ARCH1222 - Steven Holl's Swiss Embassy Residence

ARCH1261 Structures and Construction 2 - Detailed Wall Section Model

ARCH1202 - Parramatta Music Theatre

The Parramatta River plays an important role in Parramatta, joining heritage and modern buildings together.  This proposal attempts to reinsert this notion into the theatre complex, with a long porous 'backbone' linking the three solid boxes (which houses the theatres and library).

Buildings of different heights and uses are clustered into the city, creating a sense of fragmentation.  The openings in the proposal's ‘backbone' are of different sizes, bringing this sense further into the interior of the building. 

Large Theatre, Playhouse and Restaurant occupy each of the solid boxes.

A long ramp in the 'backbone' not only takes one gradually from one floor to another, it also introduces a sculptural element to the longitudinal space.

The Parramatta Music Theatre is located by the river and next to a park.

The 'boxes' are oriented towards Church Street (commercial street)  to  attract more public attention

The restaurant and music store are located separately from the two theatres so that the public can enjoy these facilities even  when there are no performances.

ARCH1202 Submission 4 - Progress

Proposed buildings are arranged to encourage visitors to use the area  as a pathway to other parts of Parramatta.  Cafe, box office and music store are to be located on the side facing Church Street, trying to extend the more lively commercial and dinning areas from the south across the river to Alfred Park.    

An alternative design scheme consists of large slanted roofs to allow natural lighting to penetrate into the building and bounce off at an angle so as to illuminate the atrium gently, creating a comfortable environment for the visitors. 

ARCH1202 Submission 3 - Concepts

Concepts of Paramatta Theatre Design Proposal - The stadium, railway station, civic place and ferry piers are some of the places of interest in Parramatta, together with the layout of the streets, which will be taken into account when proposing the design of the theatre.  The site has great potential in enhancing the movement of people between the two sides of the river, with existing 'dead' green areas limiting the circulation path. From the precedents studies, both Peter Zumthor and Alvar Aalto were able to integrate their churches harmoniously with the landscape, with the Saint Benedict Chapel half embedded into the slope and the Riola Parish Church's outline referencing to the mountainous nature of the area.  These ideas are incorporated into the Parramatta Theatre design proposal to try to integrate the proposed buildings with the nearby context, with the building outline mimicking the landscape and the buildings aligning to the Parramatta river.

The proposed theatre consists of 3 buildings which houses a large theatre, a small theatre and offices respectively.  Preparation spaces and service areas are available in both theatre buildings for more convenient uses.

The design proposes to attract pedestrians to walk through the site from the Lennox Bridge down to the riverside. People are encouraged to walk on the 'roofs', which lead them gently down.  The sloping of the roofs not only helps to act as a guide to a path, but also serves as performing spaces for audiences to gather.  

The roofs become stages of their own, allowing people to showcase themselves.  

Gentle sloping of the roof is in harmony with the surrounding typography

The buildings are embedded into the slope to integrate with the park area

Facades are aligned to the Parramatta river and different circulation paths

ARCH1202 Project 2 - Precedent Studies

Left - Saint Benedict Chapel, Middle - Sydney Opera House, Right - Riola Parish Church

Apart form being assembly places to house gatherings and performances, these 3 curved buildings have become landmarks and are recognized from all over the world.

Saint Benedict Chapel, is located in the small Swiss town of Sumvitg.  When the former chapel was destroyed by an avalanche in 1984, Peter Zumthor designed this church and was completed in 1988.  While the use of timber cladding blends the chapel with its surrounding buildings, it's teardrop shape, the tall bell tower and its setting on a vantage point in the alpine valley allow it to stand out from the village.  Due to different levels of weathering, the colour of timber cladding on each direction varies from silver to warm orange, creating a gradient of natural colours on the chapel's surface. 

The structure of the chapel is similar to that of a leaf, with its vein running along and acting as support.  The vein structure continues from the roof to the walls, forming the "base" of the whole building.  The double-heighted timber columns leads one's eye upwards to the openings, giving a sense of space in an enclosed space which is actually quite small.  This effect is further enhanced with the use of metal in the interior walls, reflecting the light from the openings and illuminating the hall. 

Designed by Jorn Utzon, Sydney Opera House is no doubt one of the most recognized buildings in the world.  When one travels up to the podium, the view of the harbour is being blocked by the stairs, leaving only the "sails" and the blue skies in sight.  With just glass underneath, there is a sense of lightness and the sails seem to be floating in midair.

Apart from the appearance of the exterior, Jorn Utzon put a lot of effort in designing the performance spaces.  Wave and  tree branches were the inspiration of the minor and major hall.  The wave forms would flow elegantly along with the music from the performing stage to the audiences in the minor hall, while the complex branch-like forms would spread out from the convertible stage which could be placed in 6 different settings for different audiences engagement in the major hall.  However, none of the above were being transformed into reality due to the dispute between the Australian government and the architect.  It is such a pity that Jorn Utzon's original ideas were not reflected on the Opera House.

The Parish Church in the Italian small town of Riola designed by Alvar Aalto, with its baptistery was finished in 1978.  The curved roof diffuse light entering through the building, "transmitting" them along the wall.  The curves are placed closer to each other at the western end to intensify the lighting there.  Along with asymmetrical rib reducing in size towards that end, all these lead one's focus towards to the altar and the cross on the western end, emphasizing the presence of  the holy spirit in the church.

The church locates in the mountainous region of Italy next to a stream, nature plays an important part in the site.  The exterior profile of the church, along with the slanted top of the bell tower, forms an axis, addressing the forms of the mountains surrounding the town.  That shape of the landscape is continued in the interior with the help of the shape of the structural ribs.    

ARCH1202 Project 1 - Poster

With all the contents of the concertina books being hand-drawn, the posters were also being drawn by hand for coherence.

Parramatta seems to be straight-forward and well organised with its grid-like streets.  However, when walking along the streets of the place, one could notice that it is a place full of contrasts and combinations, with buildings of different heights and era clustered together.  This notion is enhanced further with different kinds of cuisines being available in restaurants along the same street, which is Church Street.

In the posters, this observation is being highlighted by including fragmented shapes and views of the city.  The historical maps show how Parramatta has evolved from its earliest settlements to the grid system nowadays as more and more people began to settle in Parramatta, especially after the completion of the railway.