This is the place to be.: November 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Final Project Presentation // 3 + 4

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Final Project Presentation // 1 + 2

A1 Panels for Final Presentation:

01/

Origin and Number of Asylum Seekers granted offshore visas to Australia in 2009/10_

In 2010–11, a total of 54 396 applications were made for visas under the offshore component of the Humanitarian Program. In the same year, only 8971 offshore visas were granted. Fast forward to 2041, the Australian government has granted visas to 100 000 refugees. For those who have chosen the option of relocating into urban society, a government funded mobile strategy is needed to aid in their integration into Australian community.

++ Strategy_Terrain Vague

Groups of refugees will be integrated into Australia’s urban centres to occupy temporarily disused spaces (terrains vagues), reactivating these existing “fallow” spaces and creating a strong sense of community whilst sharing cultures and connecting with society.

Mobile Market Place is one such initiative: a community building strategy that intends to aid in integrating the refugees into Australian society.

Mobile Market Place provides a platform for refugees to set themse lves up upon arrival in Australia, allowing them to earn an income through use of skills that many of them may already possess, whilst sharing a part of their culture with Australian society.

This is an example of urban nomadic architecture, which is designed to be temporary and to move from site to site as often as neccessary, usually after a few months to a year (or when the currently occupied site is once again in demand.) Therefore, the structure must have the ability to adapt to multiple different sites without affecting its integrity.

02/

Identity + Presence

+ Openness + Porous Borders_

A welcoming, open identity is projected to the streetscape through the structure’s non-intrusive form. The canopy appears to emerge from the landscape and dissolve away with increasing porosity, a metaphor for the refugees’ hopefully easy transition into their new Australian lifestyle. The porous roof structure provides physical transparency through visibility into the market place below.

+ Community Participation + Interaction between users_

Promoting a strong sense of community, the market encourages interaction between refugees and Australian locals. The physical ability of the public to interact with the structure from above, through the urban square and community garden, allows this interaction. The involvement of refugees in the construction process and in the general running of the market enables their contribution to a community.

+ Celebration of difference and multiculturality _

The built form, which consists of smaller elements combined under an all encompassing canopy is a metaphor for many individuals sharing diverse cultures under one roof.