Ben Paterson
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Monday, October 28, 2013
Major Design Studio - Design Proposal
Kings Cross undoubtedly represents the
hub of drug, alcohol, and domestic problems within the greater Sydney area. The
conceptual theory behind my project is based on the common needs between what are
essentially three separate, but related agencies. These three agencies specifically
being; an alcohol rehabilitation centre, an alcohol mediation court-based
setting, and a ‘sober bar’.
The fact that these issues of alcohol
related harm are so visible within the area has resulted in the view of them as
an accepted part of the social fabric of ‘The Cross’. As per the project title,
therapeutic advice has come to form a major part of my architectural position.
These therapeutic qualities emerge in all aspects of the project, from the
conceptual ‘bandage’ that wraps the three towers together, the fact that the
three towers lean on each other for support both in a physical and conceptual
sense, through to the sense of therapeutic justice applied to the
mediation-based justice settings.
While the O’Farrell government had promised the introduction
of 3 ‘Sobering-Up Centres’, which would have proved a useful precedent to this
previously unexplored program , this promise is yet to be enacted. As such my design intent could also
be looked at as a means to provide a precedent for this style of ‘Pilot System
- Sober Centre’.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Research Studio - Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre
Summary of Research Proposal:
Alcohol is the most widely used recreational drug in
Australia. Although widely accepted as a drink of enjoyment and sociability
this comes closely tied with concepts of both binge drinking and psychological
harm. Kings Cross undoubtedly represents the hub of drug, alcohol,
and domestic problems within the greater Sydney. The fact that these issues are so visible has
resulted in the view of them as an accepted part of the social fabric of ‘The
Cross’.
My design intent can be summarised as a one-stop-shop that
addresses the effects of alcohol abuse both on the level of dependence
treatment and on a more context specific level as a bar that is intended to act
as a model for the promotion of safer drinking behaviours.
As we can see from the section the
ground plane responds to the more context specific issues of binge drinking and
alcohol fuelled violence via the harm minimisation approach to the bar, while
we have a stack-like program of the treatment centre above.
The idea behind this ‘stack-like’ organisation of space is that
one is able to transition through their prescribed step-by-step rehabilitation program
from the ground up. As they progress from one stage to the next they are also
slowly moving up the glass encased staircase from floor to floor, which gives
them the chance to be reminded of their progress so far and thus also becomes
an important element of encouragement.
Following the initial screening process the first treatment
session of rehabilitation generally involves setting goals, and this
step-by-step organisation of spaces allowing for clients to start at the ground
floor and work their way up, then back down to the bar when they are able to resume
drinking but at a healthy level, and eventually to the station (which
represents a return home and to ‘normal’ life) presents a realistically achievable
set of goals in an architectural built form.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Research Studio - 'Threshold' Task
From the street the new
police station is very much a dominating mass. The sheer scale of the building
immediately asserts its new found authority that the former station did not
possess. As you can see in the images of the model I have exaggerated the concept
of this imposing facade by outweighing the scale of the human figure to the
entry.
Compared to the colours and
greenery of the street, once inside the station we are presented with a very
stark, clinical architecture dominated by a clean crisp whiteness. The scale of
the human on this interior side effectively shifts our sense of scale from the
monumentality of the facade to the confinement of the cell. The police are
supposed to serve us, but this building is very much for them and not the public.
Once again, rather than a
literal reproduction of the building I have explored this 'new state of the
art' building in an exaggerated way. The interior is devoid of colour; rather
it is dominated by its new technical capabilities shown by the use of flashing
lights, alarms and wires strung throughout the model.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Design for Energy Efficiency - AccuRate Report
The aim of my AccuRate assessment is to provide the chance to gain
a hands on
understanding of the Australian House Energy Rating system through
the input of
my own dwelling in to the software followed by a series of modifications
in order to
improve its thermal efficiency. This is aimed at developing my
understanding of not
only what we can do to enhance thermal performance, but also to
develop my understanding of why these modifications do or do not work.
AccuRate report summary:
As we can see when we compare the heating and combined cooling loads against each modification,
initially the heating loads of the house are significantly higher at 163 MJ/m².annum almost double that of the combined cooling load of 97.5 MJ/m².annum. However, by modification 12 the difference between the two has been minimised with heating at 27.1 MJ/m².annum and cooling at just 8.8 MJ/m².annum.
At the same time the total energy requirements have effectively been cut to less then a quarter
of the initial 200.6 MJ/m².annum to just 35.9 MJ/m².annum.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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