BDES2020 - Decorated Shed <Noa Hackett>

Abstract

This semester I found the subversion of the design method interesting as it challenged the traditional architectural process of space informing ornamentation as opposed to ornamentation informing space. I began to realise that architectural ornamentation moves beyond shallow aesthetics into the functional, cultural and social context and that it often exists to inform the reading of the building as a whole. The semi-permeable nature of our screen and the idea of being able to catch glimpses of various views through small pockets of space between undulating strips was then adopted into my own design of the Marrickville SES Building. From the very beginning I was aware of the importance of the volunteers to the organisation and their desire to increase community awareness and involvement. As a result my screen also adopted this semi-permeable attribute to encourage the flow of community through the building. Incisions were then made into this screen in the form of large windows designed to reinforce the babushka style spatial organisation. I chose babushka because I believed the volunteers to be the heart of the organisation and hence the facilities that look after them are contained within the centre of the building and more public, open areas which require easy access then radiate out from this heart.