Exercise Study

 As the site was part of the Riverwalk before it was closed after the floods, there is a strong connection to exercise. Assuming that the path would once again be accessible, I have decided to incorporate public exercise equipment into the design as there is currently not much activity in the area. This analysis map shows the gyms, parks and public exercise equipment in the area:

I also looked at what types of exercise equipment was used in creating exercise parks to see the different ability levels and demographics.

I found that it doesn’t matter what one is wearing, their age or ability level as the equipment is more often used as a fun activity rather than actual workout equipment.

London's Pensioners Playground in Hyde Park

London's Pensioners Playground in Hyde Park

London's Pensioners Playground in Hyde Park

Exemplar Ferry Terminals

The Yokohama International Ferry Terminal by Foreign Office Architects is probably the most famous architectural ferry terminal in the world. The disorientation angles alter ones perception and functional public space roof are both recognisable elements of the building.

I appreciate the use of timber throughout the building as a link to the environment and traditional wharf materiality.

The sharp angles of the building envelope also develop an unique quality of light within the building, another element I am particularly fond of.

Shane Thompson’s Ferry Terminal proposal for the competition after the floods run by Brisbane City Council is a local example that I find to be very inspiring. Not only is it an aesthetically beautiful proposal but it is well thought out and very logical.

From my own research, I have found that little nodes within a ferry terminal work the best as it provides space for people to gather in smaller more intimate areas allowing more comfortable proxemics.

The use of biomimicry within the proposal is also very relevant for my design. In this example, inspiration has been drawn for the form of the structure from mangroves which plague the riverbank and a lily, also a natural feature associated with water.

Ferry Terminal Study

To better understand how people use the space around ferry terminals I investigated a few of the terminals surrounding the site.

Holman Street Wharf

Holman Street as a sheltered area accessed by the walkway to the entrance the ferry. It has a few seats and area to stand protected by the natural elements. Here people crowd to wait for the ferry as they will be able to see the approach of the ferry and can wait in comfort.

Thornton Street Wharf

Thornton Street wharf does not have an area as large as Holman Street to wait. Because of this, commuters spill out into the surrounding area and wait in clusters near the green space.

Riverside Wharf

Riverside Wharf is one of the busiest terminals in Brisbane, because of this it has quite a large sheltered area to wait. Due to proxemics however, patrons often feel uncomfortable waiting in this space and spill out onto the walkway to wait for their ferry.

Eagle Street Wharf

At Eagle Street Wharf there is no sheltered space provided for ferry patrons. Because of this, the walkway is often blocked with people clustering around waiting for their ferry.

Dockside Wharf

Like Eagle Street, Dockside Wharf does not have sheltered space for ferry patrons. Unlike Eagle Street however, there is ample green space at Dockside Wharf so patrons centralise themselves around their rather than blocking the pathways as the green space is more appealing.

Ferry Terminal Design Considerations

After the floods of 2011, Brisbane City Council ran a design competition for ferry terminal proposals. These are some of the requirements and considerations put forward by the Council:

• PASSENGERS
• Access for Passengers
• Waiting
• Boarding
• Disembarking
• Comfort
• Shelter
• Seating
• Handrails
• Safety

•  FERRY
• Mooring
• Impact
• Size: approx. 18m x 6m

•  PLACE MAKING
• Identity
• Site Planning

• UTILITIES
• Security
• Power – Lighting
• Water
• Signs
• Information
• Tickets

• ENGINEERING
• Flood strategies
• Maintenance
  
  
•  DURABILITY

• SUSTAINABILITY

Ferry Terminal

As the access to the site is currently very limited, I decided that I would incorporate a ferry terminal, a space that is both transitional and a destination, that provides a hub of activity in connection to the water.

Currently there are no ferry terminals that service the north bank of the Brisbane River between the Riverside and Sydney Street terminals. As both the CityCat and Inner City Ferry pass right by the site it would be entirely possible to slightly alter these routes to stop by Howard Smith Wharves. The route of the Cross River Ferry could also be extended up to the site making HSW the only place all three of the ferries visit.

The site even has the added advantage of having existing wharves, meaning that to save resources these could just be easily retrofitted to accommodate a ferry terminal.

Biomimicry – Ripple Pools

When water is disturbed by movement or vibration small ripples occur on the surface. I came across an experiment by Nodoka UI and Kohthaji SETOH at KEIO University looks at this while focusing on awareness of surroundings.

The ripple pools pick up on vibrations from the surroundings and create ripples on the surface to relate, thereby generating awareness of the surrounding area. For example, if one person is standing stationary to the pool, there will be a singular regular, if two people were to be standing next to the pool, two ripples would be emitted etc. If the movement of the person surrounding the pool was energetic, the pool would produce rapid irregular ripples. I think this is a really good way to subconsciously interactively demonstrate awareness of surrounds, which relates to the folie concept.

Biomimicry – Finding inspiration from the site

Situated along Brisbane River, the site has a very strong physical connection with water. There is also a historical connection with water as the site was once a wharf and also briefly home to the water police. Because of this I wanted some kind of connection to water.

After doing some brief research, I found that traditionally, water sources were a destination and a place of strong social interaction, in the 21^st century, this is not so. With the improvement and modernisation of plumbing, communities no longer need to use a well or river to get their water, therefore, water is no longer a meeting place. This aspect relates to my goal of making the site a destination and enhancing the social aspects and identity of the site.