Week 4

This site sits at the threshold of the city heart. The water and pathways serve as a conduit for travellers moving in and out of the city. This folie located at this junction point, sits between the business centre and the historical Brisbane suburbs of New Farm and Fortitude Valley with an aspect to Kangaroo Point and the Story Bridge.

The entrance to the folie involves traversing the riparian edge condition itself. Users must pick a pathway across oversized stepping-stones, which brings an immediacy to this threshold; a demand for interaction and attention.

The folie itself embodies the fragmented self and yet the structure will facilitate a realigned, reaffirmed connection between the mind and the body.

The folie is located on the very edge of the site, and forces the user to connect and respond to the water. The cliffs that loom menacingly up on the northern boundary of the site contrast with the sense of freedom created by the folie’s connection with the water.

The folie is open to the elements which enables the user to control the internal spatial quality using the many folding apertures that form the walls of the folie.

These openings can either enclose or enlarge the space, and can protect the user inside or allow full exposure to the site.

The learning experience is self directed and internalised through the practice of yoga.

A folie intended for the practice of yoga by two individuals.
The city is an assault on the senses…noise, light, glare, humanity, steel, concrete, glass, and asphalt.

This pressure slowly disengages us from our senses, a slow withdrawal and fragmentation within ourselves.

The practice of yoga centres the body and mind…an antidote to modernity, that re-connects the mind with the body and the senses.

The site is a junction between two states, nature and development.

This structure is the catalyst for internal transition, for change derived from the body and mind in sync.

Strengths
proximity to city
close to traffic corridors
natural setting
bike path
high volume interaction with health conscious users

Weaknesses
accessibility
parking
pollution - traffic
high density

Opportunities

connected - historically, geographically
natural setting
edge conditions - cliff face and riparian corridor

Threats

flooding
weather
development

All panels can open inwards and outwards, which can produce awnings on the exterior, and internal ledges and shelves.