More Indepth Discussion of the Folie

It is important to look at the Folie in terms of the stated criteria: this is how we are looking at presenting our Folie.

Concept

As discussed in the previous post, our Folie takes its inspiration from the noise of the traffic under the bridge. We discussed at length how much this inspiration would impact upon the Folie’s design, and we are looking at creating a form that reflects soundwaves. Something else that we took into consideration was the idea that the sound pattern of the city might have changed over time, particularly from an increase in residents in the city. This prompted me to investigate the facts and figures in relation to Brisbane’s population, and I uncovered some interesting results, as below.

This is the change in the estimated resident population of Brisbane over time. It looks interesting similar to a small area of the spectrum graph…

There is a remarkable similarity between sound wave visualisation and column graphs, and it was this was an interesting point of inspiration for the Folie. I also decided to look at the base line population figures, as well as the level of car registration. Although these aren’t particularly relevant to the Folie concept per se, they did yield some interesting results. In particular, the vehicle registration graph (see below).



I think the graph shows quite clearly where the Global Financial Crisis occurred. Car registration has moved towards a plateau since 2008, after quite significant increases beforehand. The sound of the city might stay consistent for a while…?

Context

A portion of the project allocated to me is the site analysis section, as mentioned last post. I have produced some flow diagrams showing the flow through our intended site as well as flood and view considerations. The flow diagrams show that during peak hours, traffic through the site is quite heavy, meaning that an installation in that location would have to fit well with its surrounds and not interrupt the thoroughfare.

It is quite obvious that the height of the cliffs mean that the installation is completely safe from flooding from the river. In fact, the bridge means that the installation would be quite well protected from all the elements.

 

Also, the view from the top of the cliff is quite enjoyable, although this is by no means our first consideration it is still an important one.

 

Function

Developing the function of the Folie has been a contested point. What do we want the Folie to do? We have discussed the possibility of it turning the thoroughfare into destination; somewhere that people might want to relax and think about the sound of the city. What we are not certain on, however, is whether or not the Folie should be interactive. We toyed with the idea of having an installation that was changeable, mirroring the change in the sound of the city over time, or the increase in the population etc. We dismissed this idea on the grounds that the location of the Folie was too difficult to accommodate this sort of installation, and would require an intense amount of infrastructure to make it work.

Tectonic

The chosen site lends itself to a use of simple, natural materials. We decided at the very beginning that we should use timber for the installation, in conjunction with concrete and possibly metal of some description. We decided on the use of timber to mirror sound waves, as it is versatile and could be used in many different ways. We decided on a system of thousands of wooden slats, used to geometrically represent sound waves. Concrete would be used to blend the installation in with the existing bike path. Also, concrete would be integral to create a sound structure on the top of the cliffs, considering the significant and steep slope.

Experience

We wished the Folie to be something that could be experienced in passing as well as for a period of time. It was for this reason that we decided that it should incorporated the existing bike way. Those who needed to use the bike way as a transitional space to get to/from work could still do with ease, but now they would have an installation to look at. Those using the path for pleasure could linger in the space, with a pleasant atmosphere to rest and contemplate, enjoy the view, listen to the sound of the city, and just… be.

In many respects, one might be able to learn about themselves in the space, taking time to contemplate their own life. The Folie could be a place to consider one’s direction in life, or take some time out for one’s self.

References:

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2011. ‘Motor Vehicle Census – Registered Motor Vehicles at 31^st March’. National Regional Profile: Brisbane (Statistical Division).

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@nrp.nsf/Latestproducts/305Industry12006-2010?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=305&issue=2006-2010 (Accessed 16.03.12)

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2000 ‘Population of Queensland. 3235.3 Population By Age and Sex QLD, June 2000.

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyTopic/6B9FE55503A650FDCA25690D00835F84?OpenDocument  (Accessed 16.03.12)

Brisbane City Council. 2012. ‘Change in Estimated Resident Population, Brisbane City.’ Brisbane Community Profiles.

http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=327&pg=210&gid=10&type=enum (Accessed 15.03.12)