Exploratory Project One

TIN SHEDS CAFÉ

Katie Glendenning

MARCH 2000

 

THE DESIGN REVIEW

ANALYSIS OF DESIGN PROCESS

DEVELOPMENT OF RESPONSE TO CONTEXT/SITE

SLOPE: - Several of my sketches including my final design accommodated for the slope in the site. This was achieved by having the building step down at the same degree as the ground. I stepped the building down at the point where the inside area became the outside area. Having a step in the building at this point also helps to separate and distinguish between the outside area and the inside area.

TREES: - During the developing process of the design the fact that we could not remove the trees was always in my mind and had to be worked around. Though with my final design the fact of the trees getting in the way of the building was not going to be an issue. However, being able to leave the trees there, especially the tallest one closest to City Rd, was a plus as I believed that that particular tree was successful in blocking off a significant amount of noise from City Rd. Yet it also helped to cut off some of the view of the site from City Rd, especially since most people, including me, set there buildings back off the street. Mine however was not set so far back that it was undetectable as the cantilevered awning out the front would be sure to have attracted people from City Rd.

ROADS/NOISE: - I did not believe that the site being positioned so close to City Rd would be an issue. The reason being that most of the café’s around Sydney are set right on the main street and some far busier than City Rd, -Bar Avenue on Elizabeth Street in the city for example- and this only adds to their atmosphere. It depends on the type of crowds that you want to attract, and the atmosphere that you want to create. With this particular site being positioned on a university campus which would obviously be attracting a lot students, I was happy just to leave the noise factor alone and let it become part of the atmosphere of the café. I believed that if customers were looking for some peace from the noise of City Rd they would find it down the back of the café or out on the verandah right down the back facing Maize Crescent.

WIND: - The significance of wind I believe to be important with regard to this particular site, especially as the seasons change. During my visits to the site during summer I noted on some days that a fairly strong wind could be blowing up from Maize crescent, and in the rain it could be very unpleasant. During winter I can only imagine that there could be some fairly bleak days with the wind being very gusty around this area. This may be due to the big trees situated on the site or by having Victoria Park with its vegetation directly across the Road that allows the site to imitate a wind tunnel occasionally. With this in mind I created two entrances, one facing the Tin Shed Gallery and one facing City Rd, there is also a door separating the inside area from the outside area. This allows a variety of doors to be left open or closed depending on the weather/wind but which should still allow quite good ventilation in all seasons.

UNIVERSITY: - As the site is part of a university campus it must be assumed that the majority of customers would be university students. With this in mind, I set out to design a café which would be appealing to the younger generation, comfortable and which would create an easy going and relaxed atmosphere suited to any time of day.

TIN SHEDS GALLERY: - The Tin Sheds Gallery played an important role in the designing of my café as 1) they were my client and 2) that the name of the café was to be named after the Gallery i.e. The Tin Sheds Café. This required me to keep the Gallery in my mind at all times whilst designing the café as there had to be link between them. As well as this link was the fact that the only entry to The Tin Sheds Gallery was from the side of the building. That is the side of the building that looked onto the site of the Tin Sheds Café. With this in mind there was also the added factor of the site being an access route for students either from City Rd or too City Rd.

SUN: - The sun was important in the design of the café because neglected it could cause real problems but used correctly could add to the design/feel of the café. Due to the sun, the placement of the building became important as it required the designer to create a building that also did not create any hidden dark corners which were either inaccessible or inhospitable, especially with the tall tree at the front of the site facing City Rd. I used the site and my design in a way as to have the open area facing the east where the sun would rise creating natural light. To stop this same area becoming too harsh under the western summer sun I put vergolas in, to be adjusted according to the temperature or light or particular weather pattern.

PURPOSE/BRIEF

The interior was laid out in a very long and thin shape due to the shape of the building but it conformed to the brief. I.e. there were two bathrooms, one male and one female and both were big enough to accommodate for wheelchairs. There was a small storage area and kitchen. The interior fits 30 comfortably and the exterior also fits 30 comfortably.

EXPRESSION

The building was expressed in structure as a post and beam model with a very interesting roof design, which encapsulates the whole building. The roof beams are visible from the inside and create a pattern that is appealing to the human eye. Being a tall building it does this without creating a feeling of Claustrophobia. This pattern is also continued out the back into the outdoor area and starts out the front at the entrance, linking the whole building together. The interior accommodates for both large groups of people as well as individuals as there is a bar whose bench is connected to the kitchen as well as tables. Not creating a separate room for the kitchen helps to create the type of atmosphere that I would like at the Tin Sheds Café. That of friendliness, busyness and comfort. The concertina doors mark one entrance to the café that can be opened up to let natural light in and the weather outside if nice enough. It also helps to open the place up.

USE OF PRECEDENT

We looked at several examples of café’s: - Bar avenue in Elizabeth St Sydney

- The Museum of Sydney Café 

- The Hyde Park Café

 

I also looked at many others in suburbs such as Balmain and Glebe. The entrances were taken into account as well as their use of space in such cramped areas. This was perhaps not such good idea as our design problem was not lack of space. If anything it was the opposite because if we were to stick to our brief then we would only need to use half the space of the site for the building.

ORGANISING PRINCIPLES

I ORGANISED MY DESIGN IN THE FOLLOWING WAY: -

The Design Process

General Café’s

The Tin Shed Café

Interior Planning

Materials

Structure

The Design Proposal

The Design Review

PHYSICAL DESIGN TOOLS

There was a lot of discussion undertaken though I was a bit shy of my ideas. Discussion took place with my tutor both individually but more as a group. I also spoke with individuals in my tutor group about our ideas.

Many drawings/plans/sections were done and as I went along I learnt more and more. I think that most importantly I learnt that it is better to always use a ruler and draw to scale as it makes designs easier to understand.

I loved making the models and they helped a lot in being able to understand what exactly was going on and also enabled us to get a better understanding of other peoples designs.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

STRENGTHS: - My models, although they started out as fairly unstable I was happy with the way my last three turned out.

- My drawings in the Design Proposal. I enjoyed putting them together and drawing them. I have learned so much about sections and plans especially from my tutor that helped me to put this proposal together.

- The roofing system. I really liked it and feel that it finishes my building as it creates balance and a sense of flow. It also acts as a visual stimulus.

- I conformed with the brief. I.e. I had my two disabled bathrooms, one male and one female and I only made the building big enough to fit 30 people both inside and outside as well as a small kitchen and storage area.

 

WEAKNESSES: - I did not explore the rest of my site. I have designed a building that is not necessarily made for this particular site. I understand now what you mean when you say "site context".

- I could have landscaped the are better and thought about the link between the Tin Sheds Gallery and The Tin Sheds Café more.

- I should have explored the rest of the site more and thought more about the placement of the building so as not to create any "unwanted" areas that were inaccessible.

- I should have thought more of the site as being an access route and tried to incorporate that better into my design.