Research & Development

Claire O'Connell

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Updated final poter

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Views looking out into the gardens

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Updated section perspective better articulating the programs within the space

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Full plan view

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Week 12: Final Presentation Posters

Today’s normalisation of our older demographic being continuously identified within aged-communities or the residential home, has contributed an easy disregard towards their place amongst the wider community. As a result, many older individuals experience negative effects towards their sense of self-worth, identity and wellbeing.

In response to this, my project Intergenerational Exchangeaims to establish place within a shared intergenerational environment to facilitate our older demographic to maintaining connection to the wider community when they reach this life stage, informing a positive, purposeful and continuous quality of life.

Located within the Central Quad of the former Karori Teachers College, and future Ryman Healthcare Retirement Village, Intergenerational Exchangerepresents a community hub that promotes engagement and the exchange of embodied knowledge between generations to take place through programs of practice-based learning activity. The naturalization of this scene therefore aims to further influence our other community environments; establishing age-diverse acceptance, connection and affirm the present and ongoing identities of older individuals throughout New Zealand.

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Final interior program and exchange perspectives capturing the relationship and sharing of knowledge between generations

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Final Images - Perspectives from existing overlooking/connecting to exisiting.

For the vegetation of the Polhill Gardens, I used images that I had documented on my site visit - this gives a very real representation of the vegetation/trees you would see there as it is what exists on site today. 

In these perspectives, I really wanted to capture the relationship of the building to the existing buildings and to the people. In doing this, I wanted to show people living together and overlooking the hub and rooftop gardens - seeing all the activities taking place. It was really awesome and key for me to show this and I am proud of myself for building the existing buildings, walkway and staircase to give a real representation of this hub and its place/relationship with the existent site qualities.

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Final elevations

I decided to leave the earth detailing and focus on showing the shape of the building, as other diagrams can better explain the building being embedded into the earth. I did research through precedent examples of how to potentially show this, however, majority were in section, or just didn't exactly suit what I was trying to show 

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Stuggling to envision how to show that the building is embedded in the earth without giving away all of its shape (as it is in elevation) - exploring hatching over it 

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Programme.

Here, I decided a section perspective will better illustrate all that the hub has to offer and the kinds of programs it can facilitate. The image below, Is an analysis from my proposal in first semester that highlights the concept of liminality and how embracing elements of two different things can result in a hybrid identity and better understanding of one another. This is what has informed my thinking of how the old and young can exchange knowledge with one another and in doing this, can inform a better understanding and respect towards one another at their different stages of life. It is making a cultural change through community social connection in place.

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Trying to show how the hub is embedded into the existing contours of the land. The design of the staircase therefore aims to replicate/acknowledge these contours of the land as It also curves and extends the way the extising land did in its place. I found it quite difficult to acknowledge this in the elevation below, as I like the aesthetic of the line work that delicately shows the contours of the earth, however it is important to show that this building sits within the earth

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Plans and cross sections of structure

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Here is an Iso diagram of how the panels can move, divide and transform the space for different uses. 

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Space

I placed the toilets at the back and darker area of the building

Here is level 1 (the main entrance level). I have designed the space to have a main eating and gathering area infront of the kitchen, with an external bench and sink for easier access to a quick cup of tea and storage for cups and plates etc for gathered eating events. I places the kitchen and workshop next to each other alongside the wall, this is to try can keep the rest of the space visually open and not blocked off. the gall walling of the kitchen and workshop will utilise sound proofing to minimise sound pollution that may disrupt the rest of the space or flood into the downstairs area of the library. 

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Placing structure into the existing site. 

As the structure is a hub for people to gather in from the surrounding existing buildings of the former karori site, it is very important to acknowledge this by putting the building within the site. In doing this, it really helped me better visualise it visual impact from the surrounding buildings and the visual connection the slicing to allow light in has informed. 

Unfortunately, I believe my scale is a bit too large - I find that the scale of my building is quite dominating rather than delicate amongst the other buildings. I should have done this sooner, or double checked my scale as I was modelling it up in sketchup from my rough design drawings of it over the existing plans. I believe it is too late in the design process to scale everything down a bit which is unfortunate. 

However, another important aspect I can now show is also how the building is imbedded in the earth as it extends and drops down into the Polhill Gardens. It will be important for me to communicate this in my final imagery for presentation.

Also, I wanted to acknowledge the brutalist features of the facade of the existing buildings, but then decided to just keep the shape of them without the detailing, as I felt it may take away part of the attention of the hub and also where I cut into the existing to allow light in

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More explorations of the pourist features within my space. I have scaled up the waffle flooring. And am experimenting with a bit more artificial lighting in the bottom level.

Here you can see the structures of the movable panels and how they can move and section different parts of the space

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Rooftop garden design

I decided to create a community rooftop garden. This is a great activity for elders to pass on their knowledge to younger generations either for educational use for younger kids to have general knowledge about plants, or for those in the transitional stages of living and having responsibility for their gardening. I created a wooden pathed walkway that circles the entire rooftop, as well as providing shorter walkways across the widths of areas of the rooftop. The areas in white, are therefore where the garden and plantings will be. Here, you can also see the cutting outs of the skylights that will let light into the building. Around the rooftop, I made sure the pathways are of accessible width for the elderly, with seating in different areas to provide resting spots. I also incorporated fire stairs for emergencies and railing for safety. The rooftop has a 5 degree angle to it - because it is a flat roof, I have done this to allow for drainage. 

Access to the rooftop will have to be taken from the elevator that goes throughout the whole building. However, Its square and metal shape was really disruptive to the outdoor setting. I therefore tried to change this by first creating a shell around it for a Garden wall to grow and keep it slightly hidden away, however the square shaping of this was still disruptive. I therefore explored using more angles (as I have been for most of my designing) for the shape of the garden walling for it. This was a much stronger decision and allows space for seating or storage beside it