Week 15: Project Summary

Welcome to Design Eight, my blog for DAB810.

Below are a list of posts relating to our semesters work and my resultant design project. After the jump is a summary of my project.
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Paddington Central - Hacker/Maker Space

Project Idea/Introduction

Initially our group defined this project as converting the centre from a consumption space to a production space, to utilize local and recycled resources in its operations, and to react to and provide the needs of users and community.

This definition has remained the focus of my project, and I have tried to create a community driven hacker/maker space for users to come and create. This is achieved by; the centre providing the space for people to gather, design, test, and construct whatever they wish, by providing a comprehensive library of resources, tools, project ideas, previous project guides, networking to experienced users and a range of other resources, and by providing an assortment of building materials recycled from the community through things like council pick-ups, through donations, and through renovations on the actual centre.

This community interaction and social co-operation will give the users an opportunity to fulfil some of there higher level needs that they might not be able to achieve elsewhere, by giving them the means to create and explore.

The project also includes a community space, this space is created by the users and is as dynamic and adaptable as they want it to be; it can be a retail market space, a community gathering space, a relaxation space, a project testing space, or anything it is required to be.

The ability for the users and community to totally control the environment is provided through the superstructure enclosing the entire centre, this skin provides a weather shielding layer to the space so that it is not required at the building level.

Project Reality

The project is designed to be implemented over time, the community will not immediately jump into complete involvement so to convert the entire space all in one go would most likely destroy the community.

So the changes are designed to roll out in stages, the first stage is the construction of the superstructure and all its details (discussed further on). This construction maintains almost all existing spaces and functions operational. There are two spaces which are significantly affected; the second floor of the main building and as a result the shops underneath.

The second floor of the main building is to be re purposed as the project nerve centre, this will function as the entire project space to begin with. It houses the knowledge library (Discussed further on), the dome control mechanisms, the design studio spaces and administration, meeting room and office facilities.

The existing shops underneath will be disturbed by the work above due to waterproofing issues and may require refurbishment, otherwise the continue operation as normal.

All excess materials and salvageable materials from the modifications are logged in the material library and stored in the lower car park for later use.

In stage two the centre has gained community support and momentum, new spaces are opened up in the form of the design studios, these spaces are open to all and allow interest to be gained from passers by. The studios will also house some basic workshop equipment and electronics lab gear. The existing travel agent space shall be converted into a quick reference section for the knowledge library for proximity to the users working in the design studios.

The community space also activates in stage two as construction of stalls and spaces begins utilising the temporary car park workshop. The creations for the community space shall remain mobile entities, either through complete movement (if it's on wheels) or is made up of smaller components that can easily be packed away, this is so the space can remain a dynamic customisable space for all.

In stage three the centre's predominant focus is on design and creation of products, the community space markets have reduced the reliance on the woolworths centre and is vacated for the space to be converted into a full community workshop. The temporary spaces set up in the design studios and car park are moved into the new space. the new workshop space also has a recycling station for processing of received materials, and a new freight elevator is installed for ease of moving materials from delivery to storage to workshop.

At this point the centre is set up to produce almost anything the users or community could require, and the materials library is stocked with recycled materials for use in this production. In stage four the users and existing shop owners decide what to do next based on the outcome of the project thus far, shops could become retail spaces for creations from the centre or become more specialised spaces for specific purposes.

Project Creativity

The centre's focus is on the needs of the users, initially as it does now the centre will provide the basic needs, like food through woolworths and social interations, but it shall also have opportunities for higher level needs to be addressed. Through opportunities for creativity and learning new skills, as well as co-operation and socialisation with fellow participants.

The centre can also provide a sense of achievement from completing projects or just from helping recycle materials that would otherwise be discarded. Overall its what the users want to make of it, the opportunities are there, the motivation comes from wanting to be involved and satisfying higher needs.

Project Navigation

Due to the emphasis on recycling in this project the majority of spaces and structures throughout the project have remained unchanged, hence the navigation through the site functions much the same as it does now, there are new vertical access points (as discussed earlier) for easy materials movement.

Project Integrity

With the dome structure sealing the space it is then possible to remove and recycle a lot of building materials used throughout the building, exterior roof structures covering the current public space can be recycled and so to can the roof structures covering the main building & design studio (as well as any other spaces such as the post office and cafe in the future).

The spaces are then able to be dynamically shaded throughout the day by the domes insulation system.

The structure is to be made from standard PVC pipe material because it requires no new manufacturing processes, it can be joined by slotting into larger joiners at intersection points the way PVC pipe is traditionally connected, these joints can then be welded for extra strength and seal, it is also lightweight and above all hollow.

This hollow network of pipes allows the positioning of fans within them to move polystyrene insulation throughout the structure. This insulation can them be pumped into the panels of the domes to create an opaque insulated membrane on the dome. The panels are made from a product called Texlon roofing panels which are basically a PVC pillow pumped full of air and held together with and extruded aluminium frame. The panels will have one pocket sealed for structure and the other to contain insulation when required. The Texlon PVC sheets shall also be lined with a hydrophilic anti fog laminate which spreads any condensation out into a thin film to preserve transparency.

The panels opacity shall be controlled by a computer system that identifies points in 3D space that users have designated to receive light or shade at certain times and accommodates this by modifying certain panels based on the suns position in the sky. which is analysed by Arduino powered weather sensor stations on the exterior of the domes.

In addition to insulating, panels below a certain point on the dome (to high up and they are on to shallow of an angle to waterproof completely) shall be openable to take advantage of natural breezes and ventilate the centre. These again will be controlled by the weather sensors to correctly adjust to the direction of the wind.

Finally the top centre panel for each dome shall be openable to exhaust any heat from the interior climate when necessary. All these systems are subject to be automatically overridden as necessary to maintain a comfortable environment inside and to keep the weather outside.

Project Presence & Identity

Although the outward facade is entirely new the interior layout is almost exactly the same as it was, to acknowledge this the existing iconic roofs of the centre and the street hoods have been retained to provide some familiarity to the community. In addition to this all existing entrances and exits to and from the site have been retained, further increasing community familiarity. The idea is to create the sense of new while not alienating existing users by changing everything.

This project proposal is quite adaptable, and could easily be applied to other existing centres to transform them into community hubs, therefore as the building form is quite unique it could easily become an instantly recognisable symbol as a place to interact with the community. Not all of these hubs would perhaps deal with making projects, but all would involve the community to recycle and produce various products which the community needs or specialises in.

Project First Person Experience

The emphasis of this project is to get the users involved and creating in the community and the environment set up for them. As the space is sealed the users are free to create low skilled spaces without having to worry about waterproofing or weather proofing.

To aid in this user driven environment a knowledge library shall be established, this shall contain information on almost anything the users could require such as building techniques, material properties (and quantities in storage at the centre or in surrounding centres), tutorials on workshop tools, design ideas and information, community projects and goals (to gain participation), previous projects documented with instructions, recycling methods, community noticeboards and a range of other information. All accessible through the dedicated research spaces or any mobile device.

Users can also use mobile devices to control and customise the domes panels over their created space.

Overall the project is what the users make of it, this is my vision as I gain a great deal of enjoyment from building and creating physical objects. Once the superstructure is in place the entire space is up for grabs, and can be re purposed for whatever the users need.

By Jason Beckett

Sources: [Original Works]

Week 15: Presentation Boards

After the jump are my presentation boards I shall be using to convey my proposal.
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I think the boards adequately communicate almost all aspects of my design, there is a lot going on on them but I've tried to make it clear and concise for anyone who might be looking at it without me there to explain it.

Sources: [Original Works]