MiddleHead. SHNP.

ella YaNlu Xue

GraduatioN Studio 2010MaSter of arcHitecture . uNiverSitY of SYdNeY

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If a person is born without any sense, ie: no sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch, would he have any thoughts? Where are the thoughts come from?

David Hume

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The design of the engine room is derived from the concept of “Machine”.

Machine: Any device that uses energy to perform some activities

The word “machine” is derived from the Latin word machina, which in turn derives from the Doric Greek μαχανά (machana), Ionic Greek μηχανή (mechane) “contrivance, machine, engine” and that from μῆχος (mechos), “means, expedient, remedy”.

engine: Machine that converts heat or other forms of energy into mechanical energy.

“The machine produces an interruption of the flow only insofar as it is connected to another machine that supposedly produces this flow. And doubtless this second machine in turn is really an interruption or break, too....In a word; every machine functions as a break in the flow in relation to the machine to which it is connected, but at the same time is also a flow itself, or the production of a flow, in relation to the machine connected to it.”

Anti-Oedipus, Deleuze & Guattari

Therefore the engine room should work with the rest of the site as a whole. It is seen as the control point of the rest of the site, especially other emplacement. Physically, it is small and invisible. However, it is a projection of the stories that’s been told of the site.

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The site has a distinct historical and sensory background. Each emplacement has its own characteristics and can be further developed by exploring certain spatial quality and amplifying the perception of the per-son. For instance, the range finding station has a strong sense of smell, the gun powder store has a dra-matic temperature difference from outside, the magazine store has a conspicuous quality of acoustics, etc. Moving through different structures on site, some senses are heightened while others are obscured.

The design of the engine room is an extraction of this experience. It is a distilled version of middle head. The experience is lived again by moving through the space. Moreover, with the manipulation of water, sound and light, the room changes over time and weather condition and is able to perform autonomously.

. . . feelings become uprooted from the interiority of a ‘subject,’ to be projected violently outward into a milieu of pure exteriority that lends them an incredible velocity, a catapulting force: love or hate, they are no longer feelings, but affects… Affects transpierce the body like arrows, they are weapons of war.

Deleuze and Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus

In a certain way, the space doesn’t exist without human intervention. It only exists through the experience and the affect it imposes on people: the recognition of history, the familiarity from the other parts of the site and the memories from elsewhere.

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Site Study

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Dobroyd Head North Head

South Head

Middle Head

r

By studying the site in broad context, we can establish a comparison of Middlehead to other headlands, and determine the reason behind the redevelopment of Middlehead National Park.

Middlehead is relatively lower in density and can be further developed in term of attractions, which can potentially provide a distinct characteristic to the site.

The Quarantine station in North Head, Light houses in Bradley’s head and South Head are structures on the coast that establish a special quality and significance of the headlands.

The Engine room can play this role for Middle head.

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Pre-1880’S

1880’S

1900’S Onwards

Demolished

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Grass

0-30% Weed

30-80% weed

More than 80% weed

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A control room that activates the siteA projection of the experience of middle head

An autonomous deviceA space of change

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Site StrateGY

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Main Road

Walking Trail

The site strategy is divided in 2 stages.

The first stage is overall site planning.

This is to create a overall JOURNEY through the site.

This include providing access, services, amenities, redefining landscape and zoning that’s appropriate to the site.

The master plan takes account of the design principle of the Engine Room- with minimum intervention and over laying different layers, and to eliminate artificial/intentional design feature in order to achieve anonymity.

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tudio The landscape is modified to accommodate the changes and to complete the journey.

To modification has taken current vegetation condition into account and minimise the changed to the site.

The journey starts with grass and low ground plants along the destroyed defence wall, turns in to deciduous trees as the road entres more recent historic context. The subtle changes follows the walking trail through the bush towards the costal line, which is where the most recent military ruins locate, and the landscape turns into indeginous gum trees. As the route turns around the landscape returned back and merge into grass land at the beginning.

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tudio The junctions of routes, the merging points of the change in landscape and the opening of the walking trail are all places that potentially generates conversation. They could be places to sit, stay and interact.

A subtle design such as a raised landscape as bench along the road can provide opportunities for this interaction to happen.

As an overall design strategy, the material used in these “PLACES” can be the excavated stones and pebbles from the rest of the site. This can be expanded while the other stages of the development been carried on.

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tudio The predominant wind pattern contributes to the vegetation patterns. By articulation of the height of the trees, the view corridors are generated to coincides with the wind pattern and to provide possibility for multiple event to happen simultaneously.

For instance, the sound of wind can lead people to discover a certain view towards the ocean. The patterns are intersected at the Engine Room.

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1

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View Corridor to North Head Quarantine Station

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View Corridor to the Sea

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View Corridor to South Head Light House

A control room that activates the siteA projection of the experience of middle head

An autonomous deviceA space of change

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tudio In contrast to the first stage of creating a linear narrative of the site, the second stage of the site development is to break the linearity and develop a fragmented impression of the site.

The new elements introduced to the other sites are responded by the new features in the Engine Room.

The sequence of visiting the site will change the experience and perception of the visitors.

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Inner Fort- Gun Powder Store--TOUCH

Current Condition Intervention Of The Gun Powder Store Responsive Design In The Engine Room

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Range Finding Station--SMELL

Current Condition Intervention Of Range Finding Station Responsive Design In The Engine Room

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Magazine Store--SOUND

GRASS CONCRETE GRAVEL STEEL

Current Condition Intervention Of The Magazine Store Responsive Design In The Engine Room

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Outer Forts--ORIENTATION

Current Condition Intervention Of The Outer Fort Responsive Design In The Engine Room

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A control room that activates the siteA projection of the experience of middle head

An autonomous deviceA space of change

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A

Underground

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C

A

Above ground

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aBove GrouNd featureS

Original Plan

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BASE PARAPET WALL

The new parapet walls are introduced in replacement to the old structure. They are unified in height and reinforced to provide base for the rest of the new elements.

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WATER CHANNELS

The Water Channels are designed to intensify the flooding condition.

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, there are 8days /month of rainfall over 1mm. This stands for 1litre of water per square metres and this creates a potential for the room to flood if the water is collected properly.

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STRUCTURAL SUPPORT

Steel elements are introduced to give lateral support to the elements.

Joints and connections are cast into concrete to make the piece a whole.

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CONTINUITY

The feature of grille is recreated on the site. As the entrance become less visible due to the fact that it is hidden away, this will give an indication of the intervention.

The steel bar also turns into a handrail at the entrance and become negative shape when entre the room.

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LIGHT/WATER CONTROL

Part of the roof is elevated to accentuate the corner of the room, where the tiger cage was located.

The light only entres the room by the reflection of the roof and the small opening around it. By controlling the amount of light and the direction of light, the room can remain a certain level of lighting condition while suggesting subtle differences in each section of the interior.

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SOUND/LIGHT REFLECTOR

The design of the sound and light reflector is reminiscence of the acoustic mirror from the war and also changed the interior dramatically when the exterior condition changes.

This design is to bring Middlehead into the room. The structures are facing the bush and the harbour, and are bringing the ambient sound of the sea and the forest into the room.

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A control room that activates the siteA projection of the experience of middle head

An autonomous deviceA space of change

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tudio The sensory experience is intensified with the condition of the room.

This is achieved through the intervention. The subtle alteration of the room allows the room to interact with the change of weather condition, time of the day and the perception of occupants.

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UNDERGROUND FEATURES

Original Plan

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Contrast Of Light/Dark

The original two rooms are remained but in order to intensify the differences between the two and to accentuate the contrast of lighting features, the left skylight is remained to allow sun light to illuminate the space, while opening up the wall to show the underground sandstone feature. The room on the right hand side is closed off from the top to give a complete dark interior. Both room has a small frame to look into, but the view are drastically different.

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tudio The bench are designed to accommodate the change of condition in the room.

They are hidden in the dark in normal condition and the journey through the room are framed by the new columns.

When the room floods, the elevated benches are like stepping stones, become the only visible surface to walk on. The journey changes from a straight line through the room to a hidden trail along the wall. It is integrated with the handrail that’s carved into the wall and the existing concrete machine base. The experience becomes an unintentional discovery.

ELEVATED STEPS IN CASE OF FLOOD

USUAL WAY THROUGH THE ROOM, FRAMED BY STRUCTURAL COLUMNS

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Different Heights Generate Different View

All the views towards the outside of the room are articulated to address the change.

When standing above the bench and looking through the entrance, the original view towards the sky lowers into the bush. The vegetation is lowered to coincide with the wind pattern, therefore there are possibilities to build visual connection through the trimmed landscape towards a much deeper place into the woods.

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Light And Sound Is Intensified With The Change Of Weather Condition

The skylight is opened up to connect with the original water tank. This section of the room is the most intensified in terms of light and sound.

Current Reverberation Time = 1.04 -1.09 sReverberation time after intervention, According to SABINE equationT= 0.16 V(Volume)/A(sum of all absorptions)Under Normal Condition: T =1.8 sWhen the room is flooded: T=2.5 s

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Left Channel ParametersFreq. [Hz] 31.5 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000 Avg LinSignal [dB] 88.058 81.636 80.241 85.739 85.673 82.188 79.484 77.009 80.262 80.818 83.271 93.472Noise [dB] 56.408 50.954 47.385 43.309 39.368 31.393 27.842 25.162 24.053 26.034 35.478 57.804strenGth [dB] 19.058 12.636 11.241 16.739 16.673 13.188 10.484 8.009 11.262 11.818 14.271 16.472C50 [dB] -13.07 -5.998 -2.489 -0.116 1.765 0.503 0.696 -1.02 6.188 9.83 0.712 -2.323C80 [dB] -10.652 -3.399 1.272 3.117 3.481 1.96 4.772 8.221 15.381 23.492 3.332 0.016St1 (Early) 12.43 15.051 1.469 2.518 0.687 3.637 0.132 2.686 -4.365 -7.127 1.744 1.767St2 23.517 19.958 4.352 4.037 2.347 6.149 1.624 3.296 -4.105 -7.071 3.539 5.668StL (Late) 23.405 18.389 2.208 0.733 -0.325 3.96 -2.362 -4.609 -16.107 -25.833 0.501 4.03Tuser [s] -- 2.294 2.304 1.582 1.43 1.183 1.011 0.876 0.543 0.269 1.302 2.476T20 [s] -- 0.498 2.279 1.461 1.481 1.178 1.03 0.85 0.398 0.239 1.287 1.554T30 [s] -- -- 2.241 1.537 1.434 1.18 1.021 0.873 0.478 0.27 1.293 2.312LF -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LFC -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LG [dB] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

RTU = RT User (-10. dB, -35. dB)

Right Channel ParametersFreq. [Hz] 31.5 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000 Avg LinSignal [dB] 84.977 82.522 79.165 86.791 86.619 83.838 80.134 76.333 80.393 80.365 -- 93.509Noise [dB] 57.131 55.128 50.137 45.06 41.485 31.739 29.08 24.223 23.773 26.06 -- 59.788strenGth [dB] 15.977 13.522 10.165 17.791 17.619 14.838 11.134 7.333 11.393 11.365 -- 16.509C50 [dB] -8.337 -3.969 -2.641 -0.507 0.631 0.062 0.963 0.669 4.539 11.895 -- -1.494C80 [dB] -5.504 -0.707 2.272 2.04 2.524 2.151 4.406 7.358 16.161 23.355 -- 1.348St1 (Early) 10.795 9.442 9.531 6.496 0.472 2.118 0.245 2.491 -1.766 -7.603 -- 2.788St2 17.485 12.835 10.95 8.343 2.667 4.01 1.61 3.167 -1.598 -7.529 -- 5.343StL (Late) 16.67 10.345 7.466 5.32 0.565 0.646 -2.783 -4.306 -15.449 -25.091 -- 2.9Tuser [s] -- 1.581 2.203 1.579 1.379 1.21 1.064 0.884 0.548 0.294 -- 1.948T20 [s] -- -- 2.48 1.545 1.392 1.176 1.031 0.871 0.38 0.251 -- 1.417T30 [s] -- 1.362 2.221 1.547 1.375 1.194 1.055 0.879 0.465 0.293 -- 1.789LF -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LFC -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LG [dB] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

RTU = RT User (-10. dB, -35. dB)

mid frequency reverberation time 1.0454

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Left Channel ParametersFreq. [Hz] 31.5 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000 Avg LinSignal [dB] -46.444 55.546 67.532 75.606 76.164 69.767 65.288 56.305 49.698 41.627 71.706 80.35Noise [dB] 60.29 51.628 46.262 41.021 39.973 31.771 26.29 23.364 22.449 24.777 34.764 60.593strenGth [dB] -115.444 -13.454 -1.468 6.606 7.164 0.767 -3.712 -12.695 -19.302 -27.373 2.706 3.35C50 [dB] -1.#IO 0.818 -7.018 -7.571 -5.023 -5.026 -3.753 -3.125 4.199 7.282 -5.343 -6.172C80 [dB] -18.91 1.789 -6.068 -4.385 -3.056 -1.574 -1.164 0 7.204 12.011 -2.545 -3.492St1 (Early) -1.#IO -0.081 6.33 11.47 11.778 8.444 7.417 12.696 7.015 2.761 9.777 10.949St2 -1.#IO 1.526 10.215 15.274 14.806 11.162 10.155 14.731 7.77 3.084 12.849 14.365StL (Late) -1.#IO 1.105 12.004 15.138 14.342 9.674 8.495 11.736 0.249 -8.053 11.912 14.009Tuser [s] -- 2.081 2.235 1.584 1.435 1.324 1.123 1.086 -- -- 1.367 1.323T20 [s] -- 2.145 2.011 1.696 1.466 1.258 1.134 0.909 0.629 0.476 1.389 1.541T30 [s] -- 2.131 2.164 1.621 1.459 1.31 1.12 1.04 -- -- 1.378 1.406LF -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LFC -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LG [dB] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

RTU = RT User (-10. dB, -35. dB)

Right Channel ParametersFreq. [Hz] 31.5 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000 Avg LinSignal [dB] -46.444 57.185 68.998 77.177 77.937 72.738 68.314 57.709 49.666 40.639 -- 82.181Noise [dB] 61.758 54.275 48.996 43.432 42.697 32.799 26.939 23.685 22.512 25.12 -- 62.08strenGth [dB] -115.444 -11.815 -0.002 8.177 8.937 3.738 -0.686 -11.291 -19.334 -28.361 -- 5.181C50 [dB] -17 -0.547 -7.475 -10.447 -4.468 -1.875 -0.271 -1.971 3.549 5.747 -- -5.527C80 [dB] -12.88 0.325 -6.409 -6.831 -1.901 0.268 2.196 0.513 6.843 10.573 -- -3.117St1 (Early) -1.#IO 0.178 4.78 12.816 15.727 9.067 8.516 12.659 7.511 4.194 -- 12.293St2 -1.#IO 1.972 8.801 16.591 18.442 11.376 10.2 14.48 8.233 4.541 -- 15.481StL (Late) -1.#IO 2.79 10.759 16.36 17.138 9.118 6.708 10.904 0.599 -6.348 -- 14.672Tuser [s] -- -- 1.86 1.628 1.441 1.327 1.126 1.088 -- -- -- 1.292T20 [s] -- 2.146 2.016 1.662 1.444 1.322 1.096 0.91 0.635 0.46 -- 1.491T30 [s] -- 2.098 1.888 1.636 1.45 1.32 1.115 1.036 -- -- -- 1.373LF -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LFC -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --LG [dB] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

RTU = RT User (-10. dB, -35. dB)

mid frequency reverberation time 1.098

Some examples of reverberant spacesCathedral 2-5 sConcert halls 1.2-2.5 sRoom for speech 0.9-1.5 sBedroom 0.5 s

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Architecture is essentially an extension of nature into the man-made realm… strengthen the existential experience, one’s sense of being in the world, and this is essentially a strengthened experience of self.

Pallasmaa, The eyes of the skin: architecture and the senses