Architecturally Significant Australia Buildings - Assignment Example

Assignment Coversheet Student ID number 3030749 Student name Siqi Yang (Sven) Unit number 9780 Unit name Advanced History & Theory Name of lecturer/tutor Ursa Komac Assignment name Final Paper ABSTRACT Due date 14/04/2015   You must keep a photocopy or electronic copy of your assignment. Student declaration I certify that the attached assignment is my own work. Material drawn from other sources has been appropriately and fully acknowledged as to author/creator, source and other bibliographic details. Such referencing may need to meet unit-specific requirements as to format and style. Signature of student: ________________________________________ Date: ____________ Abstract The Mirvac's commercial tower, the 8 Chifley Square building is considerable a flagship architectural landmark in Sydney. It is a creative and innovative premium grade commercial tower that representing higher benchmarks in architectural design. Its success derives from its outstanding aesthetic architectural design for both inside and surface, and it meets the market demands for commercial viability. Therefore, the study of this building is significant in order to enhance individual architectural perception and also benefit for communicating and learning in architectural field. The paper reviews architecturally significant Australia buildings in particular the 8 Chifley Square building, to demonstrate the recognition and understanding in architectural theories. Also by identifying its distinctive characteristics and design features which including the objectives and challenges of the design, this report will strive to clarify the interconnection of this building with the cultural, historical and technological context. To the technological view, such as the rigid ground plane design--the 8 Chifley Square building is located in the intersection of three city streets Elizabeth, Phillip and Hunter Streets--that is, the street space for sidewalk needs to be taken into consideration in plan. In addition, the design that integrates the spatial design and office work function shall be covered and introduced in the paper, as well as other fabulous architectural design. The cultural value held by the 8 Chifley Square building will be discussed in terms of its innovative design for working and community spaces, sustainability achievement and the value that the building deliver to national identity. In the last, the building's precedent will be found for supplementary discussion for historical context. Introduction Architecture generally means the style and design of buildings and other physical structures. In Australia, architectural trends have adapted to compensate for climatic and also cultural factors of the people. Architectural buildings of any place are important for the identity of the place and also attract people to that place to see the designs of the place and they can also come to learn the architectural history of the place. Australia has a collection of fabulous architectural masterpieces which are known around the world. Some of the most notable buildings that characterize the architectural prowess of Australia are the; The Sydney Opera, designed by an architect called Jorn Utzon of Hall, Todd and Littlemore, is a building that is globally recognized as the symbol of Australia. The New Parliament House is an icon of Canberra and was designed by Mitchell, Giurgola and Thorpe. Other notable buildings in Australia are the Shine Dome, the Sydney Myer Musical Bowl, The ICI house and the Newman College. The Shine Dome, the Sydney Myer Musical Bowl and the Sydney Opera are architectural masterpieces whose shapes have made them the envy of the architectural society across the globe. In 2006, the Mirvac group came up with the design of the 8 Chifley Square Building with the intention rivaling the ingenuity put in the construction of these Sydney masterpieces. The design was the brain child of a British architectural firm called Rogers, Stirk, Harbor and Partners, abbreviated as RSHP. In this paper, the 8 Chiflev Square Building which is also referred to as the Mirvac’s Commercial tower is going to be discussed. This is also an iconic architectural landmark that has graced the skies of Sydney since 2013 when it was put up1. When the Mirvac group set out to build the 8 Chiflev Square building, they had the following objectives which are the backbone of the design they created. First was to create an extension of the existing Chifley square ground plane and incorporate a dynamic workplace in the process that was open and public. Next they wanted to create a series of open ‘village’ environment which range from two to four floors in height. The villages were also part of the plan to create a communal workplace that will show the cultural identity of the Australian people and to do these in a commercial building. Lastly the group wanted to create a 5-star NABERS energy and 6-star green star rating building. This meant that the building was to rely on tri-generating plant, black water treatment plant and have a chilled ceiling to reduce the carbon footprint to about 70% of the expected percentage for typical building of that size. These objectives were achieved by undertaking some specific design specifications that are unique to the building and are the distinctive characteristics of this building2. The building has 34 floors which are divided into two stacked modules, one which is 12 storeys and the other being 9 storeys. The difference is made up of open spaces; six-floor open space at the entrance of the building giving the impression of a grand entrance to the building. The open space is repeated midway through the building in between the two modules. The open spaces in the design are a testament to the Australian outdoor nature which is important to create a relaxed workplace hence boosts the productivity of the workers. The tower has seven villages each being three storeys high which are communal workplaces. The communal workplaces encourage interaction among the employees which is a trademark trait of the Australian people. The vertical integration between the floors create a sense of an extensive work space and to add to the communal workspaces there is a 3 storey void in the 18thn floor called the ‘Village Square’ which gives the occupants a meeting area which is airy and has excellent lighting. This space encourages the interaction of workers and creates a homelike work environment. In order to achieve this architectural work of art with these many good attributes that have come to attract so many people globally, the Rogers Stirk Harbor and Partners firm faced some challenges in their design and implementation. To create the massive spaces within the building and the voids that characterize the building without the structure weight bringing sections of it down was one of the challenges that the designers faced. The external steel bracing that is seen on the sides of the building is not just for the aesthetic beauty of the structure. The red bracing is to give the structure strength that was compromised by the large voids that are left in the buildings3. The climatic conditions of the Australian continent also affected the construction of the Chifley building. The cold winters are especially a problem for the designers considering the building has a lot of open spaces in the design to accommodate the open culture of the Australian people. The tri-generating plants and the chilled ceilings incorporated in the design are vital in dealing with the adverse weather conditions that face the prospective occupants of the building1. In any architectural project, it is important that the design matches the cultural, historical and technological aspects of the people of the area in which the building is build. For the case of the 8 Chifley Square Building, the same architectural aspects were put in perspective when coming up with the design and the design parameters had to be met. For the cultural interconnection of the 8 Chifley square Building with people of Australia, the design team had to consider the culture of the people and the national identity of the building. The Australian people are known to be culturally rich and this is seen with their outdoor nature. The designers from Rogers Stirk Harbor and partners, a British firm, had to learn this and incorporate this in the design of the building4. The community spaces in the design of the building are shown by the large spaces and voids left in the building. The building has a large six storey void at the entrance which symbolizes the openness and welcoming nature of the Australian people and gives perception of everyone is welcome to the building. This is a good thing as it as it gives the tenants of building a good customer base making the businesses in the building to grow well. The open spaces within the building give the tenants and the people in the building a good place to interact, meet and have a good time. Since the 8 Chifley Square building is a continuation of the ground plane which was an open place, this feature gives the people of the area their free area that they were used to and also a chance to appreciate this openness within a building5. The open villages that are the commercial workplaces are key in the cultural aspect of the building. These spaces help the companies in the areas to have workers who can interact and work together as a community. This is essential as a company whose worker work as a community is poised to be successful as working together will enable them achieve their targets and objectives. The design of the 8 Chifley Square building incorporated all these aspects of the Australian people resulting in a building that is a symbol of what the people of this country are about4. The innovative design of the building is also testament of the Australian people. Prior to the construction of the 8 Chifley Square Building, the Australian architectural sky line was graced by magnificent buildings such as the Sydney Myer Musical Bowl, the ICI, the Shine Dome and the Sydney Opera centre. The construction of the 8 Chifley building goes a long way in showing the Australian architectural society can blend ingenuity and innovativeness in their design of buildings. The design of this building goes a long way in showing the culture of the Australian architectural society and as a result the culture of the Australian people1. The design of the building had to factor sustainability of the building. In line with the objective of the Mirvac group, the 8 Chifley square building was designed to be a world leader in environmental sustainability and performance. This is shown by the office design version 2 certified rating which has makes the building to be 6 star green star. This certification is awarded to a building for achieving high environmental ratings and reduces exposure to commercial risk asset obsolescence by ensuring that assets are 'future-ready’. The Chifley building also has the 5-star NABERS energy certification which goes a long way in showing the commitment of the Mirvac’s team to creating a futuristic green building. This was achieved because the buildings carbon emissions are lower by about 75% percent as compared to buildings of the same size in Australia. This makes this building the most eco- friendly development in modern Australia6. The sustainability of the building has been emphasized by very many feature included in the building design. The power supplied the building is courtesy of the tri-generating supply and with it there is the T5 lighting which ensures that the building’s power consumption is as efficient as possible. The efficiency of the power consumption is also enhanced by the active and passive sun shading that is installed in the building. Furthermore, there are active chilled beam air conditioning and natural ventilation installed in the building. The facility is solar panel in the roof which supplement the power from the tri-generators ensuring consumption is kept as minimum as possible. The building also has cycling facilities to encourage tenants to cycle instead of driving which reduce the emissions to the environment hence staying within the required emission levels7. The water supply of the building is also in a way that sustainability is promoted. The building has an inbuilt advanced black water treatment and water recycling facility. This is essential for the reuse of water in the facility such that the water is not wasted and the consumption is an efficient as possible. In addition to these sustainability features, the building is equipped with a modern building intelligence and monitoring system to ensure any failures in the working of the system are reported and worked on as soon as possible to limit wastage of resources due to improper use8. The 8 Chifley Square Building has become integral in the national identity of Australia since it is a high rise building that defines the Sydney skyline. The unique design of the building has made it an attraction and many people identify it with Australia. The building is now an integral part of the Sydney skyline and as such has come to be an identity of Australia6. The technological design of the 8 Chifley Square Building takes into account the location of the building and the integration of the spatial design in the of office work. The building is located in the intersection of three streets; Elizabeth, Phillip and Hunter streets. This location is vital for the clientele of the 8 Chifley Square Building. The spatial design associated with the voids and the spaces in the architecture of the building is necessary for technology companies. The village style fosters sharing of information among workers which is important in technological companies1. The location of the building in the intersection of the three streets makes it a location ideal for housing commercial offices such as law offices, co operations and financial service providers8. The other issue that the design of the 8 Chifley Square Building is the historical view of the building. Before the construction of the Chiflev building, the place where the building stands was open place and this was considered in the design hence the very many open places in the building. The purpose of this design was to continue with the historical view of the area as an open place and incorporate them in the building8. Australia is known for its iconic architectural designs some of them have been mentioned in earlier part of this paper. The design of the 8 Chifley building had to be unique an in this regard the design had to be outstanding so that the history of the country is maintained. For this reason, the Mirvac group approached the British firm Rogers, Stirk, Harbor and Partners so that the design they envisioned may be designed. This has worked well since the building achieved the historic architectural history of the country8. The 8 Chifley Square Building is therefore a world-class architectural design that has shaped the Skyline of Sydney and Australia as a whole. The design is magnificent as it is not only eye catching but it is functional and blends well with the surrounding. The eye-catching design has made the building an attraction and it is now one of the symbols of Australia8. Bibliography Collins, Peter. Changing ideals in modern architecture, 1750-1950. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, 1998. Bergmann, Sigurd, and Tore Sager, eds. The ethics of mobilities: rethinking place, exclusion, freedom and environment. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2012. Luong, Minh-Thang, Thuy Dung Nguyen, and Min-Yen Kan. "Logical structure recovery in scholarly articles with rich document features." Multimedia Storage and Retrieval Innovations for Digital Library Systems (2012): 270. Francke, Helena. "Towards an architectural document analysis." Journal of Information Architecture 1, no. 1 (2009). Chegut, Andrea, Piet Eichholtz, and Nils Kok. "Supply, demand and the value of green buildings." Urban Studies (2013): 0042098013484526. Ahrentzen, Sherry. "The space between the studs: Feminism and architecture."Signs 40, no. 1 (2014). Read More