impact is, if you find yourself under it IRL...

2. And the biggest problem I have with this idea : during the night you simulate with lights what is going on in exactly the same space !!! People look up, and have to watch the competition between the true star sky, and the fake sky created by man. If there is enough light pollution in the air, there won't be any real star sky to be seen anyway...

To me, that idea would be good somewhere indoors, where it's hard to catch any glimps of outside; OR as a state of protest in the big cities where light pollution has indeed blinded out the true star sky a long time ago...


To me, your urban design is good, but there is more potention in the level of the bulidings themselves...

thank you all for your comments,

i guess star analogy is reinforced via the cable mesh. the site is in Melbourne's cbd and star visablity isn't the greatest. although i can see arguments - which are quite valid.

in terms of reflections, the 'blob' or 'bean' as someone else referred to as, is isolated by the harbour, the nearest buildings are approximately 160m away, i haven't done any studies or simulation of this, perhaps it could have been further given the time.

the imagery on the bean at night.... the site is surrounded by high rise residential towers that look down upon the site - moreover there is a bridge thats runs perpendicular to the site that also looks down upon the museum - and thus the images or text may be understood or read.

in terms of feed back, i had my presentation tonight, and i would say the feedback has been very good. someone pointed out that the transition to the rooftop walk should have been more fluid which i agree with... other than that, tutors seemed to be very happy. i guess ill find out when i receive my marks! haha :)

interuption ,,what is rhino? what for is it? is it for 3 d animation?

Rhinoceros is a 3d modeling software, have similar ability like AutoCad, but everything start from 3d instead of 2d. In other words, a "non-uniform, rational B-spline" (NURBS) software.

http://www.rhino3d.com/

Great job

congrats! domc, you just made my day. Seems to me that you have a thouroughly thought through project, well executed and conveyed in a manner that is accessible and easy to understand.
Hope your tutors like the project as much as I do. Kudos.

i love the concept, i once used a same kind of concept on a swimmin baths with the idea of using ripples create a plan and form to the building. But you have used the idea very well and nice presentation!

Hey, good project, LOADS of work apparently.
1) Ive understood you symbolic gestures in terms of form, but I don't see the need for symbolism when it comes to placement of the programs. I feel the approach must be more strategic than symbolic.
2) The program of maritime museum seems to be contextual (as a response to the existing harbor), but the idea of 'stars' dominates the whole scheme. I personally feel that if 'stars' inspired your design, then a relevant program would be a planetarium. Somehow, in terms of imagery, I don't think maritime museum is the first thing that comes to mind. (I get the point you made about constellations as a navigation tool, but, my arguments are about people NOT relating to that)
3) hybridization - in terms of a programs, I agree that hybridizations will create a public interactive space. But here again, you've talked about symbolism. constellations, stars, water droplets, '‘leaf’ clad in recycled timber boards that reflect timber of sailing ships"- for me its too much of symbolism, and 'hybrid-symbolism' doesnt work for me. I firmly believe people make a place public because they relate to the place. I'm not sure what the people will relate to in your space.
4) I dont know what you mean by interactive center, whats the 'function'?

stripped of all the symbolisms, in terms of multiple programs in plan and section, the working of it, is excellent, and I totally understand the intent of your project and the design.
and, its not a "bean" - its a water droplet on leaf, interactive center sitting on green landscape., isn't it?
:cheers:

Thanks for posting your work, your thorough presentation is really impressive.
I like very much the way your initial concepts are presented and how they evolved coherently, giving shape to your project.
That being said, I dare making a few comments:
I see some references to some known pieces of architecture in your project and that doesn't bother me much, except in the case of the large exhibition space, where I think the reference to Barajas is much too literal.
The museum platform seems (at lest in your site plans / diagrams) to make a too abrupt cut from the first section of the site. I would perhaps have preferred it to form a continuum with the pavement of the first area, progressively rising to create space for the exhibition rooms below, but clearly uniting both parts of the project. The stars analogy of the steel mesh seems to try and give this continuity feel to all the area, quite effectively imho.
Judging from your images, the sheds seem to be a little too overworked. They seem to lack a bit of formal integrity due to the overlapping of corporate image and to too much transparency.
Other than that, great work! :rock on:

I tend to agree with void, I see a lot of overt reference to other architecture. I also find the connection between old and new to be rather abrupt and unresolved. It is like two (or three) very different projects on the same site.

With that said, I think that you have created some wonderfully exciting spaces. The amount of work produced is astounding to me. I think you got more produced here than I ever did on any two projects. (of course I didn't have SU :D) I am sure that you will have no reason to worry about your marks on this one! Thank you for sharing this with us! Really great work!

What program did you use for that exploded axonometric view of the interactive centre?
nice renderings!:not worth

3dmax

all renders were done in 3dmax,

only the night renders were adjusted in photoshop

congrats domc...
i really like the way you show ur project
^^

wow great project domc:clap:
thank u for share it . a complete project full of details , nice concept , must take so time

don't have any questions..for now..nice job-great presentation!!:cool:

Dom great looking design, i think the shot that really takes it for me is not your render perspective but your section, alot of detail and not just in black and white....As ali g says respect!!

My only concern is that i feel as if details from various projects have been taken and the monument (oz mag)mash has occurred and whilst the design is superb i would prefer it if i saw one distinctive idea and concept carried out to the fullest instead of a combo deal....Simplicity can be very beautiful(ie herzog de meuron's tate is compelling and beautiful and at the same time very simple)

for instance i'd suggest for the future to take the most compelling arguments and emotive ideas and build from them. ie, shipconstruction throughout... or constellation, guiding light, or journey/travel etc.. because i fear that a project like this can become a game of gimicks(rogers airport column, yokohama terminal, fosters singapore durian, fed square wires) and you merely add them up...

i do not wish to understate a superb design, but a comment to watch out for the future so we see the real DOMC columns/wall/transtitions, you visibly have the talent..

best of luck and keep on posting..

Zorry, I´m new in this forum.

Congratulations for your forum...

¿how can up archive, render´s jpg

its a great presentation, i like the concept diagrams really showing your idea..RESPECT..:)..one comment,sorry.. i think the canopy steel cables you could utilize more,maybe closed up in some parts maybe to give really protection of sun, rain or...birds, they can really be a problem..:)..regards

domc, our apologies for not getting this into the 5 star hypo forum sooner.

Just Fantastic!
Well Done