Week 6: Question

What are the meaningful findings from your site analysis/context research, which inform your master plan and conceptual design process?

By applying Urban Informatics to the design process, the site analysis and context research was all about the real-time of the site, meaning understanding users and experiencing the site in person multiple times of the day and week.

In the design process of Southbank site analysis, an intimate understanding of the site was analysed. Analysis on how people used the site was very important. As there were certain spaces and pattern of interaction within the same spaces was quite common. This allowed the design process to understand what was needed and what was unnecessary for the community that was using the space.

By these findings, the master planning and conceptual design was influenced by how users would use the space and the key connections that needed to make. The non-existing connection of spaces as well as neglected spaces of the users influenced the overall form of the master planning and programming.

Week 5: Question

 

Based on today’s lecture by Marcus foth, how do you think urban informatics can be applied to architecture and your design process?

To future proof the architectural role in the industry, it is important as architects to understand and apply urban informatics to the design process. In the end of the day we need to ask ourselves who are designing for and if caters for what the stakeholders need.

When it comes down to a building, it comes down to who uses it and how the community works. By understanding the transportation route of a city, meeting hubs, networking etc, we start to understand the city we are designing for and the community.

By applying urban informatics to the analysis and design process, the design of a building or a space would be more than just a generic building that have no specific relations to what the community needs but a space/building that caters and gives what the general public is wanting Therefore its not the users that adjust to the building but it’s the building that adjusts to the users.

Week 4: Question

How has the site evolved from its original state to its current condition?  

South bank has a great history when it comes to how it was evolved and what it is today. It was primarily used for the European settlement in 1840 and was used originally as shipping wharves and industrial warehouses.

In 1893, most businesses were relocated to the northern banks (the city) of Brisbane due to the great floods of Southbank, which soon became a major port and industrial area.

However after the Second World War, south bank was becoming neglected and an unused site until in 1988, the government decided to use Southbank precinct as the “88 World expo” site.

After the “88 expo”, South Bank Corporation was established in 1989 to develop and manage a 42 hectare mixed use precinct on the Brisbane River which includes 17 hectares of Parklands. In 1992 the opening of new Southbank Parklands was announced allowing tourist and the community to use Southbank as an area of play and rest and even to this day, constant renovation and change is happening to the site to cater for the community.