Final Word-

The Torquay College project was highly demanding and stressful but extraordinarily rewarding also. We were able to develop a cohesive and thoughtful masterplan that would tackle the traffic issues associated with the site as well as cope with the cold south west winds but also use the passive solar properties of the northern sun.

Our teams building forms were highly sophisticated and thought out and all followed a very similar stance, without being mimics of each other. They interacted with each other and they complemented each other.

I was able to develop a solution for the sports centre that would mean that it could be used by both the public and the school and be a versatile space. I think i was able to create a sustainable option for a very difficult problem through ground-coupled geothermal loops, northern aspect and water harvesting. I also think that it would be a very enjoyable space to be in. The very simple geometry that i started with formed a very complex and intriguing building.

Our group presented very well and Sam seemed to really enjoy the well thought out and well organised presentation. I am very proud of the guys in the group who were forced to get out of their comfort zones and to design something that was bearing fathomable in their head, let alone on paper.

Presentation Posters

Video

Site photos

Model Photos

3D printing- the simplicity Vs the 'oh my god its going to cost how much?'

3d printing or prototyping is an interesting one. im sure youve all seen the awesome looking models in the 'monkey house' near the computer labs...

this was nearly the only option for me. the form (albeit based on simple geometry) was very complex to even attempt to hand build it.

the other advantage was that i could use my existing computer model and it would be 100% accurate. but i can assure you its not that simple.

first you have to get everything to fit into a 200x250x200 box...that was ok, but its the height the really makes it expensive as it take longer... and at 80cents per minute, youd want it to get through it QUICK!

Then theres is errors in your model. what looks amazing in a render possibly doesnt look amazing to the very expensive bit of machinery. so its a constant back and forth effort to get the model going... but the proof should be in the final product i hope... which i pick up tomorrow

Here is the shell of the model and how i cut it up to reduce the height


this is the box it must fit in


this is exactly how it SHOULD look...


and the joys of having errors in your model-pink is good, grey is BAD...


the model is all pink! FINALLY

how its all coming together thus far.

interior view trialling timber floor and shadows/reflections

Framing...

LVLs and lots of them-

The Sports Stadium

The Initial Concept...and where it came from

I was interested in the damping wave from and how i could create interesting building form from a very very simple set of geometric curves.

This idea came from a spiral whose amplitude gets smaller as it moves away from the centre. You then mirror that spiral in all four directions and thus you end up with 4 spirals intersecting on the sides and at the top and bottom- as shown here...


Once all the lines are filled in with a mesh, it gives you another set of interesting curves and it looks as though the skin is streched over the frame, just like in the very first esquisse we did!

Analysis of the Brief

Teaching Spaces-2500m2- Rohan McCarthy
-400-500 students- 15-20 classrooms-
-food technology centre- connected to café? 130-160m2
-Science Department- chemistry, biology and physics.-300m2
-general teaching spaces- to be opened to a large area- at least 75m2 per class.
-library- public
-student recreation room-common room (café?)
-small focus teaching rooms- up to 8 students
-outdoor learning- north facing
-student toilets
-cleaners facilities
-locker room-

Music and performing arts centre-700m2-Daniel Calder
-general teaching rooms- 10 students
-personal tuition rooms-
-auditorium
-recording rooms
-storage
-digital music production room
-visual arts centre- graphics, art room, photography, screen printing-180-220m2
-technology centre-
-multi media centre- film making

Sport centre-28000x15000 x 2 (Basketball courts)-Aaron Poupard
-full size basketball court
-seating- fold away?
-offices
-storage room
-public access?
-toilets/change rooms
-trophy display
-gym

Administration-550m2- Thomas Young
-foyer- couches
-reception desk-
-screened area for counting money
-sick bay- private but window to be easily viewed by staff
-student welfare, careers counseling, general counseling
-principles office
-assistant principles office
-business managers office
-student admin
-storage (document archive)
-staff photocopying
-staff room for 60 staff members
-staff toilets
-conference rooms

Building form-
wave form

Sustainability-
-Water collection and storage-huge opportunity for sports stadium
-Orientation- solar potential- passive heating
-recycled materials-low embodied energy
-passive cooling-ventilation
-natural lighting-diffusing

Trial Form

Without being too surf coast cliche, we tried a sand dune kind of form as a way of dealing with the prevailing winds and to incorporate the landscape into the building forms.

South Westerly Wind

Another important issue for us was the prevailing south westerly wind. Although not the only strong winds Torquay gets, it is certainly the coldest and must be blocked from the south west. This can be done through the building form, as well as through vegetation. There is certainly no prospect on that south west corner of the site. It is a dead corner and is best utilized by blocking it off.

Masterplanning

One of our groups main focuses for making a year 10-12 school viable in this area was to minimise the load on traffic in the area. We have introduced a roundabout a couple of hundred metres up from the intersection of the surf coast hwy and grossmans rd. This means that the main point of access to the site is on the east, thus leaving grossmans rd untouched. A traffic light setup would not be possible or popular as it was bottleneck traffic between the new site entry and grossmans rd.

R.A.R.E Architecture-YouTube

Computer Models-

I hope they speak for them selves

Model Finished...

The Model Nearing Completion

Heres how it all looks with the panels in, the glass in, and the walls, roof and floor in... just waiting to complete the corners.

This may suprise you but it didnt take as long as first expected. Dont get me wrong, 1500 pieces wasnt exactly a walk in the park, but it came together without too many dramas.

Stairs and Ramp

In keeping with the modular squares, we have come up with this stair and ramp layout.

Desk Fly Around

more or less testing out the video options for our final video...

Student Desk and Storage Unit

Here are a few colour options for the modular desks.

Laser Cutting

over 1500 pieces...

is it too late to try another design?

The Square Form

We stuck with the panel system within the lattice framework, but simplified the panels into a square. This square is broken up into quaters to then the centre is pulled out to form a pyramid.

Here we can gain full control of the 4 facades and roof by altering the panels that go into the frame work, thus making it as verstatile as possible.

One issue we encountered was how to turn the corner, and like all buildings, the how you turn the corner makes or breaks the idea. Here we have gone with a 'folded in' solution where the corners of the structural frame are mitred to 45 degrees and the panels fold in to the space created between.

We are certainly on the right track to coming up with an interesting solution. The laser cutter will be used for the intricate pieces. Cant wait to see how it looks in three dimensions.