PROJECT TWO :: Concept

So far for this assignment, I have been tossing up my options for a resolution from nature to solve the issue of connection to the site. I had started to look at vines as a solution for connection and a metaphor, though with further discussion with Yvonne, we decided that vines might not be the best way for me to explore and improve connection. I am looking at connection as a not only accessibility, but also connecting the site to Brisbane more.
Yvonne suggested I had a look at "Slime Mold."

richard-seaman.com

I have been doing a bit of research on the organism and have found that this form of mold crawls, or 'creeps' along the ground almost as though it is in the search for others of the same mold.
An experiment involving slime hold took place in tokyo to see how slime mold has the ability to to find each other.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/slime-mold-grows-network-just-like-tokyo-rail-system/

"When presented with oat flakes arranged in the pattern of Japanese cities around Tokyo, brainless, single-celled slime molds construct networks of nutrient-channeling tubes that are strikingly similar to the layout of the Japanese rail system, researchers from Japan and England report Jan. 22 in Science. A new model based on the simple rules of the slime mold’s behavior may lead to the design of more efficient, adaptable networks, the team contends."


It was from this experiment that I have gained my inspiration for my design. I want to use the Slime Mold as my inspiration and create a building that will not only connect the site physically to the immediate parts of Brisbane, but also for HSW to connect more in the sense that it relates to the city. In terms of a learning space, I am still working on this, but I'm planning on a space that brings people together, a space that through 'networking' brings people together to learn.