Lifestyle note

Though not pictured here, every week we also need to make a floor plan and section drawings for the Architecture Design classes. Since I am not very skilled in autoCAD and Illustrator it is really hard to keep u with the pace. There are also other classes with (some) homework and in a few weeks there will be tests and reports to make.

At the moment it has become normal for me to go to bed  between 01:00 am and 04:00 am. Most of the days I have to get up before 07:00. In the Netherlands I have never done that before and thought I would not be able to do that, but I realized that my body is quite strong.

Paying attention to what I eat is difficult since eating outdoor is very cheap and the vegetables and fruit in the supermarket are expensive. But I think it helps and sporting 2 or 3 times a week is also good for relaxation.  

Architecture Design: Project in Murwillumbah

After 7 weeks working in the class of Architecture Design, here is some progression.

The assignment is to design a Visitor Center at Wollumbin Street in the city of Murwillumbah in Australia. The site is around 19 x 51m and is located near the center of the city. Nearby is a river and next to the site are a park and parking spot.

The environment.

At first we did research about the functions, contents and possibilities of visitor centers by looking for existing references. Other information, such as the history, climate, culture, tradition and typical architecture of Australia was also gathered by everyone.

Discussing the information.

A large part of the class actually went to Australia to examine the site and the location. Based on their findings and information from the internet, we built a scale model of the environment.

The working space for the architecture students.

A series of cars.

For the design of the Visitor Center, a number of requirements were set:

- Reception Area
- Orientation Space
- Exhibition Space
- Cafe
- Kitchen
- Kitchen Store
- Staff Room
- Shop
- Art Gallery
- Meeting Room
- Offices
- Store Room
- Garage
- Public Toilets

First plan: playing around with connections between each space.

After the first plan, I decided to separate most of the spaces and create small buildings that are connected with bridges. The concept is to make a passage between the park on the front and the shopping street at the back. By elevating these island-like buildings on poles and creating a lot of spaces with sunlight, the area will be more inviting to enter. The poles are an important element since this area of Australia floods almost every year.

My rough, second design (in blue) placed in the scale model 1:100.

The bridge that connects the park with the back street. The buildings are along that path.

Third model in which some roofing is added.

For the next time, research must be done about the angle of the light coming in and the difference in height since the area is sloping and has a small hill. Other details are the construction and the style (decorations) in which the buildings will be made.