Architecture - Honours

De-Linearity: Hall of Democracy

Developed throughout semester 2, De-Linearity is the final architectural representation of the loss of identity of the working class, and their struggles under a systemic regime that they are convinced is in their best interests. Drawing from the architectural writings of Adolf Loos and the theoretical writings of Jean Baudrillard, De-Linearity is an attempt at making architectural monument on the grandest, most functional and locally representative scale possible.

Royce Woolnough

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De-linearity: the hall of democratic reform

identity in the lack thereof

De-Linearity is the final architectural representation of the loss of identity of the working class, and their struggles under a systemic regime that they are convinced is in their best interests. Drawing from the architectural writings of Adolf Loos and the theoretical writings of Jean Baudrillard, De-Linearity is an attempt at making architectural monument on the grandest, most functional and locally representative scale possible. Acting as a beacon, the building seeks to simultaneously be ominous and welcoming, a consistently open and bright refuge in any condition, in any moment of despair.

Aimed at holding media, union and working-related entities to account through public propagation of the building’s curious, and no doubt in many cases disagreeable, presence on Brisbane’s urban fabric and specifically in its heritage-rich context. The building is designed to act as a tool of propaganda in itself, operating on the notion of its presence being so questionable that people learn of its purpose, and therefore its reason for existing, that they seek to either enter, research or both. The question “Why does it exist?” is the worst nightmare of a functional building in most cases, however in a case where a building’s very existence is to represent a problem that the average citizen may not recognise, or know about – is the best possible outcome. Also seeking to explore the ideas that are demonstrated in other art forms such as Leyland James Kirby’s Everywhere at The End of Time composition and accompanying artwork by Ivan Seal, an exploration of loss of identity through the decline of human memory and ability to perceive objects – a fitting match to the building’s lack of discernible form or intention.

Acting as if it were a hollowed out shell of a building that once stood, crystalline skin melting over its blank but textured facades as if it were bleeding – De-Linearity is a shameless and ruthless attack on modern socio-political networks and how architecture in context has propagated these systems against the common person.

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DE-LINEARITY DEMO VIDEO

General views of de-linearity

cOMPOSITION DIAGRAMS

From its initial conception, De-Linearity had a set of core ideals not only theoretically (shown following this section) but physical – these remained mostly consistent throughout development.

BI-AXIAL MOVEMENT PATTERN

De-Linearity’s Movement is ironically based on the most sensical, basic movement pattern possible. The entire building, in every aspect except its facade skin is designed on two-axes, with the third being only vertical movement, which even then is in the form of a straight staircase or elevator.

This combined with long, straight sight-lines means that the building is easy to navigate and is not a maze of hallways and rooms, it is a mostly linear journey upwards and across.

LEVELS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

At the core on De-Linearity’s purpose is its intent to challenge political and social awareness through uncomfortable presence on the urban fabric. However, once beyond that presence, the simple movement pattern lends itself to a journey of accountability. At the top of the building is a small theatre (marked in bright red), representing a hearing hall for any power that may be to hold smaller question time or consultation sessions in relative quiet.

On the contrary, D-01’s cavernous chamber opens directly to the street and seeks to facilitate any gathering one may see fit in its shade. This may be official, protest-centric or any other form of gathering the public deems it fit for.

CLIMATIC ZONES

Bar its mechanically ventilated D-01 and the HVAC assisted D-02 L1 and L2, the building primarily serves its purpose as a streetscape interactor. Its open ground floor and sweeping ground plane only broken for planting and water give the building a strong crossflow and seek to complete the basic architectural desire to bring the outside in, with the added benefit of minimising running costs, footprint, maintenance and initial construction cost.

Given the building is primarily to serve as interactive monument, this seemed fitting.

SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT

De-Linearity’s spatial arrangement is intended to be as simple as possible. In order to match with the bi-axial movement pattern and maximise lines of sight, the cores are separated into two structural presences at the centre of D-02. This enables a natural circulation around the cores, with the open space providing a visual vista reveal as one rounds each core.

This also allows the building to maintain consistent facade properties, within needing to allow for visible concrete on its long, unbroken faces. Amenities are located at central locations, with the elevators meeting the direct centre of each floor with two fire escapes accessible from each part of D-02.

THE THEORY

SIMULATION, SIMULACRA AND FORMLESSNESS

IDENTITY IN SPATIAL BOUNDARY

AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL DISCONNECT

The building aims to challenge the now-ingrained virtues of a system that constantly works against the working class but simultaneously convinces them it is for their own benefit. It does this by operating as its own source of propaganda, challenging the public’s opinion by means of its own visual polarisation and therefore seeking attention and gaining merit through this. It is an architectural intervention of “any publicity is good publicity” only its publicity aims to inform the public of its intent as shown in these diagrams.

The Power Dissipation

40 George Street, the site of De-Linearity, is situated in a power-dense cluster within Brisbane. It is a heavily surrounded site, with both privatised and governing powers in question, and so it is presented with the perfect opportunity to effectively “ruin their day” by forming a sort of heatsink effect and dissipating the effect of their institutional power by existing in the middle.

1-100 MODEL

Royce Woolnough

Interested mainly in the way architecture can simultaneously complement and offend its given context, his work twists aims to polarise often in order to obtain a greater contextual purpose. Royce has worked in residential and small scale commercial design, architectural visualisation and branding since 2019 while undertaking the Bachelor of Architectural Studies.