Mangrove Roots: Simplification
- The folie took on a similar form to this
This idea of filtration - taken from the function of the mangroves can also be strongly related to the concept of "filtration" within a building. The study space will be very open and warm with the use of a lot of natural light. The room will have glass curtain walls and the individual working spaces within will be orientated outwards in order to draw the focus outwards. This is where mangrove inspired screening comes into play - not only inspired by the physical form of the mangrove root, these timber screens will also filter the views looking out and will filter light into the interior spaces, informing the entire atmosphere of the spaces within.
Timber Screening: Design Evolution
From the exterior of the building these screens will reinforce the concept of the mangrove root. The building will also be raised in parts on stumps - both on the edge of the bank and out over the water - reinforcing the concept of the mangrove root coming out of the water up to the bank.
Mangrove Ecosystem on the Riverbank (left) - Inspiring building design over river (as seen on right):
Another mangrove inspired element will be the sculptural roots; as I've illustrated below. These circular columns are inspired by mangrove roots and also by the form of a number of structural columns exhibited in The Germany Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 as well as a number of other buildings including this apartment block located overlooking the Story Bridge and actually just up from the Howard Smith Wharves.
These columns will be steel construction and will be structural and dominating within the spaces. They will be used on both the interior and exterior of the building and will be the main focus; tying all the elements of the building together a creating a uniformed theme around the mangrove roots.
The building's form came about by thinking fairly literally about the individual spaces that would be needed within. Initially I created a schedule of spaces, these included:
- Movie Room/ Multi-Purpose & Activity Space - roughly 60m2
- Children's Area - roughly 64m2
- Teenage Study and Research Space - roughly 112m2
- Quiet Reading and Study Nooks - roughly 12m2
- Private Meeting Rooms for Booking - 3x4m each room
- Computer Lab - roughly 66m2
- Gaming Computer Lab - roughly 36m2
- Staffroom - roughly 20m2 (for approx 4-5 main staff working in the building at one time - plus cafe, security and staff running activities)
- Coffee and Bake Bar - roughly 12m2
- Public Bathrooms - roughly 20m2 including disabled toilets
These spaces were planned and thought about in relation to one another and in relation to the views beyond as well as their functionality within.
In thinking about light entering a space we would generally imagine a room with four walls, a floor and a roof with windows and doors opening into it. My view for this building is to create a less traditional library (and space) in every sense of the word. I will stick with my idea about a virtual library - where there are limited "physical" resources and instead, the space is used more as an area to learn and study within - in this way the space and the architecture are the resources as I've mentioned previously. This will be informed by the open plan of the building and the segregation of the two different types of learning spaces; the study spaces and the activity spaces.
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