ENVS1004: Designing Environments
Site Exploration: Union Lawn
Done by: Sophie Wallace Si Yang Qiu Jun Wen Chan Zi Kai Wang
History of Site: Union Lawn With the founding of Melbourne University in 1855, the geographical landscape was made up of wetlands. A lake was formed from the swamps to allow spatial locating of the waters from the areas.
The National Museum was constructed in 1862 in front of the lake and in 1888, the Biology School was completed towards the east of the lake.
Fast forward to 1899, the National museum was relocated and the vacated building was renamed as Union House for the University Union that formed in 1884.
The lake was filled in in 1939 to be a lawn to allow more space for the increased in student capacity, and in 1968, concrete was included.
The Sun Ribbon sculpture was built in 1982 which became an icon for the lawn.
But a new layout plan for the old commerce building, now the school of design with renovations completion in 2014, quickly became the main attraction for students of designs.
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A day on Concrete Lawn 9AM
11AM
1PM
3PM
5PM
7PM
9PM
Climate Temperature distribution of Concrete Lawn throughout the day
9 AM
1 PM
N
COOL
5 PM HOT
Climate Shadows generated by surrounding buildings and vegetation on Concrete Lawn throughout the day
9 AM
1 PM
N
5 PM
Site Actions’ Intensities Farmer’s market attracts many people, increasing intensity of other uses.
In the morning a high proportion of people sitting were also using their phones. There was a club activity in progress on the Site at around 1330 hours.
During the farmer’s market, passersby slow down, leading to inflated counts of pedestrian traffic. For the set-up of farmer’s market, there were large incoming traffic to look for parking spaces
Site Action Intensities (Map View)
9 AM
1 PM Low Intensity
5 PM High Intensity
Site Entrances/Exits
Different Times Of Movement At 10Am, a few students walk through Raymond Rriestley to MSD building to start their lectures or library time. The farmers’ market hasn’t opened yet, students walk through there by curiosity. There also have cars and bicycles pass by the concrete lawn.
At 12PM, lots of students walk through MSD building to union house for their lunch, and there also have passersby for the farmers’ market.
At 3PM, people are concreted on the union house and they walk through concrete lawn.
At 9PM, almost everything has already closed, including the library of the MSD building and the union house. So a few students walk through concrete lawn to go home.