Bob Lu Brief Folio

BOB LU|BRIEF FOLIO

IMAGE: Render of a remodelled parametrically designed version of Felix Candela’s Bacardi Factory.

An iteration for the technique of ‘fragmentation’ created at the beginning of the semester using a Seagram building model as the base.

This project is a proposal for a new commerce and arts

tower in Fisherman’s Bend. A series of iterations of iterations conducted throughout the semester yielded the technique of ‘fragmentation’ as a design provocation for the project.

Thinking of the concept of ‘money’ with the physical equivalent of being ‘hardware’, such as a television screen that holds and powers the pictures played on screen. What is played on screen is the product of money; civilisation, society, culture- the art and art offices that are integrated into the solid frame of finance- each a pixel on the screen making up the larger picture.

The idea was that the views into the tower and offices would be ever-changing as artists and stockbrokers occupy the spaces, either by artistic method like displaying art on the transparent walls, or painting on them directly, even mundane tasks like drawing curtains/blinds to block sunlight or moving furniture around would ensure the building would continually change over time.

GALLERY SPACE ARTIST STUDIOS x16 SMALL GALLERY x2 STAFF OFFICES x6 ADMIN OFFICES x12 PUBLIC TOILETS x18 MEDIA GALLERY x1 PUBLIC LOUNGE x1 CAFE x1 COMMERCIAL KITCHEN x1

Gallery floor looking towards city

The fragmentation of the outer shell represents disintegration of the once rigid shell of finance if the artistic element of the building were attempting to break free of the strict boundaries of the stock exchange, a screen shot of the split second before drastically mutating the building’s form. This pix-elation of the facade can also be seen embody a few ideas; the static white noise you get on your television when reception is lost (financial instability, global recessions), as the disintegration of the hardware (physical) into a future of digital technology or the infectious nature and influence of money and technology.

Interior

Fragmentation panels on exterior

View from neighbouring flats

2ND YEAR TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTS: PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE Group Project

The design of this bridge was imagined by combining the low profile of a suspension bridge with the structural qualities of a cable-stayed bridge in order to achieve the desired footprint and long span across South bank.

Our intention was to have a design that had minimal impact on the visual environment, which would impaired by having supporting wires coming off bridge. To do this we took inspiration from human anatomy- specifically muscle fibresin the way that they support weight by being held in tension.

The agenda of minimal visual impact is carried on with the design of the observation tower, a 5x5x10m transparent tower with load bearing glass walls that fades in with the cityscape of glass faรงade buildings in the backdrop. We thought the idea of a load bearing glass tower was an interesting and unique structural form to pursue, and its presence did not visually detract from the bridge itself.

The parabolic wooden deck comes full circle at the centre between the two larger steel rings, offering shelter and a small performance space for events.

The bridge was initially envisioned as a series of paths and walkways for pedestrians and cyclists while housing a central cafĂŠ. This was simplified into one linear walkway in later iterations.

For the design to remain the result of one principle idea and driving force, all the other elements of the bridge were streamlined in order to highlight the visually dominant structure.

A wooden deck with a semi-circular cross-section runs the length of the cables and is the platform for walking and cycling on, also acting as the wind barrier and replacing any protective railing.

Taking the cables off of a typical cable bridge, we imagined each single member to be a muscle fibre, and by threading them through a series of 4 large steel rings to form the muscle-fibres that poetically tied the two banks of Melbourne together.

Simple paraboloid furniture is embedded on the curving sides of the deck- these can be used for sitting and eating on, while the conforming paraboloid shape is also translated into the lamps that hang from the top cables to provide lighting.

Initial concept art of a web above the city with the idea of having the entire city connected and accessible with built connections of seatbelts, and having a group of tightrope walkers to be able to adapt their skills to this system.

It is right after the zombie apocalypse, and the ground is no longer safe. The main idea behind this project was to rebuild on a higher vertical plane to escape the threat posed by the ground. The chosen site encompasses the Cheetham wetlands and its surrounding residential developments.

Strategically, all the marsh and lagoons restrict zombie movements into the wetlands and providing opportunities to hunt wildlife for food, while the surrounding neighbourhood is then opened for farming and supply scavenging. A group of 20 travelling circus tightrope walkers find themselves as survivors in the wetlands, and leverage their affinity for heights to help them survive.

The project is about the telephone pole network, and how different types of poles function and work together to create a system that involves using existing infrastructure to connect the suburbs, and creating infrastructure in the form of a grid that goes across the wetlands. When the zombie factor is nullified, you allow the apocalypse to fade into background noise as you focus on living and thriving, not just surviving, building a lasting infrastructure for the next 100 or even 1000 years. It is laying the groundwork for a new post-apocalyptic way of life, retaking cities infectiously and fulfilling a utopian vision.

The image and abilities of zombies vary within popular culture, but lets stay away from slow lumberers and think of the ones in this scenario as fast, vicious and highly infectious.

Initial concept art depicting hunters along a gridded wetlands using existing fencing infrastructure.

Residential Web: Repurposing infrastructure

Using the existing telephone pole network and connecting them with seatbelt straps extracted from the million or so abandoned cars around Melbourne. A network is created from pole to pole to give the group access to the entire city. The dominant pole types are for farming a variety of crops, and rainwater collection poles to water those crops.

AXO 1

AXO 2

Wetlands Grid: Creating infrastructure

Initially the group would build connections first to places like farming sites and the creek for freshwater, gradually expanding and filling the gaps. The grid covers the hunting grounds, offering a diverse range of potential food sources. The dominant pole types here are used for creating compost, living spaces and nets/fencing that trap and divert animal herds.

The wetlands was originally salt marsh and

woodlands, later used as a salt works. It now consists of lagoons and lakes both artificial and naturally occurring while housing a diverse range of flora and fauna. In terms of food sources, over 200 different species of migratory birds nest around the area, and the nearby Werribee open range zoo also hosts a number of grazing species.

RESIDENTIALTwo members harvest tomatos from a farm pole.

RESIDENTIALFirst person view standing over a cabbage farm pole.

WETLANDSHunters wound and track a bison which was separated from its herd with net poles.

WETLANDSLooking out from tent pole onto the fishing grid and distant Melbourne skyline.

Final Presentation: http://themartians.info/maps/sectionsemifinal/

The Martian City: A multi-generational tower that accumulates over the course of a 500 year terraforming process.

OUTCOMES The tower follows a logical blueprint to approximate its outcome- At 38% of Earth’s gravity; building vertically becomes more feasible and efficient than a wide city, while its monumental mass minimises the risk of the structure becoming lost to dust and ruin.

The tower’s modular origins is a cost-effective means to create protective and insulated space, commercial mega-structures designed to maximise living space, until a communication break with Earth severs ties and allows the inhabitants to take the growth of the tower into their own hands. In terms of the terraforming influence on the different construction phases of the tower, you should be able to agree that a closer connection with natural is a universally desired aspect of life, so when the atmosphere becomes thicker, spaces will become lighter. When the air is breathable, you would then expect the spaces to open up completely to achieve that connection with the environment.

The point of the vertical city is that the past forms the tower’s foundations, and so a degree of maintenance and understanding of it is required to progress. The city does not have to be efficient; it does not even have to ‘work’, as long as it is ‘still working’ in 500 years. It can be destroyed repeatedly but let’s its destruction shape its identity.

Every generation, a new level is built, and the population moves up accordingly, always living at the top most floors and leaving the levels below uninhabited. A person will be constantly moving up through different constructed environments, each new generation having the opportunity to create their own ideal living spaces in a process of artificial selection. It does this to keep its inhabitants sane, giving them an illusion of choice, of change, travel, culture... and keeps the inhabitants from being confined in the same incubated spaces for their entire lives.

I have some experience in digital painting as a hobby (Photoshop + tablet), and have found the skill useful when working on studio projects from sketching and designing down to rendering processes. Thought it might be of interest to add a few of my paintings as an additional asset to my skill set.