Shipping Container Public Building Acton Park Canberra

The ‘Westside @ Acton Park’ is a shipping container building in Canberra's Acton Park, designed by Cox Architecture and Murtagh Bond Engineers. This is four shipping containers high (not as tall as ANU Laurus Wing of Ursula Hall, which is six containers high). Westside is to be a cultural centre run by by Stomping Grounds Collective. Hopefully it will be more successful that the ACT Government's previous venture on this site, which was to be a futsal stadium, but was not used.

The building consists of a steel frame supporting the roof and stairs, into which shipping containers have been stacked three high. This differs from typical shipping container buildings where the containers themselves support the roof and stairs. Having a separate frame provides more flexibility in what containers can be used, as they do not have to hold up the building. This also allows the containers to be interchangeable, much like the concept (never implemented) for Le Corbusier's Unite d’Habitation. 

The location of Westside was proposed for a convention centre in 2011.  This convention centre was not proceeded with, but the design of Westside lends itself to modular expansion and perhaps could grow into a convention centre. One facility


One use mooted for the convention centre was dialogue. In August I visited the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.This is a purpose built room, which wile impressive, I suggest is too inflexible in design to be viable for Canberra. The dialogue room is circular with stepped seating and translation and electronic voting facilities for each seat. While excellent for its intended purpose, such a room is not suitable for conference presentations and other uses. A rectangular room with a flat floor could have temporary seating installed for this and other purposes. Delegates could now be expected to arrive with their own wifi equipped devices for translation and e-voting.

Metadata in the Public Sphere

Day 2 of the the Meta 2011 Conference at ANU University House in Canberra included myself on "Designing for Democratic Dialogue: More than Mating iPads", followed by with Senator Lundy on "Public Sphere" and Chris Winter, from the ABC on "Developing an ABC Program Information Model - the WCMS project".

Canberra Conference Centre Proposal

The Canberra Times reports to day in "City's waterside vision revealed" (by JUDITH IRELAND, 11 April 2011, 2011 12:07 PM), that it is proposed to build a $327 million conference centre and hotel complex. I was previously consulted on the design of a hi-tech dialogue centre as part of the development. My suggestion was to base the design on that of a educational "learning commons". I will be discussing how such a facility can be used at the Meta 2011 Conference, University House, the Australian National University, 26 May 2011.

I had some doubts about the location of the facility in the Parliamentary Triangle next to the National Library of Australia. However, the location appears to have been changed to the other side of the lake, to West Basin, Acton, which is more suited to such a development. But I am not sure my fellow members of the Walter Burley Griffin Society will agree. The third annual Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture by Rosemarie Willett is in Canberra, 12 April 2011.

I talked about the design of such a facility in "Designing for Dialogue: How do we design buildings and on-line systems for people to talk, learn and make decisions together?" at BarCamp Canberra 2011, ANU 19 March 2011. There is more detail on technocracy and designs in "Learning Commons Technology: The dos and donts in developing learning commons" at the 2nd Annual Learning Commons Development and Design Forum, Brisbane, 30 March 2011.

Learning and Dialogue Building

Former Canadian military college, Royal Roads University, is constructing a Learning and Innovation Centre building. One floor will be a "Centre for Dialogue", intended to carry out a similar function to that of the Wosk Centre at Simon Fraser University.

However unlike the Wosk centre, which is essentially a conterence centre with very specalsied discussion rooms for face to face interaction, the LIC building will be primarily a teaching centre for traditional lectures and computer meditated communication, with dialogue as a secondary role.

The building is designed by Jensen Chernoff Thompson Architects and their early plans for the building are avialable. Interestingly, the university has used its Moodle Learning System to provide details of the project and as a forum for consultation on the project. The general public can view the documents and "RRU Campus Progress Discussion".

This model of a combined learning and dialogue centre, using online education tools which I have suggested for a Dialogue and Learning Centre in Canberra. Instead of having rooms and systems which are purpose built for public discussion and which therefore will be unused most of the time, the design of a learning centre is adapted for occasional dialogue use. This allows the unviersity to have a useful teaching facility and to have a fully staffed facility with computer systems ready for use as a dialogue centre.

National Portrait Gallery Conference Venue

The Verdiem presentation I attended today was held at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra. The National Portrait Gallery turned out to be a very good event event venue. This might make a good template for new and larger venues in the Parliamentary Triangle.

The building has extensive free parking underneath and a bus stop outside. The eastern wing of the building has a cafe at one end and then one large rectangular conference space with a flat floor and no columns. This can be divided into smaller rooms with movable partitions. There is a large space in the centre of the building which could be used for breaks in a conference. There is also a balcony with views of the parkland, high court and national gallery.

This could be a good model for the Australia Forum/Dialogue Centre building proposed to be adjacent to the National Library of Australia. This could be a modest looking low retangualr building, like the NPG, designed to blend in with the NLA. It could use low cost environmentally efficient building techniques, avoiding the cost and delays usual with "landmark" buildings. It could be connected underground with the NLA, with planned extensions to the Science Centre. The building could be extended in stages under the central grassed area of the parliamentary triangle, to eventually join up with the poorly utilised space under Reconciliation Place (including the Gallery of Australian Design) and the NPG, without disturbing the vista at ground level.

Reform Agenda for Copyright

Greetings from "Policy Form: Righting the Copyright Imbalance", at the National Library of Australia, in Canberra.After "Orphan Works" Kim Weatherall, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Queensland summarised the day. One point she made was ensuring that everyone concerned was "in the room" for discussions on copyright and also that public policy could be developed in a coordinated way.

It occurred to me that NLA provided a valuable public service for providing a forum for today's discussion. Last week I suggested in "Designing for Dialogue" the NLA be funded to have a centre for this purpose.

Designing for Dialogue

Lyn Stephens, Director of the Australian Centre for Dialogue Project dropped in on Friday. The project's aim is to provide facilities people to discuss issues of public interest. Lyn wanted to see how technology could help foster discussion, both in real and virtual spaces, so visited me at the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Purple Pickle

First stop was the Purple Pickle Cafe. Located in the sports building opposite the engineering building, this provides an informal place for people to meet and discuss ideas. The Cafe is serviced by the university wireless network, so hand held computers can be used. But this is primarily a place for people to people communication. The lack of walls allows people to have seemingly chance encounters which would not be feasible in offices or meeting rooms. A similar function is carried out by Aussies Café in Parliament House.

N101

Next stop was the famous room N101, the seminar room shared by the Research School of Computer Science and the CSIRO ICT centre. This is in the purpose designed Computer Science and Information Technology Building. Room N101 has been the location for numerious seminars, some of which have changed the direction of the computer industry, the Austrlaian government and society. Some events were Senator Lundy's Public Sphere #1 – High Bandwidth for Australia, and BarCamp Canberra 2010.

The room is shaped like a wedge of lemon, with the point cut off. There is floor to ceiling glass around the curve and doors allowing events to flow out into the gardens. For formal presentations, chairs are arranged in curved rows focusing on the front wall.

The front wall was previously painted white, with three video projectors forming a wall to wall floor to ceiling high resolution Access Grid node. However, the access grid proved inflexible for general use and has been replaced. At the same time a small platform at the front of the room has been removed, making a completely flat floor.

N101 is now equipped with a standard unviersity computer console and screen. This provides a computer linked to a video projector which can be used to present and to also record a podcast (using ANU's bespoke Digital Lecture Delivery System). There are microphones on the ceiling to record audio, along with whatever is projected.

The built-in computer can also access the ANU's Wattle Learning System, allowing the same materials which students use individually on their own computers to be displayed to a group. This includes the Moodle Learning Management System used for providing content and hosting text based forums. There is also access for webinars (web based video and audio real time conferences).

One important aspect of N101's setup is that the same software used for education can also be used for a conference, or for a dialogue. This removes the need to find, install, learn and maintain special software. The same technical support staff who look after the software for the learning system can also support seminars, conferences and dialogue sessions.

On the day Lyn visited a software engineering workshop was taking place, so the furniture was arranged seemingly randomly, with groups of students clustered around wireless laptops, while some used the main screen to rehearse a group presentation. The most important technology in the room is invisible: the wireless networking.

CIST Common Room

Next stop was the CIST staff room. This is a wedge shaped room, the mirror image of N101, on the opposite side of the building. It is usual for the catering for an event in N101 to be provided in the common room. This provides a break from the formality of the seminar room.

A quirk of the design is that there are two septate doors next to each other labelled "ANU" and "CSIRO", but with both doors leading into the same room. The room is mirrored with the CSIRO kitchen on one side and ANU on the other and no physical barrier between. This allows the two organisations to have their own "space", but to literally meet in the middle. A similar subtle form of zoning is now used in learning commons at universities to mark areas for different purposes, without using walls.

Ian Ross Building

Next to the CIST Building and linked by a bridge is the Ian Ross building, which is notable for its passive cooling and movable wall partitions. The ground floor has a space which can be divided in different ways as required, although the new trend is to divide spaces with glass, rather than opaque partitions. The building also holds a Graduate Teaching Room, with the same computer console as N101 and modular tables. The tables can be arranged in rows like a classroom, but are usually arranged cabaret style, for groups of six students.

Engineering Building

Across another link bridge and last stop on the tour was the Engineering Building. This has a lecture theatre equipped with a power point for each seat, along with the same type of wireless network and computer console as N101.

Floors for the Future

Also I showed Lyn a sample of Cable Management Flooring. While wireless data communications can now be mostly used for data, there is still a need for cables for power in a room. Instead of having fixed locations for wires, these can be run anywhere under the raised floor panels. The panels can also be laid over an existing floor, allowing old buildings to be refurbished.

Flat Floors and Straight Walls Work

The engineering buildings at ANU do not look as exciting as some meeting venues, such as the interactive and multimedia environment used at Greenbuild 2010. Susan S. Szenasy in "Luminous Buildings, Sleepy Rooms" describes this as a "theatre-in-the-round" with visuals projected on a cube hanging from the ceiling. However, Sean Penrith pointed out some flaws in this design in "Greenbuild 2010: EPS Goes TED", with the presenters having to walk and turn to face the audience completely surrounding them, while on a narrow raised platform. They also have to pass one hand held remote control for the projection system between multiple presenters. Rooms such as ANU's N101 provide a practical flexible space. The flat floor, a wedge shape and a well equipped multimedia console, provide for traditional presentations and group interaction.

ps: Build a Library

One aim of the Australian Centre for Dialogue Project is to build a landmark building beside Lake Burley Griffin, near Questacon and the National Library. This is the same location proposed by the Australia Forum for a meeting centre. The two projects are seeing how they can achieve common aims and incorporate online technology to provide meeting facilities beyond a building in Canberra.

One aspect of the proposed location which neither project seems to have incorporated is the adjacent National Library of Australia (NLA). This is one of the world's leading centres in the use of computer based systems for interacting with the public. The NLA was key to the implementation of web sites for the Australian Government, hosting the first government "home page". The library runs regular computer enhanced events and also interacts with the public directly online.

The library is also seen to be at arms length from the Parliament and so could host public discussions, free from the perception of government interference. This is a traditional role for libraries, as dramatically demonstrated by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which played a part in the recent overthrow of the Egyptian government.