Roof top spaces

I played with a few options in regard to the roof top bbq spaces. Certain elements were needed: balustrading, shade/shelter and adequate circulation space. To access this particular roof terrace, the lift/stairs located on the West would take you up to the terrace level which via catwalk would take to the the terrace connected via a door in the atrium. 

As mentioned the bbq and shade canopy could be folded and recessed into the terrace slab. I chose a central and symmetrical position to allow for adequate mingling/dining space on either side of the bbq's.

The balustrade on the terraces would be glass with the honeycomb pattern visible as a cue to visually put the residents within the brand of the Hive regardless of where exactly they were.

Lighting played a vital part on these levels to continue the aesthetic feel that is shown on the elevations. It also adds to the versatility of these spaces by shown their different moods to suit different occasions from laundry to weddings.

Development of the vegetable and herb garden

The vegetable and herb garden was an important part of the narrative and the communal system employed by the Hive. I wanted a garden that wasn't as open to the public as the main one situated on the ground level. Vegetables and herbs are essential to healthy meals and seeing as though the meals every evening are shared together with every member of the Hive, it proved fitting to have them produced at one location for the people and by the people. The space above the loading dock presented itself as the right location. It was a good size for the size of the building and it faced toward the north allowing it to receive a good amount of sunlight throughout the day. Having no roof over let itself be watered by the Brisbane rains.

Specific herbs such as Jasmine featured in the image below for a couple of reasons. Personally I enjoy the taste and smell and secondly it features in the narrative as a token of love and kindness between members of the Hive.

Developing the roof cont.

Further to the Hive roof joining the atriums, I wanted to achieve a total connection between the roof and the facades of the structure. This in my opinion would help break up the facade bulk and allow for a change in facade treatments ant this connection threshold. See the images below for the development precess.

Both North, South and Western facades are cut by the new wrapping roof structure creating a succinct and connected element. Seen below the vertical elements add to this dynamic connecting the roof over the internal East-West atrium.

The angles created by the slope of the roof help bring the height of the structure aesthetically lower at the corner of Latrobe and Morris.

The different facade treatments at this point add to the chaotic and interlocking feel of the hive but with the connecting roof linking all the elements, the steadfast program of the building's philosophy remains.

Even though the treatment is shown as yellow, this was purely to set the two facade elements apart when importing the model into the rendering software. the ideals of the Queenslander will be implemented here by use of the horizontal timber cladding.

The tessellation of the floor plates can be seen in the image above which is then grounded by the uniform wrapping roof system.

Creating the roof

It was important to me that the structure of the atriums which supported the roof be expressed from both the internal and the external of the design. I wanted this to occur to allow a visual connection between the existing grid system being used and how it ties the Hive together. See the development below.

Seen below I originally had the portal frames staggered in height to give way to a random type nature common in natural bee hives.

Activating Warmington street

Warmington Street in the current Paddington Central site is definitely one of those situations where using the existing street access would not work on its own. Seen below the existing access steps and structure to the right is retained however to the left a new design solution has been worked on.

The design solution consists of new large entry steps, a public pool with waterfall and a two storey open gym. The entry steps rise from the Latrobe Terrace side and gently head toward the pool terrace level. To vertically connect the pool to Warmington street I designed to have an infinity edge and gently  cascade via large steps until it meets the footpath. This I believe helps break up the verticality at this location and creates a nice organic alternative to its rather stagnant original feel.

The two storey gym with its glass facade adds to the visual street activation as passers by can see the activity going on inside and perhaps go in to take a closer look.

A change in window plane also breaks up the face's verticality.

The building as a whole reflects this stepped approach to the street level to help soften its height and bring it closer and more relatable to a human scale.

Disabled access at this point can be achieved by entering doors to the left of the stairs and then taking the lift seen at the rear of the pool terrace.

Facade inspiration

http://www.traditionalqueenslanders.com.au/gallery/Queenslander/large/6.jpg

The iconic Queenslander is a historical and sentimental icon for many Queensland residents. Its large roofs and verandas coupled with its horizontal timber cladding give it its famous appearance. As the city of Brisbane grows more dense in the future it is predicted that a lot of these unique homes will be demolished to make way for more apartment based structures. Talking with my tutor I decided to re- use some of the physical elements from the demolished Queenslanders of the future to give the Hive a warm historic and nostalgic feel.

Street connection

I believe it is important to keep the original street connections of the site and use them to inform the new design. In some cases this may not be the best scenario as the original design may have lacked some important opportunities. The Paddington Central design however had some good points in relation to this. The corner of Morris Street and Latrobe Terrace worked really well connecting the footpath to the restaurants then the shopping complex beyond. Tho roof structure came out over the part of the footpath to visually draw people in from further up Latrobe Terrace. I wanted to achieve a similar effect while still staying true to the design of the hive. I achieved this by removing the first two apartment levels at this location which opened up the entire street corner to seamlessly be connected to the footpath and street. Glass doors to the atrium circulation spaces then take people further inside.