Here's an update from Architect Tom Morgan:
Outline: 3rd & 4th of August
I suppose a polite manner of couching the
activity to date would be to describe it as ‘sporadic.’ The last visit was over
three months ago – mid autumn. Very little was accomplished then; folio kept by
each student were examined and the sketches inside recorded for further
investigation. At that point, I’d intended to draw some sort of formal elements
out of each design and combine them into a greater gestalt whole. This was a
procedure I’d used – on a much smaller scale – in the tall Carlton flats – to
some degree of success. However, while the formal language of the ‘Eco-Cubbies’
were able to be transferred into digital spaces, the next stage – the
formalisation and combination of these buildings – was never achieved. Forty
odd little huts, houses and habitations, all orphaned and un-used.
What was achieved was a facile
understanding of the site, a cursory introduction to the students, and a vague
idea of possible directions. Concrete results were an organised hierarchy of
the varying types – and, later, when it was realised I would not be able to
return to Portland before the end of term two – an illustrated analysis of the
varying types, accompanied by a pictorial explanation of possible built
outcomes.
Over the two days of the current workshop,
these limited threads were expanded upon and drawn together, to form a cogent
and coherent plan forward. Very briefly, outcomes were;
Site:
The children surveyed the school for
appropriate sites. The street frontages of the school were immediately excluded
for reasons of access, security and general amenity. Toward the north eastern
corner of the school-grounds – partitioned by a thick copse of Eucalypt – a
new building is emerging. Some of the students suggested placing the cubby
proximate to this development; in amongst the trees. This idea led to
discussions about title boundaries – the new building is on former school land
but is administered distinct from the primary school – and solar access; given
the evident shade down under the trees.
Sites closer to the school oval were
subsequently investigated – with the students settling on the south western
corner of the oval , nearest to the existing vegetable garden, with views out
over the city of Portland.
Site
survey:
Four students from the wider group
conducted a measure up of the site – recording boundaries, existing access
points and extant infrastructure. Preliminary works involved sourcing drawings
of the school’s planned gymnasium complex. Architectural conventions were
explained to allow the drawings to be read by the class (as a side benefit,
they now understand the actual scope of the redevelopment, and what it means
for certain relocated playgrounds and cricket pitches.)The drawings ended short
of the chosen site, but by combining this information with site measurements,
an accurate picture of the site was recorded.
Form:
The children had been engaged in formal
investigations of eco-cubbies since the start of the year. Questions had been
posed ‘what do you see as an Eco-Cubby’ and drawings were proffered in
response. Formally, the class had evolved from typical house icons – the
pitched roof, chimney, twin window form – to complex, elevated platforms with
low, flat roofs. Much of this was developed by spontaneous discussions and
investigation on the part of the class.
Further formal investigation was sparked by
an investigation of function – a study of a more utilitarian aspect to the
building. One group saw the eco-cubby as
a perfect chance to form a grandstand for the oval – another wanted it as an
educational building, linking in with the veggie garden and other ‘sustainable’
activities. The development of the form was undertaken by rapid brainstorming,
sketching and presenting on the part of the students, and collaborative CAD
design to establish 3D massing.
Orientation:
A team of students descended upon the site.
Having previously a rough envelope for form, they were tasked with arranging
the lay of the building. Studying the possible paths of the sun across the sky,
it was decided to orientate it roughly north, north east – a compromise between
solar performance, and the ability to watch out over the oval. The children
marked the floor plan out on the grass with water-based spray paint, and
commented on the apparent size of the spaces. A crucial development was the
realisation that the ‘back’ of the building was actually better suited to a
role as the ‘front’ – the building was subsequently mirrored.
ESD:
Notion of ESD mechanisms had been discussed
throughout the programme – but were often divorced from the specifics of a
built project and addressed as an abstract. The development of a possible
building form gave us a superstructure to hang investigations of ESD approach
off. Discussions of the stack effect, responsible sun-shading and solar
orientation, material use and water harvesting were integrated into the wider
design discussions.
Model
Making:
Work was commenced on the 1:10 model –
students assembled a blank card template which will form the basis for their
final model (issues are complicated by the fact that they will have to present
a model at an earlier date – the second of September.) Scale required little
explanation and I discovered the students correcting mistakes I had made in
measurements.
Conclusion:
With three contact days, the work at
Portland is nearing readiness for exhibition. Form, site, and programme have
been locked in. ESD discussions have meandered between the conventional and the
esoteric – how exactly does one prevent vandalism, for example... Further
discussions would be needed to analyse appropriate materials and construction
methods (notions of embodied energy and life cycle management.) It is intended to
return to the school for at least one more day before early September.
Site selection
Site set out
Floor plan drawn onto the site
one of the many disused sites around the school - the possibility of a tree house?
original design ideas
rendered image of the final chosen scheme
