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Final Development - Browns Bay Wharf

Fundamental concept of my final design: a new wharf on Browns Bay that would reap the benefits of a ferry terminal without disrupting the family-oriented style of the beach

Location Plan

Exterior View

I have designed a 1300sqm floating wharf with a recreational public space aimed to transform Browns Bay into a more attractive and dynamic destination for both locals and tourists.

The circular floating dock is connected to a fixed pier with a top-hinged ramp that can move up and down to accommodate tide movements. H6 Timber posts are in place to prevent the floating structure from swaying sideways during strong winds. The dock is constructed out of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) to prevents corrosion from salt water.

Elevation view 1:200

The primary function of my design is to provide ferry services to/from Browns Bay. Hence, the primary users are locals who would board the ferry from either 1 of the 3 floating piers for day-to-day commute AND tourists who would take the ferry for a relaxed tour of Auckland’s East Coast.

Possible Ferry Routes from/to Browns Bay Wharf

Detail Floor plan 1:20

This 1:20 detailed floor plan highlights a 5m long curvilinear reception desk for users to inquire and purchase ferry tickets from. You can also see how the glass walls blur the barrier that exist between interior and exterior architectural space.

Detail section plan 1:20

Floor plan 1:200

The secondary function of my design is to create a dynamic public space and a variety of recreational amenities.

On this floor plan, we can see that the outside space has a:

- 11m long ocean pool in the central hollow of the dock, allowing kids to swim in a safe and enclosed sector of the ocean. - Sunbeds for people to relax on. - A seating area that offers a scenic vista of the surrounding waterscape.

Interior view

Inside, the glassed-wall building with steel columns comprise of a singular open space with a 15m long bench for a quick coffee or dining experience.The glass walls offers abundant natural lighting into the interior and allow the users to interact with the external environment.

Section Plan 1:200

Secondary users:

- Locals who would enjoy the variety of activities with friends and family. - Tourists who would be able to experience the natural element BROWNS BAY and man-made recreational amenities all at once.

Overall, my design of the new Browns Bay wharf integrates function and recreation of the marine space. It not only does not take away from the family character of Browns Bay, but rather adds to it by providing more activity possibilities for locals to enjoy. Also, it symbolically revitalises Browns Bay as a holiday resort in history. In the future, tourists could arrive at Browns Bay by ferry and embark on a historical tour from downtown to the Waitemata.

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Exercise 5 - Over and Away

Site plan: 2 Erangi Place, Bethel Beach, Waitakere Bay

Precedents

Aterliereenarchitecten, Viewing Tower, Reusel, The Neterlands, 2009.

A tower consists of 6 cubes and provides sport facilities like climbing and abseiling. There is a straight flight staircase raised in-between and crosses the cubes several times in different positions.

I was inspired by how the cubes are stacked in varying directions like Lego and hence, provided a panorama view of the surrounding landscape. I was also attracted to the raw and organic exterior of the tower- the cladding of the tower consists of the halved, stripped logs from in the surrounding production forest. I knew that I wanted my design to have separate spaces/rooms for different activities and this precedent enlightened me to have these activity-based rooms in various cubes.

ACAA, Wind-dyed House, Yokosuka-shi, Japan, 2011.

The Wind-dyed house was a residential building located halfway up a cliff overlooking the ocean. I was particularly inspired by how various components of the building were structured to allow the inhabitants to enjoy a different view of the outside on each level. The bathroom design was also praised to offer the utmost luxurious experience. Moreover, this building is designed to blend into the surrounding environment with its choice of materials and play with levels. For instance, the building’s façade is composed of deep-set wooden eaves, which cast shadows that blend the building’s outline into the terrain. I was captivated by how it is respectful of its natural surroundings without compromising the design or functionality.

Planning Stage: bad weather sketch, Site section AA, concept design sketches

Summative Drawing

The fundamental concept behind my design is an activity-based treehouse-like tower that tailors to the needs of all members of Mike’s family. It allow users to experience a unique feeling and whole new perspective with rise in each levels. Altogether, the tower provides a panorama view of the landscape. There are four blocks/rooms that are organized and divided by activity/function: a family room that contains a mini kitchen, bathroom, and lounge area for the entire family to interact and mingle, a reading room will a wall-hung bookshelf for some silent reading time, an open-balcony spa room for the mum to relax after a tiring day, and finally, a kids room with a large play area on the open floor.

The exterior of the building is inspired by the natural environment of the site at Waitakere Bay. The exterior of the tower gives the illusion of being supported by the tree and the balcony is also designed to look like branches in a forest.

The exterior wall cladding is constructed of reclaimed wood and interior is made from non-structural plyboard. The roofing is done by wooden shingles left off wall cladding. The railing baluster is made of wooden twigs and handrails from wooden blocks with a raw finish. The main support structure at the base of the tower is made of pine wood. Doors and windows are of wooden frame. Flooring is of reclaimed wooden planks. Ultimately, the materials used in this design are either locally produced or reclaimed, making it sustainable and ecological. It is also designed to suit all type of climates including harsh conditions since the site is located in high wind zone. The building has windows on all sides. Hence, offering abundant natural lighting and ventilation.

 Interior Drawings (Space organisation by activity)

1) Family Room 

2) Reading Room

3) Spa Room

4) Kids Room

1:100 Elevation Plan, Section AA, Section BB. Ground floor plan, First floor plan, Roof plan

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Diane Brand’s Exercise Pt.3 (Final model)

1:100 Model of Kayak Shelter at Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island

For further development from my concept models, I decided to paint the ‘floating’ roof red as a symbol of Rangitoto Island’s name of “Red Bloody Sky”. Moreover, the red roof against the white timber walls creates a connection to the Maori culture and hence, the historical significance of island. In addition, the ostentatious and unique roof structure would also make the kayak shelter become a landmark building for the Island. 

The timber deck sits at 1metre above water and supports half of the kayak shelter. The shelter’s entrance and exit are completely separate on two ends, allowing users to enter from the land side, grab a kayak from a wall, exit from the other end and directly dive into the water via a ramp that extends from the deck, sloping into the ocean. This design creates a traffic-free, convenient, and smooth flow of circulation. The large deck creates an area for people to ‘hangout’, ‘chill’, rest, and watch over others. 

The dimension of the shelter is meticulously measured out so that the length of the 3 corridors are proportional to the length of the 3 types of kayaks. The height of the shelter is 2.5m, the width of each corridor is 2m, and the lengths of the corridors are 6.7m, 8.6m, and 9.2m respectively. 

As discussed previously, the predominant material of the shelter is recycled timber found locally on the Island for durability, sustainability, and ease of transport. 

As can be seen inside the shelter, kayaks are stored vertically on the side walls and grouped accordingly to their sizes. Each wall can store 3-4 kayaks. Hence, altogether the shelter can store up to 12 kayaks. Since kayaks are stored on the walls, there are no windows on walls. However, since the roof structure is ‘floating’ above the walls, light would flood through the space in-between the roof and the top of the walls through a series of stained-glass windows. 

For future development, I would work on physically modelling the windows and outdoor seating arrangements. I would also add in some human figures to better portray the flow of movement through the shelter. 

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Diane Brand’s Exercise Pt.2 (Planning)

Step 1: Micro-site decisions

The micro-site I’ve chosen is located in a ‘mini-bay’, near the existing wharf and boat ramp. It is relatively close to both Rangitoto and Motutapu Island. I chose this location because it is easily accessible by the public, away from harsh wind and tides, and that the land is flat and only 1m above water. However, since only a long strip of the land nearest to the water does not have growing vegetation, I’ve decided to build a deck extending above the water so that my Kayak shelter will be half built on land, half above water. This way, it minimises the environmental disruption.  

Step 2: Planning with Emoticon diagrams 

Step 3: Inspirations and building precedents

After drawing the emoticon diagrams, I had a rough idea of the direction of my design. I knew I wanted to use timber as the main material, a wavy roof structure, the shelter to be partly above water, kayaks to be stored vertically on walls, and a kayak shaped door frame. Hence, I did some more research for inspiration regarding the style of my shelter.

I was captivated by the water-like movement of the ceiling structure in Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku.

Moreover, I loved the The China pavilion at the World Expo 2015 in Milan by a team from Tsinghua University and New York-based Studio, Link-Arc. 

The pavilion features a ‘floating’ roof structure that represent “a cloud hovering over a land of hope”. This idea inspired me to also consider my roof design abstractly and symbolically. 

The pavilion’s floating roof is designed as a timber structure that references the ‘raised-beam’ system found in traditional Chinese architecture, but is adapted to accommodate modern construction technology. This innovation enlightened me to think how a ‘floating’ roof could work realistically in my design.

Step 4: Concept models

Concept Model One

I made the first concept model by playing around and experimenting with staplers. I created a triangular structure after considering that the storage of 3 different length of kayaks. Hence, by having 3 sides of different length (specific to the size of kayaks), users can easily grab and put away the kayaks without much confusion. I also incorporated two entrance/exits to prevent traffic at one end, especially with holding the large mass of the kayaks. 

Concept Model Two

In my second concept model, I incorporated a wave-like, ‘floating’ roof, inspired by the Heydar Aliyev Centre and the China Pavilion. The ‘floating’ roof pieces overlap each other and is supported by timber columns. I also added a timber deck with a ramp directly going into the water to make it as convenient as possible for kayakers.

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Diane Brand’s Exercise Pt.1 (Research)

In order to aid my design of a public kayak shed on a site in Islington Bay on Rangitoto Island, I conducted some research in the following areas: 

Landscape context:

Rangitoto is the youngest, largest and least altered volcano in Auckland.

Rangitoto makes up nearly 60% of the total volume of material erupted. It was formed by at least 2 eruptions 600-700 years ago and is now about 260 m above sea level and 5.5 km wide. 

The site, Islington Bay located between Rangitoto and Motutapu Island.

The “mini-bay” in the deeper part of Islington Bay has man-made platforms for admiring the view. It is also a ferry terminal, making the area highly visible and accessible.

Topography, Geology, and Vegetation:

In Islington bay, the contour lines are relatively spread out which suggest that the land is not steep and is reasonable flat. The closer inwards the volcano, the steeper the land is. The area has rocky shores, a beach area, and lavish coverage of preserved vegetations.

Rangitoto Island consists of scoria cones on top of a broad ring of lava flows. A moat like ring around the summit is due to subsidence of the mountain top as underlying lava flows cooled and shrank. 

The lack of soil, very little water and high temperatures has created a distinctive yet developing plant population. Colonisation by lichen, moss and algae has been followed by the establishment of over 250 species of native trees and plants including ferns, orchids and the largest Pohutukawa forest in New Zealand.

History:

Rangitoto is Māori for ‘Red Bloody Sky’, with the name coming from the full phrase Ngā Rangi-i-totongia-a Tama-te-kapua (“The days of the bleeding of Tama-te-kapua”). Tama-te-kapua was the captain of the arawa waka and was badly wounded on the island, after having lost a battle with the Tainui iwi at Islington Bay.

Maori have a strong association with the island. Even though they have never lived there due to the rocky terrain, however, in the past, they have used the high mountainous land as a lookout point in times of war. 

During WW2, Rangitoto island was a prohibited area and the summit was used as a base for defence fire control and a radar station. 

Climate:

The hottest month on Rangitoto Island is February when the average temperature ranges from 17 to 24 degrees Celsius.

The Coolest month is July when the average temperature ranges from 8 to 14 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall ranges from 50.9mm of rain per month in Summer to 128.5mm per month in Winter.

The wind direction in Islington Bay is prevailing in the Southwesterly direction, meaning that Islington Bay is sheltered from the cone, providing a safe anchorage for boats and calm wind for kayakers.

Materials ideas suitable for the site and climate:

Recycled timber cladding

Timber locally found on the Island (hence minimises the need to transport material to the Island)

Timber is sustainable, durable, strong, harsh weather-resistant, cost-efficient, time-efficient to build, and a natural insulator.

Vessels:

The kayaks we were given in the brief comes in 3 different sizes:

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Andrew Barrie Exercise Pt.2 (Final Paper Model)

Brief: to design a 36m2 party pavilion, with a focus on the party/dining space inside. The site is cherry blossom grove in Domain.

1) Concept: This party pavilion is designed to merge into the magical, earthy and fairy-tale-like surrounding of the Auckland domain, particularly when the cherry blossoms bloom. The pavilion is completely opened up on one side to shelter a large swimming pool and movie screen to provide an outdoor pool cinemas experience.

2) Materials’ selection: The pavilion consists of light cream-coloured brick walls, timber rooftop painted in red, flower-patterned satin curtains, timber dining furniture, timber door, circular windows on the front and back facades as well as the ceiling to encourage natural lighting. 

3) Interior space:

There are two entrances at the front and back facade of the pavilion to easy-access and to prevent overcrowding/traffic. The interior space is partitioned into two areas. The inner space is designed to facilitate dining and proper functions. The outer space is designed for for relaxed pool-parties and outdoors movie-watching. 

4) Inspirations/building precedents:

I was initially inspired by the gingerbread man house and the fairytale concept so I looked into some precedent architectures including Casa Batlló, Barcelona by Antoni Gaudí, and The Red House by Philip Webb. I was particularly captivated Gaudí’s unusual tracery, irregular oval windows, flowing sculpted stone work, colourful mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles and the roof arched like the back of a dragon. I was also inspired by Webb’s use of exposed red brick for the exterior, which gave the house its name and revealed the innate beauty of the construction materials.

Casa Batlló, Barcelona by Antoni Gaudí (1877).

The Red House, England by architect Philip Webb and designer William Morris (1859).

5) Future developments: I would take this project further by exploring the pavilion more creatively to resemble the fairy-tale concept more obviously. My design was limited by my ability to use Rhino. Hence, I would improve my skills with Rhino in order to facilitate less geometric and realise my more abstract ideas such as curved beanstalk-like columns, a grass rooftop, a towering chimney, round protruding balconies, augmented and crooked roof and wall frames.

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Andrew Barrie’s Exercise pt.1 (the design process)

Figure 1: Rhino drawing of the first draft. 

Figure 2: Rhino drawing of the second draft (exploring different possibilities and concepts).

Figure 3: Rhino drawing of the third draft (incorporating different materials into design and taking the site into account).

Figure 4: Final Rhino drawing. 

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Lynda Simmon’s Exercise: “Here, Now”

Figure 1: Abstract composition of drawing.

Figure 2: Atmospheric Model.

Concept of model: The model imitates the dark, rustic, superimposed, warm-toned, juxtaposed characteristics of the abstract composition (fig 1) and recreates an austere atmosphere. 

Material selection: Cardboard is used to recreate the superimposed and intersecting walls in the abstract composition drawing. Black fabric is used to portray the darkness inside the building, heightening the sense of eeriness. A copper wire is used to emphasise the repetition of the barred windows in the drawing.

Figure 3:  Measured drawing of the atmospheric model. 

Figure 4: Final 1:50 section created using the measured drawing.

The curved lines in the measured drawing is used to form the overall frame of the building shown in this section. Vertical lines of the corridor is taken to form the walls to partition the space. The chaotic group of lines at the top of the measured drawing is flipped and used to form the rocks at the baseline. The dark and warm hues in the section photograph is taken from the initial abstract composition. Altogether, a peculiar, curvilinear architecture is created as an abstract take on the original drawing. However, the austere atmosphere is carried through. 

Potential developments: To take this project further, I would add more layers of cardboard that intersect to create more structure and harshness. Moreover, I would further emphasise the austere atmosphere in the final section by directly extracting colours and textures from the abstract composition drawing and atmospheric model. Lastly, I would add more furniture and human figures in the section to portray a clearer idea of inhabitation.