Urban Studio MARC4001

MARC4001
URBAN
STUDIO
BEN TANG
1

“The future is not something we enter.
The future is something we create.”
Leonard Sweet
MARC4001 URBAN STUDIO 2018
SEMESTER TWO
N ATHAN ETHERINGTON
2

3

Scenario
“The increase of the aging population and
what Sydney and the site of Waterloo will
be like in the future with the events of
age care crisis and late retirement”
4

CONTENTS
06
07
08
09
11
12
14
16
17
18
20
22
24
28
32
34
36
Future Sydney
Early Visualisation
Current Sydney Map
Future Sydney Map
Sydney map of Hospitals, Trains, Metro
Co-housing Concept
Utopia / Dystopia Collage
Demographic Projection
Life Expectancy
News Headlines
PRECEDENT / RESEARCH
Baugruppen
Buckminister Full Geodesic Dome
Ant Farm Architecture
Technology Advancement
DANK STREET SOUTH PRECINCT
THE JOURNAL
42
43
44
46
48
50
52
54
55
56
58
60
62
64
66
68
72
74
76
THE ELDERLY SANCTUARY
Scenario
2025 Visualisation Perspective
Planning stages
2060 Internal Visualisation
2060 Exterior Visualisation
2060 Iterated Exterior Visualisation
City Aerial Visualisation
Site Aerial Visualisation
Communal / Private spaces
Community Visualisation
Farm Visualisation
Site Plan
Dome
Section
Physical Model Photos
2080 Projection
Further Visualisation Projection
REFERENCES
5

Future Sydney
The early progress of what might the future Sydney be for the elderly was all optimistic,
a utopian city for all people especially fitted for the elderly where disability is not a
discrimination, everyone is able to navigate the city easily without making things obvious
through universal design.
Plentiful greenery, convenience to mix uses and transportation is the key for this intention. But
as the semester carried on, the project needed to provoke a sort of scenario that would shift
the outcome of this utopian vision into something slightly dystopia to spark a radical approach.
6

7

Current Sydney Map
Mapping things related to
elderly such as the current social
housing, age care services and
supermarkets.
MEDIAN AGE 43-85
AGE CARE/SERVICES
SUPERMARKETS
C U R R E N T S Y D N E Y M A P
1 : 5 0 0 0
S C E N A R I O / /
E L D E R L Y A N D P E O P L E W I T H D I S A B I L I T Y L I V I N G I N T H E C I T Y
8

Future Sydney Map
Projection of population increase
and demand for these services
over the next decades
MEDIAN AGE 43-85
AGE CARE/SERVICES
SUPERMARKETS
F U T U R E S Y D N E Y M A P
1 : 5 0 0 0
A G I N G P O P U L A T I O N E X P A N D I N G
S C E N A R I O / /
E L D E R L Y A N D P E O P L E W I T H D I S A B I L I T Y L I V I N G I N T H E C I T Y
9

Sydney Map for Metro, Train
and Hospital
The essentials of moving places
without requiring a private
vehicle, what ways to reduce
congestion on our Sydney roads
and making a pedestrian friendly
city.
M E T R O
T R A I N
H O S P I T A L
1 k m R a d i u s 1 : 7 5 0 0 0
10

“Population increasing by 1 person
every minute and 23 seconds”
Australian Bureau of Statistics
11

Co -
affo
enco
beha
Exp
tow
city
help
adva
met
mor
Each
fit th
need
Co-housing concept
The stackable co-living apartment
design that suits the growth of
the population.
12

Solution for an established
“Is Co-housing infrastructure the solution location for future
where convenience to
shops, food, transportation,
affordable homes?”
entertainment and leisure is
Co - Living is the solution to
affordable housing, and also
encourages social
behaviours.
Expanding by stacking
close by.
towers to suit the growing
city population. With the
Other alternative is the idea
help Sharing of technology spaces = less land required of mixed per use resident where = a cheaper new
advances and prefabrication
methods this is becoming
more plausible.
Each level could be made to
fit the person or families
needs.
established community is
created with the idea of
autonomy (idea of a self
sustaining city)
13

Early Utopian vision of a
walkable city
If we decide to get rid of most
private vehicles we should aim
for more pedestrian friendly
spaces.
Dystopian vision of a trapped
city fully of pedestrians
The elderly would be trapped in
their homes unable to navigate
the city full of people.
14

“Increase in population means
congestion”
We should aim to change our city for walkability and public transport friendly, and
less on private cars
15

Ages over 65
2001
2006
2011
2016
2021
2026
2031
2036
2041
2046
2051
AGES OVER 65
469,176
2,370,878
505,979
2,644,374
564,444
3,012,289
672,563
3,676,763
782,765
4,347,263
903,064
5,027,869
1,023,063
5,707,867
1,204,000
6,505,867
1,305,050
7,005,496
1,506,700
7,900,500
1,700,400
8,500,000
0 2250000 4500000 6750000 9000000
Baby Boomers | 1946 - 1964
all 65 by 2029
Gen X | 1965 -1976
all 65 by 2041
Millennial | 1977 - 1993
all 65 by 2058
Rough estimate seeing
Sydney to hit 1.7million+
65 and over
Australia to hit 8.5million + 65
and over
Projection for the aging population
1. Data estimated based from Australian Bureau of Statistics
2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 census data of Sydney and Australia.
16

Life expectancy
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70-74
75-79
80-84
85-89
90-94
95-99
100+
0 7500 15000 22500 30000
Males
Females
2. Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
National Mortality Database 2016
17

News headlines of Age care crisis and
Social housing
‘Waterloo public
housing tenants,
residents face eviction’
The Affects
Who to trust?
Where can the elderly go?
Socialism
Politics
Class differences
Technology
18

'Heartless' nursing assistant
attacked 85-year-old
dementia patient’
‘The sickening truth about
aged care’
‘People suffering now can't wait
two years for Royal Commission,
aged care advocates say’
19

PRECEDENT/
RESEARCH
20

01
BAUGRUPPEN
House models that makes it
affordable for buyers without the
need for developers.
02
GEODESIC DOMES
Invented by Buckminister Fuller,
his domes set out to be seen
globally, the domes are rigid
and provides the benefits of
protections.
03
ANT FARM
70’s design group, known for
their works of inflatables and the
House of the century. An aspect
to explore for the nostalgic touch
of the younger times for the
elderly.
04
TECHNOLOGY
In a world that we constantly rely
on technology, there is no doubt
advancements could take place
in the future that can make life
easier in everyday life.
21

01
BAUGRUPPEN WGV
SPACEAGENCY
ARCHITECTS
The Baugruppen model concept can be
reorganised to fit the users preference of a
1 bedroom, 2 bedroom to a 3 bedroom home
which can be rearranged onto the site by
stacking, the idea of Baugruppen homes
is that there is no cost involved through
developers, the owners are in charge of
developing which is shared equally among
other residents.
Figure 3: Spaceagency Architects, 2018
22

Figure 4: Spaceagency Architects, 2018
Baugruppen model . Render of Baugruppen at WGV, Perth
23

02
GEODESIC
DOMES
BUCKMINISTER
FULLER
One of the most recognisable Geodesic
structures is the one in Montreal designed
and built for the World trade expo of 1967. The
idea for the dome is to provide the enclosure
for the building inside and creates its habitat
within.
This idea was carried onto my project to
provide a structure that could enclose the
elderly community from potential threats
created from the scenario, the biosphere is
designed to be rigid with its triangular and
hexagon trusses.
24

Figure 5: Rose, 2016
25

Buckminister Fuller and his colleagues
showing how strong the geodesic dome is by
hanging on this light weight structure.
Figure 6: Fuller, 1948
26

Early drawings of the geodesic dome in
structural detail.
Figure 7: Fuller, 1957
27

03
ANT FARM
ARCHITECTURE
Ant farm was a group founded by Chip Lord
and Doug Michels in 1968 which created
avante garde architecture and art.
Their works such as the inflatables, house of
the century and the floating city for humans
and marine animals provokes a style that
could be used to hint a nostalgic memory
for the elderly of the 70’s. A fun and hippie
influenced vibe that can be used to enlighten
the experience of the community.
28

Figure 8. WORKac, 2015
WORKac and Ant Farm design a utopian floating city for humans and marine
animals, Chicago Architecture Biennial 2015
29

Figure 9: Ant Farm, 1970
Figure 10: Ant Farm, 1970
Clean Air Pod
30

Figure 11: WORKac, 2015
Figure 12: Lord, 2013
Ant farms prediction of what a home will be like in the next 100 years, breaking
out of traditional style homes of flat walls into something more curved.
31

04
TECHNOLOGY
ADVANCEMENT
Technology is made to make our lives easier,
but the downside is our privacy is getting
more and more exposed for this exchange
of convenience. But also in the wrong users
could also be disastrous.
SMART
TECHNOLOGY
The idea of Smart homes and smart cities
are already on the rise, with major companies
such as Google or Amazon, the goal is collect
data all over the city through an internet
based system.
The benefits of smart technology is that all
the data collected makes it more efficiently to
run with targeted marketing.
For an elderly, these technology could assist
in everyday activities with ease especially on
health monitoring and comfort.
32

ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE
In a future of advanced technology artificial
intelligence is not as far away as it seems.
With many dystopian movies projecting
the outlook of artificial intelligence being a
problem.
For the elderly this seems like a perfect
solution as a carer and doing chores and
activities that might be difficult.
Perfect for a scenario shaped around an
autonomous community that is ran only by
the elderly, trying to be independent from a
society of younger generation.
Figure 13: Honda Asimo robot concept 2018
33

DANK STREET
SOUTH PRECINCT,
WATERLOO
S
S
The current Waterloo is being gentrified with
new mixed used developments, demolition of
social housings (S) to make way for new ones, a
masterplan to renew the entire Dank street South
precinct has already been planned out including
new residential towers.
The current site that will be kept in the future
masterplan will be the heritage sites (H) such as
the Water pumping station, 222 Young street and
241 Young street.
The site provides the perfect opportunity to target
the demographics of the elderly especially at a time
where the government is forcing residents out of
their current social housing and the rising aging
population in accordance to the scenario of the age
care crisis.
34

2018
SYDNEY CBD
S
S
H
H
H
35

THE
JOURNAL
RICHARD SMITH
36

AGE CARE CRISIS!
2018
15th September 2018
As a nurse working for 33years, I must admit that I heard terrible stories speculating between
my colleagues. The truth about age care facility has finally been revealed to the greater public
in a recent dispute about a carer who violently attacked an elderly patient, this bought out a lot
of other stories regarding the poor treatment in elderly care. I for one is extremely glad that
I have not witnessed such activity at work but it certainly gives me distress that the lack of
disrespect happens at a regular basis more than we know in the industry.
15th December 2018
About 3months later since the crisis, Scott Morrison was finally able to provide a new action plan
including the proposal to raise the staff ratio to patients, the duration of the Tafe course to
increase another half a year and to provide the right training and experience for nursing students
before entering into the workplace, funding more money for the increase of staff, but because
of this our salary was slightly cut short by 2%. I for one do not think this will solve entirely. No
matter what age or circumstance you are in, nobody should ever be treating people like that. I
believe that the more people introduced into the care there is more responsibility to look after.
2020
15th December 2020
Its obvious I don’t write much in my journal at all, It has been 2 years since the action plan and in
all honesty I have only seen minor improvements where staffs are now able to provide more time
with the patient than before but the lack of freedom and energy is still in tack with the setting of
age care. The rapid increase in aging population is becoming a problem for the industry regardless,
it would be close to impossible to provide enough quality care for everyone. Most likely becoming
even more unaffordable especially when I am retiring from my low salary job.
Since then, a vast majority of the elderly community have trust issues regarding the way the
age care is operated, this lead to the startup of an elderly activist community group fighting for
their right of care and freedom. I completely support this movement and is happy to see what
they are able to achieve.
2021
ELDERLY CALL FOR ACTION!
30th January 2021
The new plans of shaping the community group has begun with a new mode of housing model called
Baugruppen, a type of house based on a modulus stacking concept where land is bought and shared
among a group of people making It more affordable than conventional houses. The modulus design
can vary depending on the spaces required from a single bedroom home to 3 bedrooms. I would
love to see more of this as this would definitely solve our increasing land and house prices.
37

2022
FUTURE OF ELDERLY HOUSING?
27th October 2022
The first Baugruppen house model was completed in Sydney for the elderly which I was able to
check out. The community was full of life with plenty of share spaces including their own farm
between the neighbour’s. Which they were able to earn a bit from agriculture. This was a great
way to keep them occupied while sustaining a living with their pension. Most of the residents
were elderly’s who are living away from their family, they all shared similar stories and beliefs in
fighting for independence. The house was also equipped with smart home technology to make daily
chores easier with health monitoring, a sort of carer imbedded into the home.
First Baugruppen house
2025
I TURNED 65!!
25th September 2025
Today is my 65th birthday, planning to celebrate with close family, during dinner they raised the
question whether I should be working still. I told them in order for me to sustain a living I need to
continue working, unfortunately as a nurse I don’t get paid enough and I don’t expect to live in an
age care home when I become retired as it is has increased ever since.
Working for me is what keep me going every day, I worry that if I stop I will become useless.
38

2027
FINALLY PENSION!
30th September 2027
I have just turned 67 and now able to get pension funds but I’m still not ready for
retirement yet, I got bills to pay, health care expense and my superannuation has not
saved enough funds just yet.
2028
10th October 2028
The devastating news was announced to the public that the developers of the Waterloo
development for the existing proposed Dank Street South Precinct and parts of the
Social housing project was left incomplete due to bankrupt, causing major loss.
12th December 2028
After 2 months the government announced it was unable to keep the project going and
planned to resell this to other developers to continue the project
20th December 2028
Fortunately the government was able to resell the land and its existing half building
construction cheaply and give it to the guys who started the Baugruppen house projects.
The unfinished site in Dank Street South Precint
39

2029
4th April 2029
The green light was given for the Baugruppen homes where a huge proposal entirely based on
reusing the existing framework of concrete slabs and columns was made, providing a lot more
residents than they have ever done previously. Set of house models which became even more
affordable due to the non-profit developer ideology and having the land cheaply purchased.
2030
I TURNED 70!!
20th December 2030
I am now in my 70’s and have always dreamt about staying in a Baugruppen home due to the
affordability, it could not have come a better time, after saving up with my wife I have finally
retired so I could spend more time with my family. The days of relying on retirement and age care
homes is yet to be phased out for the major increase of seniors.
Our own Baugruppen home in Waterloo
40

What to be expected
Beyond 2030...
41

THE
ELDERLY
SANCTUARY
42

THE SCENARIO
The elderly decides to start their own community to avoid the
crisis of age care. With their money saved up from superannuation
and pension funds that was suppose to go towards age care, they
decided it was better to buy land and build a community together.
The Dank Street South Precinct in Waterloo was a great choice of
location especially with social housing and the elderly population
being moved out of their homes, it also provides a great way to
replenish old heritage sites.
Here the design process was to challenge the vision based on this
scenario, what this place would look like in the next years? Adopting
a co-living environment where social is encouraged, care being
taken by their peers but also technological advances that could
change the way we rely on people. Do we ever need to rely on our
society and the surrounding anymore other than the one we live in?
43

2025
44

Creating a semi high tech co-living community based on
the foundations of an old or mid constructed building45

2025 - 2030
First stage of establishment at the Dank Street South
Precinct site, renewing the Water pumping station as a
new co-housing residential for the elderly.
2030-2040
Expanding the community overtime, the land is utilised
for pivot irrigation and Hydroponic farming, a new
church and health care has been added as apart of reutilising
heritage.
46

2040 - 2080
As the community becomes more excluded to society, a
typology has started to be adopted where a dome needs
to be erected in place to protect themselves from crime,
established on social class
47

2060
Projection of 2060, The Elderly community is closed
out from the rest of society due to rising crimes and to
maintain its own community.
48

49

2060
50

In a city where it is harder for the
newer generations to afford living in a
decent size home, The elderly creates
a dominance of land just because they
were able to afford it at a time when the
market price was not that high.
51

2060-
Iterated vision of the dome of
2060, potential addition for
2070
52

53

54
Aerial visualisation of a
emphasised city where the tall
rising building is overcasting
the community, due to the rising
prices for land and houses.

Aerial visualisation of the
autonomous community
enclosed within a dome to
protect their wealth.
55

COMMUNAL/
PRIVATE
SPACE
56

In co-housing some rooms can be happily shared with
residents such as the kitchen, dining, living areas but
one place that is kept private to each resident is their
bedroom, toilet and bathroom. Here is these organised
individual inspired bubble inflatables of the 70’s to
house these programs. These are light weight so they
can be moved and scattered around across the entire
site.
57

58

The lifestyle of the elderly is to encourage freedom with a sense of
personal style, taking care and ensuring that nature is maintained
and alive. The cows provide the maintenance of the grass as well
as dairy products like milk and roams around the site.
59

60

Visualisation of the autonomous farming within the dome, using
pivot irrigation systems and hydroponic farming to harvest
vegetables for food source. Artificial intelligence is used to help
out on hard labour which the elderly would find difficult.
The farm is a way to source money for the community by selling
them to the surrounding neighbourhood.
61

11 12
8
9
10
YOUNG STREET
7
BOURKE STREET
4
5
6
13
2
LACHLAN STREET
1
3
62
MCEVOY STREET

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Water Pumping Station (Heritage)
First established Co-living apartment of up to 60 residents
Treated rainwater storage pond
Treated rainwater storage pond
Service area (solar power storage) above ground.
Septic tank/ filtration Below ground
Private bedroom en-suite
Communal kitchen / dining
Communal living room
Heritage - transformed and extended as a on-site health centre
Church / Memorial
Hydroponic farming
Grey water (for farming)
Pivot irrigation
Heritage (222 Young Street)
63

Dome with solar panels acts
as shading whilst providing
renewable energy.
DOME
64

Dome diagrams
65

66
Section | 1:1000

67

68

72

2080
BEYOND THE BITTERSWEET FUTURE
A sort of dystopia prediction of 2080 sees the gentrification process
taken over to remove poverty of the ruining site due to social class.
The dominance of the rich elderly community buys more land as
they can afford to increase the size of their sanctuary, the others is
almost left with no choice but to sell in order to sustain an average
lifestyle to survive where they had to move out of the city and into
the far West.
73

SKY SANCTUARY BEYOND
74

As the community becomes a huge divider to the city due to
wealth, the community decides to build towards upwards to
gain back its solar access and dominance from the arising city
height.
This sky sanctuary is an extension from the domes, providing
with high speed lifts to access. it also acts as a way to provide
more surface for rainwater catchment and a lot more security
protection. The position is strategically placed to offset from
the existing and shelters Mcevoy Street.
75

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REFERENCES

1
“2016 Census Quickstats: Greater Sydney”. 2018. Quickstats.Censusdata.Abs.Gov.Au. http://quickstats.
censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/1GSYD?opendocument.
2011 Census Quickstats: Greater Sydney”. 2018. Quickstats.Censusdata.Abs.Gov.Au. http://quickstats.
censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/1GSYD?opendocument.
2006 Census Quickstats: Greater Sydney”. 2018. Quickstats.Censusdata.Abs.Gov.Au. http://quickstats.
censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2006/quickstat/1GSYD?opendocument.
2001 Census Quickstats: Greater Sydney”. 2018. Quickstats.Censusdata.Abs.Gov.Au. http://quickstats.
censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2001/quickstat/1GSYD?opendocument.
2
“Deaths In Australia, Age At Death - Australian Institute Of Health And Welfare”. 2018. Australian Institute Of
Health And Welfare. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-death/deaths-in-australia/contents/
age-at-death.
3
Spaceagency Architects. The Concept. 2018. Baugruppen. Image. http://www.baugruppen.com.au/about.
html.
4
Spaceagency Architects. Baugruppen. 2018. Real Estate. Image. https://www.realestate.com.au/news/
design-your-own-apartment-project-an-australian-first/.
5
Rose, George. 2016. Montreal Biosphere. Image. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/buckminsterfuller-architecture/all.
6
Fuller, Buckminister. 1948. Hanging On Dome. Image. https://trailerpilot.com/2009/03/14/bucky-donefun/23d0dbf_hanging_from_domejpg/.
7
Fuller, Buckminister. 1957. Montreal Biosphere Drawing. Image. http://archeyes.com/montreal-biosphere-
1967-buckminster-fuller/.
8
9
WORKac. 2015. Workac’s Long Section Of Dolphin Embassy. Image. https://www.dezeen.com/2015/10/07/
workac-ant-farm-utopian-floating-city-concept-chicago-architecture-biennial-2015/.
WORKac. 2015. Perspective view of WORKac’s Floating City. Image. https://www.dezeen.com/2015/10/07/
workac-ant-farm-utopian-floating-city-concept-chicago-architecture-biennial-2015/.
10
Ant Farm. 1970. Clean Air Pod. Image. http://www.spatialagency.net/database/ant.farm.
11
12
WORKac’s. 2015. Workac’s Section Of House Of The Century. Image. https://www.dezeen.com/2015/10/07/
workac-ant-farm-utopian-floating-city-concept-chicago-architecture-biennial-2015/.
Lord, Chip. 2013. The House Of The Century. Image. https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/buildings/
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