Concept 1

Following on from the street metaphor, I developed the idea of the interweaving of paths, similar to that of a city’s roads. From the gallery’s network of corridors, including “intersections” and “roads”, to the positioning of three independent buildings with implied linkages.

Musee de Jeu de Paume

• similar shape --> layout
• materiality - sandstone and glass
• lighting design

Building Development

Colour code:

Red = public places, entrances to site
White = White gallery
Blue = Street/external gallery
Green = Sculpture courtyard
Black = Black gallery
Yellow = Apartment

White gallery: open, glass, displaying paintings, large artworks
External gallery: displaying graffiti artworks on walls
Black gallery: small rooms, maze-like, controlled lighting, displaying small artworks

Basically, two buildings with different characters (perhaps joined at second/third level) displaying different types of art bordered by “streets” displaying graffiti art.

Trying to figure out where to put all the other spaces – storeroom, shop, workshop (to be intermingled with gallery spaces).

Put the apartment at the northern end as the site is quite narrow there 6000mm, other functions possibly wouldn’t work there, and making an apartment 3000mm wide should be fun.

Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland

A VERY interesting case study I found which has significant relevance to my intended scheme...

http://www.architecture.com.au/awards_search?option=showaward&entryno=2007040381

http://www.architectus.com.au/index.php?page=102

“…embodies the ideals of enhanced public connection and accessibility to art and its architecture.”

“…‘urban pavilion', which encourages people to approach and engage with it in various ways.”

“The junction of the ‘white box' gallery is expressed with lightness and openness — which contrasts with the darkness and intimacy of the ‘black box' cinémathèque.”

“Fifteen gallery spaces have their own particular character and function. Each differs in scale, material and use of light.”

“The flexibility of the overall structure accommodates contemporary art's variable nature.”

Further Idea/Narrative Development - The Street

What is at the heart of Newton?


King Street.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtown,_New_South_Wales , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Street,_Newtown)


Musings on the street by Lois Khan:

• "The street is a community room; its walls are the buildings, sky is the ceiling, but it truly is a room."
• "Most cities now don't have little streets, they have great dividers that erase the street quality. When you see little streets in cities that are dead-ended, they still look like community rooms. And those that go straight for great distance have lost their character as rooms.”
• “Streets must be given back to the residences as their community rooms, to the shopping areas as their community rooms.”
• "They are meeting places in full meaning of the city. Roads are not streets.”

Redeveloped concept:

Create a “street” emulating the good of King Street (communality, village-like atmosphere, shops interacting with the streetscape, elements of discovery e.g looking into shops from outside) and eliminating the bad (street traffic – turning the street into a road, noise, fast-paced nature).

SOLUTION: create a street linking King Street to the car park and Camperdown Park at rear, slightly removed from the busyness of King Street, where one can leisurely peruse varied works of art both internally and externally.


Queen Street... an aptly named complement to King.

Site Selected - 1

I have selected Site 1 as I believe it has the greatest potential to meet some of the conceptual themes noted already (i.e communality, interaction with the street).

Also, the surrounding public spaces, the car park and “Camperdown Memorial Rest Park”, makes it possible for the site to act as a link and interact with its context.

Site Selection

Rationale in selecting/not selecting each site:

Site 1:

• narrow, 8-10m
• possibility of access from both front and rear
• close proximity to car park and park - public spaces (works well with the free flow of people idea)
• sufficient solar access for external courtyard at rear
• linear scheme

Site 2:

• 3 different sides facing street - free flow of people
• more removed from King Street, especially south side (better courtyard)
• too many sides to address
• non-linear configuration
• expansive - 600m^2 vs. 400m^2 (site 1)

Site 3:

• too close to busy road/intersection
• too restricted, bounded on all sides by buildings
• limited solar access
• angled front difficult to work with

Conclusion: tossing up between sites 1 and 2.

PROJECT 3: ART GALLERY, SHOP/HOUSE - Initial Concepts/Narrative

The above three images were of particular interest to me.

Here is a basic list of some related themes I picked up from the site visit which I wish to incorporate in my project:

• prevalence of street art - make the gallery "user friendly"; visitors/locals make their own art there; the artists are the art, their history/their story
• small village-like ambience very communal, people making idle chit chat at Franklins, randoms talking to us on the street - make the gallery free flowing, very informal, visitors can come and go as they please
• interaction with the street front - at first I wanted to create a gallery disconnected from the hustle and bustle of Newtown and King Street. I soon realised that this would be quite difficult and unnecessary. The local environ should be embraced, otherwise why would an art gallery be located there, if it were to be disconnected??

Preliminary Narrative:

"An art gallery for the people by the people"

Final Scheme

The original program was maintained for the final model, however the scheme was significantly altered to address the issues highlighted in the first, draft concept.

The three different spaces were consolidated and stacked on top of each other to fit in with its row house context. The final building looks and is of a similar size to an average row house found in Surry Hills.

Three different spaces were created to cater to the three different types of people visiting the building, these were:

1. Group of close friends
2. Couple
3. Oneself

The rooms and openings were intended to reflect the uses of each space.

Group of close friends:

• double height space,
• large kitchen and seating area (eating is a communal activity),
• large skylight (bright room),
• almost full width bi fold doors leading out to courtyard (open plan).

Couple:

• corridor entrance,
• intimately sized room,
• small balcony (for two),
• small skylight + sliding doors = more diffused lighting
  

Oneself:

• access via ladder (feeling of ascension away from the world below, attic),
• small room (limited activities that can take place – sit/sleep and contemplate),
• single opening – cut out from opening is set back 50cm from wall, to only allow side lighting, no direct light – low light in the room.

Final Model and Drawings

Site 2

Using an average sized Surry Hills row house block as a site model.

Dimensions: 4000 x 18000mm.

Inherent design considerations:

• direct natural lighting from the sides of the building near impossible due to their being two-storey common walls with neighbouring blocks - lighting from the roof/ceiling, design roof angles accordingly
• limited width of rooms, don't want to waste space with corridors etc
• second level must not overshadow courtyard - have the site on a north/south orientation, with second (attic) level at southern end

Evaluation of Concept Scheme

The design idea works well, but the design could do with some improvement. Pictures of the first model:

What didn't work:

• entrance looked out of place, needs to be cohesive, "more integrated"
• setting the building back from the entrance boundary
• transition spaces
• too expansive, need to consolidate

What did work:

• varying roof and ceiling heights to reflect different characters of the rooms
• secluded attic space (also light box)
• stepping up through the site
• courtyard