Week 15 - Reflection on the Unit

This has been quite an interesting yet unusual unit. I have found it very enjoyable, but the amount of uni work with my other subjects and other things that have been going on this semester have made it very difficult. It has been nice having such a long period of time for the final assignment and I'm sure it has led to better ideas being developed more.  Around the time of week 11 and 12 I was in a  fair bit of trouble with this assignment due to the other subjects all being due at the same time. I fell that I have pulled the assignment back nicely from where I was to where I finished. Though it is not quite as developed as what I would have liked, the ideas really can never be fully developed. There will always be other ideas. 

I have found my tutor Ruwan very helpful, especially when I needed it. I am sorry that I turned up to some tutorials with very little to show, but the other subjects due throughout this assignment did not allow for much work to be done weekly.

Thanks for the semester Yasu and Ruwan.

Week 15 - A1 Presentation Panel

After creating the first A1 panel in Landscape, this is my amended version.

Week 15 - Concrete Square Detail

The concrete squares sit in a grid that alternate over the level as seen in previous blogs.  The image below shows the concrete square sitting in place

How the concrete square sites in the hole with the particular edges that hold it in place.

The diagram below shows the concrete square removed from the hole.

The diagram below shows a smaller section placed into the hole to allow for access through the corridors. As the corridors are 6m wide and the cut outs are 6m wide too, a smaller section must be put in place to allow people to access all parts of the underground community.

The section below shows how the concrete squares sit in place within the cut outs. Also shows the shape of the concrete squares  relative to the holes.

Week 15 - A1 Panel

Week 15 Renders - Mimicking Windows

To help people adjust to living underground, they will be able to have mimicking windows installed. The mimicking windows create an illusion that make the outside environment appear like a different place. People may wish to have no illusion appear, and they are able to see the persons dwelling next door.

The image below shoes a dwelling where a person wishes to have their old next door neighbours house appear in the window. This gives them a sense of familiarity and helps them adjust to the underground living.

The image below shows a dwelling where person has chosen to display a beautiful landscape or water scenario. The mimicking windows allows a person to display any image they like and the windows do, through and optical illusion, make it seems as though they are looking out the windows to the place they have chosen.

Week 15 Renders - U.V Lighting

The diagram below is a very quick image of the U.V lighting within the corridors. The power will be sourced from the U.V solar panels, which store the power in the service cube. This light will feed all of the vegetation within the corridors and peoples dwelling yards.

Week 15 Renders - Personalisation of Dwellings

Each dwelling can be done entirely to suit the person or people moving in. For this reason all layouts and materials can be chosen and installed within. The images below show the various different styles within and outside the dwellings. The building materials can be chosen and installed as thin tile like objects that have the appearance of brick or timber for example and only take up a very small amount of space. The first image below shows a dwelling occupying two level  which would be seen as a family dwelling. It has a small yard surrounding the house for access and has brick and plasterboard walls.

The image below is of the same house, but showing a closer look of the small grass surrounding the house.

The image below shows the brick walls chosen for the interior and the timber floors.

The dwelling below contains plasterboard walls and carpeted floors. Note that the windows are not all like this, and can be personalised to different shapes, sizes and styles whilst still including the mimicking windows feature. 

The image below shows a combination of brick and plasterboard styles with a double level dwelling.

The last image is a personalisation of the exterior of the house. The people of this dwelling have chosen to include a front garden and a brick styled house. Note that the exterior also can be given a material look like brick or timber to suit. It is whatever suits the person moving in, and however they wish their dwelling to look. 

Week 15 Renders - Pre Fab Dwellings

All houses within the underground community will be pre fabricated concrete panels. The two images below show the panels separated and then placed together to form the dwelling. All panels come in various sizes, however the largest panel is 2.5m wide x 2.05 m tall. All panels are this height to allow for the morphing of concrete walls. 

Before a person moves in the decide on the design and layout of the house including all of the personalisation within and the windows. This allows the prefabrication to be included so the mimicked windows and the doors can easily be installed once the panels are in place. 

Week 15 Renders - DwellingTypologies

These are the different dwelling typologies within the underground community. They are not all of the types, but they are the main ones that would be seen. The first image below is the half dwelling (6m x 12x). These would occur if two separate and unrelated people did not want to occupy a full single dwelling each because of the size. Sort of like a studio apartment in size. 

This is a single dwelling (12m x 12m). Only occupies one level and the concrete squares would not be used (therefore covered by the floors and roof)

The typology below is a double dwelling double story (2 x 12m x 12m), where the person chooses to occupy two floors. The concrete squares can be removed to suite the layout of their dwelling.

The typology below is a double dwelling single storey (12m x 24m). No concrete squares are removed in this typology.

The final typology is the family dwelling. In this case (12m x 24m). This sort of dwelling can occupy two levels rather than one.

These are not the set typologies, and people may choose to occupy more, less or different styles within.

Week 15 Renders - Shafts

There are four main vertical shafts within the design. The image below is a plan view of one of the shafts. This particular shaft has vegetation with (as they all do) and the water body. These shafts provide a vegetated and unique space for people to relax within and enjoy to try and escape the concrete for a short time and get amongst the vegetation and natural elements. 

The image below shows a perspective view of the green shaft seen above. The water body, the trees and the vegetation surrounding the whole shaft can be seen. 

The diagram below is a sectional view of one of the vegetation shafts. This particular diagram shows the earth directly next to the underground community, the car recycling centre above and the light penetrating through that car centre into the underground community. The vegetation can also be seen throughout the shaft and it provides a very dense and forest like feel within.

Week 15 Renders - Green Corridors

The green corridors are a main feature within the underground community. They provide a getaway or a mask for the people to the underground lifestyle and try to recreate something similar to what people had when they were living on the surface. Because of the advancement in the bioengineering of plants, the vegetation can thrive underground and people are able to have grass, vines and creepers as well as any other small tree of plant. The image below shows the corridor with grass to either side and a number of small trees within in the space. Here people can sit on the grass and enjoy the 'sunlight' and cool breeze flowing through the space. Here in this location however they have no traffic or white noise to distract them and they can site in peace and quiet.

The second image below shows the corridor on the level above where the small tree from the level below has grown through one of the concrete squares that have been removed. Here on this level, people are still able to walk past, because of the small section that have been put in place for people to walk over. The vines and creepers are thriving and one can walk through an environment unique and nothing similar to anything they've walked through before, when above ground. 

Week 15 - Final Power Point Pres

Week 15 Renders - Access to other U.G Communities

As discussed in earlier blogs, the Queen St Underground community will have access to other underground communities. The map below shows the other underground car parks which have been transformed into underground communities. These will all be interconnected with each other as well as others that exist further than the extents of this map. 

Plan map of the underground community. Also shows the walkways leading to the other communities. Some walkways also lead to public transport which is the major transport available in society.

Perspective image of people walking from the Queens St underground community to the Winter garden underground community.