utzon symposium - building a universal design legacy: what might utzon do differently?
TRANSCRIPT
Utzon Symposium - 7th- 9th March 2014, Sydney Opera House
Catherine Bridge1, Greg Killeen2 and Satoshi Kose3
University of New South Wales1; Spinal Cord Injuries Australia2 and Shizuoka
University3
Building a universal design
legacy: What might Utzon do
differently?
Utzon’s legacy to Australia
• Utzon’s design objective was to bring
joy by providing:
– restful and dignified surroundings with a
generous spacious layout.
– a feeling of easier access
• Criterion (1): the Sydney Opera House is a
great architectural work of the 20th
century …A great urban sculpture set in
a remarkable waterscape, at the tip of a
peninsula projecting into Sydney
Harbour, the building has had an
enduring influence on architecture (UNESCO. 2007)
Image: Hand drawn personal correspondence between Jorn Utzon and Brian Suters, image courtesy of Brian Suters
http://thelockup.squarespace.com/storage/utzon3.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1288055845343
• Utzon was a young, healthy male
Diagnosed with wet Macular
Degeneration in 2000 eight years prior
to his death http://www.mdfoundation.com.au/the_ambassado
r.aspx).
• 1981 International year of
disability, start of deinstitualisation
social movement http://museumofdisability.org/virtual-
museum/media-wing/media-timeline/.
• 1992 Disabilty Discrimination Act -
legislative framework for equity in
access to services https://www.humanrights.gov.au/dda-guide-whats-
it-all-about .
Frame creation and organisational change: Sydney Opera House’s design (1956 to 1973)
Image: http://berkshirereview.net/wp-
content/uploads/2010/07/Joern-Utzon-unpacking-Sydne.jpg
• Most design has at its
basis the assumption of
sameness that is, that
human users are alike
(Matrix, 1984).
• Classicist design is based
around a conception of
the human form that is
embodied by a ‘able-
bodied’ man (Imrie & Wells,
1993; Knox, 1987; Sennet,
1994).
Whose joy – visualising the users?
Image: © Sydney Morning Herald, 2009 http://www.smh.com.au/federal-
politics/society-and-culture/even-icons-have-to-move-with-the-times-
20091117-ik8y.html
• In training and in practice Utzon
was familiar with modernist
architectural theory & practice -
“I like to be absolutely modern
and work at the edge of the
possible.” (Jørn Utzon, 1958).
• LeCorbusier’s “Modulor” is an
example for a political
unconscious architectural theory
and much modernist
architectural practice. A practice,
that unavoidably leads to (at
least temporary) exclusion of
(e.g. young, old,…)
people. (Siebers, 2008)
Design theory- unintended apartheid
LeCorbusier's Le Modulor - Body Proportions as a benchmark: 6 feet
high, male, musculous, without evidence of bodily or mentally impairment
Image: Siebers, Tobin: “Disability Studies”, Michigan Press ,2008; pg 86
A model of typical architectural
design problems
Image: Lawson, B. (2006) How Designers Think, Fourth Edition: The Design Process Demystified [Paperback]Figure 6>1, p 86
Zeisel’s user-needs gap model
Population ageing into the 22nd Century
Image:
http://resources.pihomebuild.com/sites/465/images/hands_on
_harp_2.jpg
Source: Productivity Commission 2013, An Ageing Australia: Preparing for the Future,
Commission Research Paper, Canberra, Figure 4, p 6..
Growth rates of the oldest is set to dramatically increase over the next 20 years
Disability – who is impacted when
exclusion occurs?
Image: Productivity Commission 2011, Disability Care and Support, Report no. 54, Canberra,
Figure 1, p 15.
Health and Disability Continuum
10/20
2/20
1/20
Mild-Moderate vision impairment:
Needs eye glasses, contact lenses…
Severe vision impairment:
Needs operation
Complete vision impairment (blind):
Needs assistance –
pension, device, assistant
environmental modifications
Seeing Functions
Image: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific: Training Manual on Disability Statistics ,
Diagram 2.3 http://www.unescap.org/stat/disability/manual/images/Diagram2.3.jpg
• The Disability (Access to Premises-
Buildings) Standards 2010 aimed to
achieve better access to a wider range of
public buildings.
• Improving building access gives more
people more opportunity to access
employment, education and services,
and to connect with the broader
community.
• This involves taking action to ensure that
public buildings do not provide
unreasonable barriers to the
participation of people with disability.
Legislative alignment:
Discrimination + Building Code
Source:
http://www.ag.gov.au/RightsAndProtections/HumanRights/DisabilityStandards/Pages/Disabilitystanda
rdsforpremises.aspx
• Sydney Opera House began
addressing disability access in
2006. The first Access Strategic
Plan 2006-2009 focused on
getting people with disability into
and around the building via $38
million building improvements. As
a result, for the first time in 2009
patrons could enjoy mainstream
independent access to most areas
of the site including all Western
Theatre venues.
• The second three year Plan 2009-
12 focused on making the
experiences inside the building
more accessible.
Retrofit & Maintenance:A learning legacy
Source: Sydney Opera House AccesUtzon rooms Strategic Plan 2013 – 2015
http://d16outft0soac8.cloudfront.net/uploadedFiles/accessplan.pdf
Image: © Sydney Opera House
http://d16outft0soac8.cloudfront.net/uploadedImages/About_Us/Ve
nues/UtzonRoom_L.jpg
• Utzon Architects and Johnson
Pilton Walker, Architects in
collaboration, have explored
options to improve the existing
Opera Theatre at the Sydney
Opera House.
• One goal is “significantly
improved
accessibility”(http://www.jpw.com.au/Proj
ects/Cultural/SOH_OT/SOH_OT.shtml
– Utzon room
– Western Foyer
– New Opera theatre
– Forecourt and concourse areas
2013-2015 Access Strategic Plan‘Deficient people’ versus Deficient buildings’(Froyen, 2012)
Image: © Johnson Pilton Walker http://www.jpw.com.au/Projects/Cultural/Images/SOH_Opera_Theatre_01.jpg
• The Building as Symbol
• The Building as Sculpture
• Form and Function
• Orientation and Movement
• Counterpoint
• Additive Aechitecture
- Elements
- Pre-fabrication
- Geometry
• Structural Expression
• Colour
• Light
• Accoustics
Utzon’s Sydney Opera House Principles
The Building as a Symbol - Equitable Use
Source: Report of the Secretary-General to the 49th General Assembly of the United Nations
Image: ©Top City Photos http://www.top-city-
photos.com/images/Opera%20House%20Steps.JPG
• In "A Society for All" the
needs of all citizens
constitute the basis for
planning and policy.
• People with disabilities
are a natural and integral
part of society and…The
concept of "A Society for
All" encompassing
human diversity and
development of all human
potential, ….”
• Sculpture of dynamic forms
The undulating sculptural stone wall
that forms the ' back bone' to the
space is a more ... This gives the space
a living, dynamic quality .
• Experiences
Depend on the organization and
communication of our dynamic
relationship to space and the
environment. People need to:
1. determine their location within a
setting,
2. determine their destination, and
3. develop a plan that will take them
from their location to their
destination.
The Building as Sculpture – Perceptible
Information
Image: © Australian Brioadcasting Commission, 2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200911/r471371_2360174.jpg
Form and Function – Flexibility in use
• Possibilities for all types of
cultural performances
The notion of "adaptability" stands
out when Architects consider the
various adjustments that are
characteristic of accommodating
diverse users' abilities.
Thus, when users of all ages and
abilities are in environments that
save physical efforts and reduce
stress while accommodating
adjustments in environmental
setting, there is a strong chance
that such users may experience
less fatigue during comfortable
usage of environmental features.Image: © Down Syndrome NSW, 2009
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wECfy8ampaw/Sww_2-
fi1NI/AAAAAAAABmE/wwcdI_1K7i4/s400/Opera+House+launch+012.jpg
Source: Guimarães, 2013, Interpreting universal design in architectural education: links between design
principles for application in socially inclusive settingshttp://www.bufetat.no/bufdir/deltasenteret/Veiledere/Trends-in-Universal-Design/2-From-accessibility-to-
inclusion/Interpreting-universal-design-in-architectural-education/
• Orientation in the context of
mobility is the individual
perceiving or knowing the
position and direction of their
body in relation to significant
features of the environment (Jansson, 2000).
• Orientation plays a fundamental
role in mobility as it enables
individuals to locate themselves
within the environment so that
they can navigate through the
environment without veering off
the pathway of travel or colliding
into objects (Yablonski, 2000).
Orientation and Movement - Low Physical
Effort
Image: © Sydney Morning Herald http://images.smh.com.au/2009/11/16/863674/utzon2crop-420x0.jpg
• Building and surroundings
“It is the interplay between the
building and its surroundings...
that is important.”
This means considering spatial
configuration and features that
enhance equitable human
experience to make it simple and
intuitive
• Contrast white with brick
and tile structures
"Contrast is created when two
items are different...for contrast to
be effective, it must be strong.
Don't be a wimp" (Wiliams, 2008,
3rd Ed., p 53).
Counterpoint - Simple and Intuitive Use
Image: © Sydney Opera House
http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/about/photogallery.aspx
• Utzon, (2002) stated: "Something
of the naturalness found in the
growth principle in nature ought
to be a fundamental idea in works
of architecture.”
• The application of the additive
approach in the Opera House can
be seen in the tiling and shells but
in other contexts application of the
same principle resulted in a
crematorium where free-standing
walls could be extended over
time, a new brick being added for
each cremation.(Jenson, 2009)
Additive Architecture – Flexibility in use
Image: http://www.inside-sydney-
australia.com/images/Sydney_Opera_House_Shells.jpg
• Simple, easily understood
tour
“In the Sydney Opera House you
are aware of your orientation at all
times. It is important that each
number of the audience has a
simple, easily understood tour,
from the entrance to his or her
seat and out again.” (Utzon, 2002 p
67)
The principles “size and space for
approach can be recognized as
related to the needs of wheelchair
users and other physically
impaired people but this has
structural expression in any level
change” (Guimarães, 2013, p5).
Structural Expression - Size and Space for
Approach and Use
Image: © Accessibility At The Sydney Opera
Househttp://www.candoability.com.au/images/IMG_1486.JPG
• Two purposes - exclude
noise/reflect sound
For blind people the acoustics of any
space are crucial (Ryhl, 2003)
Hearing not only affects our physical
comfort but also plays a significant
role in communication (Rhyl, 2009)
• Person in back row should
have as good a sound
reception as in front
People who are particularly
dependant on their hearing also live
with an increased acoustic
sensitivity and a higher risk of
physical discomfort (Rhyl, 2009)
.
Accoustics - Perceptible Information
Image: Torodoidal sound reflectors
http://z.about.com/d/cruises/1/0/F/7/4/Sydney_Opera_House_04
1.JPG
• Vision …detect obstacles and
edges in the environment,
navigate towards their
destination and negotiate a
safe pathway of travel (Jansson, 1991).
• The environment should
ensure the visual comfort of all
users of the building (Bean,
2004) by providing adequate
stimulation of the visual system
and elimination of any bright
light sources that cause
potential distractions or
perceptual confusion (Bean,
2004; Ferronato, 2003).
Light - Perceptible Information
Utzon, 2002 on practical glare “my eyes can’tolerate white when I eat.” Sydney Opera House Design
Principles,, p 81
Image: © Sydney Opera House play
http://images.viostream.com/1194_123614_34448_00-00-00_2.jpg