Architecture - Honours

ILLUMINATE_ Hall of Democracy

The intersection between political equality and social value is not exactly a seamless coordination, partially owing to a meagreness of knowledge and understanding of the concept of government, sovereignty and democratic power amongst the population. The ILLUMINATE_ Hall of Democracy aims to form a platform enabling a collective effort from its people to invent a democracy that is for the people. The new Hall of Democracy will become a 21st century symbol for the reinvented democracy. It will act as a place for the citizens of Australia to engage in politics and be a part of the conversation. It will be a space where everyday people debate and discuss the issues Australia faces today, in a manner in which they will be heard, by the people and the government.

Andrea Poon

Vote Now
The ILLUMINATE_ Hall of Democracy, located in the political precinct of Brisbane City, proposes a dynamic space that inspires education, insightfulness, trust and illumination of Queensland democratic movements. The Hall aims to energize the minds of civilians upon current debate and deliberation through means of mock trials, expert consultation, communication workshops and tutorials in the name of improving local democracy. This design utilises glass and transparent OLED technology to create a beacon that shines a new light on democracy within the city precinct of Brisbane. This technology embodies democracy in an abstract way by directly showcasing citizens’ involvement with current political debate; transforming an auditory response into a visual experience through the luminousity of the building’s facade. The Luxfer System used to create this effect encompasses the building, forming a ‘crystal skull’ that illuminates in times of community support and advocation. Considering sustainability of the democratic system in Queensland, the Hall of Democracy proposes a service that bridges the gap between public and government. The concept of local democracy is strengthened by educating the citizens upon current issues and providing the people with a space to propose their own concerns and ideas as well as to voice their support or disagreement of issues. This directly collaborates and contributes to the overall efficiency of the national government system. The ILLUMINATE_ Hall of Democracy houses the Debate Chamber and Forum hall, that form heroic spaces through both form and function. The stepped slab of the bleacher seating are expressed on the exterior face, and carries a motif around the form of the building representative of the steps that connect people with a more successful version of democracy through education and knowledge in a process to rebuild trust between government and citizens. The Citizen’s Archive and Library, workshop and consultation spaces further support transparency and accessibility of information between government people.
Hydrant Booster Storage: The hydrant boosters, located on the corner of William and Margaret Street maintain a similar brutalist aesthetic to remain consistent with the architecture of the Hall. Speakers Pavilion: The Speakers Pavilion leads off William Street to encourage citizens to interact with the Hall, through the Luxfer System, and current political issues being discussed. George Street Civic Square: The Civic Square provides passers with a space to socialise within the precinct and interact with likeminded individuals. Amidst the high-energy street it is an open space to encourage deliberation.
The Debate Chamber and Forum Hall contribute to propelling the democratic system in Queensland by allowing citizens to learn and participate in local politics. Through observation and education, people are able to attend seminars, debates and lectures informing them upon current issues as well as presenting and developing cases of their own. As a space for experts to interact with public on a manageable scale, politicians and industry professionals gain the trust of the public and develop a broader understanding of the peoples’ needs overall.
The Luxfer System integrated into the proposal for the project aims to abstract the concept of Democracy and create an interactive experience for users. The System converts auditory stimulation into a visual element essentially representing the action of ‘listening.’ Communication is one of the strongest principles in creating government policy and ‘Illuminate’ combines the symbolic concept of communication through light and transparency. As the people interact with the building within the ‘Speakers Pavilion’ the system responds by increasing or decreasing in luminosity as a result of support of disagreement with issues being debated within the Chamber. The building is reliant on the ‘Illuminate’ Luxfer System as a shell indicative of the peoples’ support and participation with current issues being debated within the building’s spaces. The glass facade system is integrated with transparent OLED lighting that pulses luminosity into the facade with each person voicing their support, providing a visual entity of community. The panels of the building increase in illuminance as the amount of support increases. The Illuminate_ Patents integrated into the Hall of Democracy proposal aims to abstract the concept of Democracy and create an interactive experience for users. The System converts auditory stimulation into a visual element essentially representing the action of ‘listening’ through gleaming illustrations of the building’s skin. Communication is one of the strongest principles in creating government policy and ‘Illuminate’ combines the symbolic concept of communication through light and transparency. As the people interact with the building within the ‘Speakers Pavilion’ the system responds by increasing or decreasing in luminosity as a result of support or disagreement with issues being debated within the Chamber.

Physical Model

Andrea Poon

An Architecture (Hon) student + Interior Design minor // Andrea fosters a sense of partiality towards creating places of delightful innovation; sensed, experienced and navigated through the development of spatial materiality, meaning, tolerance, lightness and context.