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4D

(not a) Ferry Terminal, 2015

Toronto, Canada; Civic

ter·mi·nal  [ˈtərmənl/]

adj.

  • of, forming, or situated at the end or extremity of something.

n.

  • an end or extremity of something, in particular.

  • the end of a railroad or other transport route, or a station at such a point.

 

 

This is not a terminal. It is not dead in its designed life cycle, not stagnant in pedestrian movements, and not the destinational but transitional.

 

 

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The design of a ferry terminal should withstand the rapid changes of Toronto. So, this public space must not be perceived as a terminal, stagnant and static, pun intended. Instead, the new terminal must be consider life cycle analysis, pedestrian movements, and a timeless architectural form that transcends the status quos of the present day.

Far too often, architects imagine their buildings without people. Evidence can be found in numerous architectural publications: they are often void of people. Whether it is the artistic choice of the photographer or the intent of the designer, pedestrians seem to be the stigma of a beautiful space, as oppose to its life blood. In this proposal, the study of pedestrian dynamics not only helps evaluate the effectiveness of spatial designs, it is foundational to its programmatic design and form generation. The optimized floorplan encourages use, social belonging, and interactive synergies.
 
Beginning with a generative spatial planning tool like Syntactic, which is based on Space Syntax methods, a collection of bubble diagrams are computed from pre-defined program relationships, areas, and cardinal orientations. Then, an analytical simulation tool like Pedestrian Dynamics evaluates their performance based on the shortest internal travel time. These computation experiments are continually iterated until our self-defined optimum is reached.
 
The new ferry terminal aims to provide an uncongested environment that is equipped with strategically located ancillaries and a lasting relevance of service. The same analytics are subsequently applied to the computation of building form, details, and aesthetics, further enhancing its performance outsets.

 

 

[Click Images Below]

 

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