1 Bridge, 3 Parks, 3 Ramps, 1 Plaza and 1 Building Part 2 Project 2004 Keith Hudson Queensland University of Technology Brisbane | Australia This project investigates the use of materials and surface effects to establish a relationship between the human condition and the brutal nature of the proposed elemental form. New identities are formed by the introduction of materials (patina, rustication, refer image: 1604_16) that evoke the passing of time and experience by the viewer. Experiments in surface effects attempt to mitigate the brutal aesthetic with the introduction of a relationship to human scale. The viewer oscillates between these wall treatments and the wall itself, formulating new relationships that effect their perception and experience of the surrounding space.The bridge, parks, ramps, plaza and building embody these themes along with historical references (refer image: 1604_02) to create a legibility that leads the viewer through the changes in typographic surfaces. The proposed building is placed in the middle of the site, hard against an existing building to the north; to the south it informs a plaza and a joining park. The introduction of an urban scheme (bridge, ramp & parks) allows the building's precinct to engage and connect to a formerly unfamiliar topography and programme. This year the studio focussed on the problem of inserting a tall inhabited volume and a large horizontal walking plane into an established city. Quality of materials and tectonic legibility were key themes particularly as the architecture crossed various topographic surfaces engaging with the terrain, movement patterns, and urban infrastructure. Keith’s project investigated the minimal space necessary for short-term accommodation but countered this by addressing quality and desirability through close attention to finishes and surface effects. Theorized through historical antecedents and contemporary concerns with the ‘closed container’ the project releases its tendency to restriction by forging new relationships between immediate landscape and the river. The shift into the horizontal through the bridge across the Brisbane River is antithetical to the container, and engages with various topographic and architectural references that conspire to make ‘crossing.’ The introduction of such sophisticated understanding of the city announces this project as a critique of the valiant attempts to pursue ‘iconic’ architecture.