Since last week, I have continued with the same idea for the
form of the building, but have continued to evolve the floor plan and spatial
layout. Last week, my design consisted of pod like shapes liked together by the
arches. In this plan, I have created a more open, free flowing shape that is
reflective of the Brisbane River shape which can be seen in the Ground Floor
Plan below.
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| Ground Floor Plan |
In terms of the different spaces for different age groups, I
have decided not to prescribe the spaces to certain age groups, but instead
create spaces that certain age groups would enjoy and be comfortable in, but
not restrict them to these areas. In the floor plan above, the area on the left
is a children’s obstacle course created by the different kinds of mangrove roots,
which can be seen below. The kids of any age, will be able to crawl and clamber
over the roots, having fun whilst also learning about the structure of the
mangrove filtration system, its roots.
The area on the right hand side of the library is dedicated
for the older children and consists of a variety of seating options to be used
for group social and education meetings. There is a booth which runs along the
wall in a curvaceous form, similar to the Brisbane River and also the mangrove
root column seating from the last project, both of which can be seen below.
As with my other designs, the upper floors have been set
aside for quieter and more private areas. The First Floor Plan below shows the
two areas that make up the upper floor plan, the computer room and kid’s
reading room. The rest of the floor is an open void to allow the ground floor
to be a large double height area to allow maximum viewing of the root arches. The
reading and computer rooms only have half walls, to allow the users to look out
over the void.
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| First Floor Plan |
I had considered the style of desk used in the computer room
and thought that a curved surface could separate off individual working space
areas. This would also create a ripple shape around the top of the building
which would resemble the water lapping at the mangrove roots. This idea can be
seen below.
In terms of the arches and how the exterior of the building
would look, the following sketches depict the layout of the steel arches and a
rough idea of how it will look in perspective.
