Complex Buildings Research Studio 500 2014/2015. Systems thinking to Increase Social Capital in Midland

Ph.: Curtin University, Perth WA

Introduction 
This international collaborative project is based in the Department of Architecture and Interior Architecture - School of Built Environment (SoBE) Curtin University (Perth, Australia) and Department of Architecture – Politecnico Di Torino (Torino, Italy).

This Perth-Torino Think Tank joint design research studio is envisaged as having shared objectives, organisational structures and modus operandi at both locations – in Italy and Australia.

Both Torino and Perth are epicentres of social, cultural and economic activities. Perth-Torino Think Tank considers Torino and Perth as knowledge centres where there is great opportunity to develop collaborative research in architecture and urban design. Identifying potential areas of research will begin with the 2014 Torino-Curtin Design Studio.
This International Masters Studio, that includes international tutors together with Curtin Faculty, will be supported on the web with an Interactive NewsBlog on Wordpress and a digital diary accessible to participants only.

The first Perth-Torino Think Tank joint design studio will examine the possibilities of the Midland area to the east of central Perth. It is recognized that Midland has a strategic role in demonstrating how Greater Metropolitan Perth can grow compact. Midland has all the qualities that could make it both an urban hub and a regional centre as it has important links to surrounding employment, residential areas, a town centre precinct, rail connection to Perth City and ready access to the food basket of Perth. Enhancing agribusiness in Midland has the potential to provide a unique and exciting identity to the regeneration of Midland

Back Ground
(extract from Draft Midland Master Plan (MMP) 2014 prepared by Hassell)1
The Master Plan for Midland has been prepared to ensure Midland’s ongoing regeneration. Six clear objectives have been articulated in the Master Plan. These are:
To build a sense of place
To promote economic wellbeing
To promote urban efficiency
To enhance connectivity
To promote social inclusion
To enhance environmental integrity

The Challenge
This project will be considered as part of the overall development of the Helena precinct designated in the MMP 2014 with particular focus on the Railway workshops precinct. The intent is to explore the possibilities of creating an intelligent, ecological appropriate design that respects the site’s cultural and built heritage through adaptive reuse and innovative new uses. One of the key challenges is to minimize building footprints and maximize the regeneration of an urban greenbelt.

Using your understanding of the historical/cultural background of Midland and a responsive systems approach to building design you are to design a tertiary educational science hub, commercial food research facility, including an innovative food processing facility for local produce, and urban farming provisions. Bodies such as the Agricultural Institute Australia, the Australian Institute of Horticulture, Department of Agriculture and Food and Landmark could be involved as occupants of such a facility.

In addition short term accommodation that can be used by visitors associated with education/research facility or with the needs of the new nearby hospital is required. The new design is to utilize the existing railway workshop closest to the Helena River (Locomotive and Railcar building). At ground level a landscaped greenbelt with public facilities is to be used in creating an urban public realm that melds the un-meldable - from the proposed new railway station, around the historic railway workshops to the Helena river greenbelt.

Building requirements

The following enclosed areas are suggested:
Food research/food processing 3,000 m2
Tertiary education science hub 10,000 m2
Residential 80 residential units

These functional areas (which will be over numerous levels) are to form the basis of the design. However other complimentary uses may be included should they form a part of your design strategy. The actual areas (m2) are a guide only.

It is important that the design engages with the heritage building both in context and function

The process
Prior to commencing your design, the following range of GROUP activities will need to be undertaken to fully inform all students of site specific issues, constraints and opportunities. As you would all now recognize design is a collaborative process and discussion of your projects with others is valuable.
All of the activities/deliverables will form part of your folio.

You will be required to develop the following:-

Precedence Studies
A detailed investigation of similar international exemplar projects and their relevance to this project
_ Deliverable: This is to be presented to the studio via electronic presentation (10 slides)

Heritage Study
The site (and precinct) has a rich social, cultural and built form heritage that will contribute to, and inform your design solution.
_Deliverable: This will be a desk top study of the site history and the remaining heritage buildings on the site. This is to be presented to the studio via electronic presentation (3 minute video presentation)

Site Analysis
This involves an analysis of different aspects of the site and its immediate surroundings. Ie topography, existing structures, roads, services, service points, access ways etc
_ Deliverable: diagrammatic drawings with notation (1 x A1 sheet)

Urban Design Strategy/modelling
Develop an understanding of the social, cultural, physical, historical, social, and environmental influences in the broader precinct .How will those influences inform an Urban Strategy for your design proposal.
_Deliverable: diagrammatic drawings (with notations) (2D or 3D optional) (1 x A1 sheet)

Opportunities and constraints
Graphical analysis of the sites environmental, physical, historical, social and cultural opportunities and constraints
_ Deliverable: diagrammatic drawings(2D or 3D optional) with notation (1 x A1 sheet)


INDIVIDUAL design activity will commence with the identification of an aspirational focus.

Aspirational focus/Design Strategy
Focuses on the objectives of the project expressed in MMP (2014) and acquired information from the group submissions, the desired outcomes and the enablers of those outcomes - “this is what the research has identified as being of major importance” and “a range of design principles that will guide and inform your design”. (a design approach or design strategy)
_Deliverable: A1 diagrammatic and written submission (2D or 3D)

Concept Design
1. Master planning - site spatial /planning studies that respond to your Design Strategy, Site Analysis and Opportunity and Constraints analysis.
2. Concept design work that investigates the functional relationship of spaces both vertically and horizontally; volumetric studies (blocking and stacking), planning studies, servicing etc. 

Graphically explore the ideas that support and underpin your “Design Strategy” along with a range of preliminary landscape ideas. _Deliverable: diagrammatic - plans; 3D studies; preliminary landscape plan, preliminary sections, design strategies (3 x A1 sheets)

Schematic Design

Detailed development of the concept design phase providing clarity and context to your “Design Strategy” using developed planning diagrams, elevations, sections, block modeling, photographs, 3D imagery. 

The level of presentation should be suitable to enable a client to full understand the project and the strategies and ideas that underpin the solution.
_Deliverable: diagrammatic - Developed plans and sections, 3D studies. This material should be suitable for a client presentation (6 x A1 sheets)

Folio
_Deliverable: The format of the folio is at the discretion of each student. The folio should be compiled to optimize and illustrate your work over the semester. The material contained within the folio should be both written and graphical. In addition to the semester’s “Deliverables” the folio should contain an appendix containing sketches, research, design processes and presentations that contributed to your design process.
This folio also requires photographs of a 1:500 styrene block model of the area from the new railway station to the Helena River to demonstrate the massing and urban design approach.


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End note

1) The Master Plan should be read in conjunction with the following: 

_WA Planning Commission’s Directions 2031 and Beyond: a strategic planning strategy that guides Perth’s growth and urban form;

_WAPC’s State Planning Policy 4.2: Activity Centres for Perth and Peel;

_City of Swan’s Midland Activity Centre Master Plan (2013); and

_MRA’s Strategic Plan 2014-2018.

The Curtin/Turin Poly Midland Think Tank Scopes and “mission”.

New Midland a vision for future Perth: a narrative.

The Midland Think Tank is a joint urban design, visioning and research venture established between Curtin SOBE (Curtin School of Built Environment) and Turin Poly DAD (Dipartimento di Architettura e Design, Politecnico di Torino).
The “mission” of the Midland Think Tank is to research and study through specific design experiences, visions and concepts for a “new city”.
The cross cultural venture will allow an innovative approach to problems and develop documented urban design solutions, new architectural visions and innovative technology applications.
Turin/Perth: Turin has a history of two thousand years of medium/high density urban design successes and failures. Perth has an urgent need to envisage an urban design culture that extends beyond bungalow housing - a culture able to thrive and meet the complex challenges of the 21st century. Both SOBE and DAD have the specific qualifications, as schools of architecture with strong technical backgrounds, to interact to create vital innovative propositions.

Midland
Midland, 20 km North East of Perth CBD, is a challenging area with huge potential. It is characterized by underutilized historic industrial buildings, abandoned commercial buildings, large expanses of parking lots and bungalow housing. It is one of the few suburban areas in Perth still surrounded by food producing land. Midland provides rail services to the east and north east as well as a regular train service to central Perth. It is an area ripe for change. However without a radical “new comprehensive urban vision” Midland is almost certainly doomed: little residential appeal, little commercial appeal, no economic draw card.
This is why Midland has been chosen for the first Think Tank exercise: to demonstrate how the strengths of a location together with design inspiration can attract people to want to live, work, learn and play in this compact Perth suburb.

A “new urban paradigm”
The exercise will be an in-depth exploration of a “new urban paradigm”. Higher densities, pedestrian- friendly streets, minimal long distance commuting, high percentage of local jobs, child-friendly urban environment, appealing residential architectural design… walking trails, vertical gardens, urban farming, alternative energy generation and grid integration.
Not a “dormitory” suburb: a full time living experience, residential, working, studying, entertainment, permanent education, new professions, senior citizens care.
A place to go and a place to live.
Any new urban paradigm must consider long term sustainability from socio-cultural, environmental and economic perspectives.

The new Midland vision will include socio-cultural sustainability by:
_revitalizing Midland to support a strong local community
_reusing existing building stock,
_providing new jobs associated with an enhanced food industry
_providing a new approach to indigenous food culture.

Environmental sustainability will come about through:
_reducing urban sprawl
_maintaining and enhancing agricultural land
_using the latest technologies to create low energy, low waste buildings

Economic sustainability will occur through investment in all aspects of the agri-food arena.

Technologies could include:
Climate responsive systems, passive heating and cooling, solar thermal, solar PV, wind turbines, sophisticated energy storage systems (such as latest generation fly wheels with high speed rotation, magnetic suspension in vacuum containers)

Jobs could include:
Slow food, Zero K food, local food processing, gourmet restaurants, food/health culture services, quality catering for schools and social institutions.
University and professional training in catering.
Food for the new hospital: 1200 people (staff, patients & relatives) will require 3600 meals a day ($2 M a year business) procurement, packaging, processing, delivery, waste recovery and waste processing, organic recycling: a full cycle.

Education
New Midland would become a permanent urban design testimonial and urban management teaching structure. The University of food, professional training, permanent teaching structures and labs.

Sponsors Campaign
Target: 10 sponsors for $10 K each. Total target $ 100.000.00

Sponsors will be sought among
Small medium industries:
Food processing, Catering, Packaging, energy technologies, solar thermal, solar PV, wind generators, building components, advanced food production, individual mobility devices.
Local authorities:
Midland Municipality, MRA, City of Perth, Government of Western Australia, Western Australian Planning Authority,

What will the sponsor get
Advanced knowledge, technological innovation, know how, design competence, design vision, green buildings technicalities, qualified image, high public visibility, contacts, networking, cultural status, political status and technical credibility. A two part Report –Part 1 Building technology, Part 2 Agri-food.

Cash value of the results
15 “New Midland” Urban Projects for a total of 2160 student hrs plus 320 hours of critical thinking of Curtin SOBE/Turin Poly DAD faculty.
Total time approximate worth: $ 150 000.00

Knowledge value of the results: priceless.

Andrea Terranova, Understanding the Concept of“Slow” (1). The “Right” the “True” and the “Good” in Design Communication

Architectural design today is “self centered”:  the defining issues do not take into account the need to communicate the beauty, the resources the technology but above all, do not care about the users.  Designers please themselves with forms, technology, materials, energy wisdom but, generally, neglect the people. A “user centered” design is lacking:   The requirements of those who live in the designed spaces should be the main scope of design. In the following short comment I try to define the features of a “user centered design” process.

It is possible today to assume and propose criteria and practices that can bring back “right, true and good” to design communication.

In such a framework the “privilege of users” must be acknowledged, i.e. of those who receive the communication, as opposed to those who produce it. 

To respect the user we must know him.

The knowledge of the user rejects standard paradigms - good for any situation - since producer and user must stand on equal ground: which necessarily implies achieving a stronger communication capability.

In this way communication will retrieve its original meaning - still embedded in the etymology of the term - to put in common to share.

Communication as “sharing” implies an active, equal relationship between user and producer; a space between the two will be made available which does not belong to either one of them, a democratic space of dialogue.

A space of mutual loyalty to face the “right, the true, the good” implies four basic conditions: clarity, lightness, depth, respect.

Clarity in the communication mode, avoiding the unnecessary use of foreign terms, ambiguities, innuendos, unaccountable promises.

Lightness requires a minimal mental and environmental impact to process content and form.

Depth chastises banality, superficiality, haste and poor communication.

Respect of cultural, social, political and religious conventions and symbols.

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(1) “Slow” as in the  the concept of Slow Culture, an idea and a practice proposed and implemented by Carlo Petrini (Slow Food Movement).