Aurland Lookout, Norway

http://www.archdaily.com/7816/aurland-look-out-saunders-arkitektur-wilhelmsen-arkitektur/31068-c1-model-1/

http://www.nzwood.co.nz/images/uploads/Aurland%20Lookout%202.jpg

The site is above Aurland, a small town in Sogn og Fjordane, one of the larger fjords on the West Coast of Norway. Aurland is three hours drive from Bergen, Norway’s second largest city. We were one of three architecture firms invited to deliver a design proposal for this site. After winning we worked on detail drawings for the project together with Node Engineers, Bergen. The project was

 built in Fall 2005 and was officially opened in June 2006.

 The place has attracted people from all over the world. We called our competition entry «640m over Aurland and 20120 km from Tokyo», keeping in mind the uniqueness of the place in the bigger picture.

Nature first and architecture second was the guiding principal when we sat down to design this project. It was immediately obvious to us that in such beautiful surroundings one must make the least possible encroachment in the existing landscape and terrain. The landscape is so fantastic that it is difficult to improve the place, but at the same time very easy to destroy the atmosphere by inserting too many elements into the site. Even though we have chosen an expressive form, the concept is a form of minimalism, in an attempt to conserve and complement the existing nature.

Today there are many people stopping at this site to enjoy the phenomenal views over the fjords. At times the areas gets filled with cars and tour busses. One of the first things we decided to do was to form a small parking area for 2 buses and 10 cars further up the road to help keep the place pure and not to disturb the look out. The construction is a bridge that one can go out onto, as a structure in the air. The structure is 4 m wide, 30 long, and 9m high out at the very end.

To make the situation even more dramatic it was important for us to create the experience of leaving the mountainside. We wanted people to come out in the air. The construction creates a distinct horizon; a bridge in the open room of this large fjord. It is imperative that the landscape and the vegetation not altered, but are protected so that one came come out from the landscape and experience it from new standpoint.

We have managed to behold all of the large pine trees on the site. This allows us to create an interaction between the structure and nature. One can walk out into the air through the treetops, helping dramatise the experience of nature and the larger landscape room.

http://www.archdaily.com/7816/aurland-look-out-saunders-arkitektur-wilhelmsen-arkitektur/ntower.ca/

Grand Canyon Skywalk

http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/gallery.html

http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/

Go where the eagles dare to fly … welcome to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Carved by the Colorado River over 15 million years and spanning approximately 277 miles long; the Grand Canyon captures the hearts of visitors around the world with its epic views of majestic mountain peaks and valleys, clear skies that soar into deep shades of blue, and the awesome biological diversity of Mother Nature.  Located at the canyon’s west rim, the Grand Canyon Skywalk allows visitors to “Walk the Sky” with its unique glass bottomed cantilever U shaped observation deck that spans 70 feet (21.34 meters) over the canyon’s rim and sits 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) above the Colorado River.  A construction masterpiece, the glass – which is the only element that separates visitors from the deep canyon floor – weighs 1.2 million pounds.   Completed in March 2007, the Skywalk is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in northwest Arizona and is the only architectural wonder of its kind that allows visitors to truly take in the experience of this beautiful and majestic place.

Five Fingers, Austria

http://www.goldenerochs.at/images/top/five_fingers.jpg

5 Fingers is a free viewing platform on the Krippenstein that was named "5 Fingers" by virtue of its hand-like hand shape.

It is called the "most spectacular viewing platform in the Alps" because the individual, approximately 4 meters long fingers were built over a precipice of about 400 m (1200 ft) depth.

The "fingers" are about 12 feet long and were built over a chasm of about 400 m (1200 ft) depth. The viewing platform can be reached through a walk of less than 20 minutes from the Krippenstein station of the Dachstein cable car line.

At the first finger (from left to right) a metal frame was assembled, so visitors can take a framed photo of themselves as a souvenir.

The second finger was equipped with a glass bottom which allows to look down into the abyss below.

The third finger is shorter than all others and is not accessible all the way. It has a kind of springboard and symbolizes the freedom of the mountains.

The fourth finger has a hole in the floor that allows a free view into the abyss.

At the fifth finger a telescope is available free of charge.

The observation deck is illuminated at night until midnight and can therefore be easily seen with the bare eye as far as the towns of Hallstatt and Obertraun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Fingers_(Austria)

Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk, Australia

The Treetop Walk is a unique attraction which enables visitors to experience a 1500 metre walk through beautiful warm temperate rainforest.

The uniqueness of our attraction in comparison to other rainforest walks is that 500 metres of this walk is nestled in the treetop canopy some 20-30 metres above ground level.

The walkway culminates in Knights Tower, a spiral tower that rises to a breathtaking 45 metres above the forest floor.

Then there’s the thrills and challenges of two confronting swaying springboard cantilevers suspended 25 metres above the forest floor which take guests to the edge of the escarpment.

http://www.illawarrafly.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN1T3PyTgPA

Architecture exploring heights

HOW DO WE PERCEIVE HEIGHT AND DIFFERENT LEVELS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JadaWSDxBYk&feature=related

"The eye works similar like a camera. Light passes through the camera´s curved lens which focuses the image. The image forms behind the lens and is recorded on the film or the digital sensor. In a similar way light passes through the lens of a human eye. It first passes through the cornea, this transparent membrane protects the eye from dust. It also bends the light passing through the eye slightly so that the resulting image will be focused. Light then enters the eye through the pupil, the opening of the eye, and passes through the iris, sheets of smooth muscle, that expand and contract to regulate how much light enters the inside of the eye. In bright light the iris contracts or shrinks around the pupil, this keeps too much light from entering. But when it is dark the iris expands to let as much light as possible into the eye. 

Then the eye reaches the lens. The shape of the lens changes constantly to focus an image. Muscles surrounding the lens expand and contract, focusing the light as it travels to the retina located at the back of the eye. 

The retina functions in a similar way to the film or digital sensor of a camera. Once an image has been brought into focus thousand of receptor cells, called rods and cones, react to the light that strikes the retina." 

AWARENESS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bioyh7Gnskg&feature=related

HOW DOES VISION WORK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nspVjwAnGb4&feature=related

HOW WE SEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnfB-pUm3eI

"The process of seeing is less spontaneous and natural than we tend to believe. A large part of seeing depends upon habit and convention. Perspective makes the eye the centre of the visible world. But the human eye can only be in one place at a time. It takes its visible world with it, as it walks. With the invention of the camera everything changed. We could see things that were not there in front of us, appearances could travel across the world."

Rollercoaster

The roller coaster hesitates for a split second at the peak of its steep track after a long, slow climb. You know what's about to happen — and there's no way to avoid it now. It's time to hang onto the handrail, palms sweating, heart racing, and brace yourself for the wild ride down.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/phobias.html

http://contraalliance.com/alliancecommand/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rollercoaster.jpg

http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/photography/rollercoaster/rollercoaster_1.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvGG--Vtm78&feature=related

TYPES OF ROLLERCOASTERS

Today, there are two main types of roller coaster:

Steel roller coasters

Wooden roller coasters

Steel coasters are known for their smooth ride and often convoluted shapes that frequently turn riders upside-down via inversions. Wooden coasters are typically renowned by enthusiasts for their rougher ride and "air time" produced by negative G-forces when the train reaches the top of hills along the ride. There are also hybrid roller coasters that combine a steel structure with wood tracks, or a wood structure with steel tracks.

Modern roller coasters take on many different forms. Some designs take their cue from how the rider is positioned to experience the ride. Traditionally, riders sit facing forward in the coaster car, while newer coaster designs have ignored this tradition in the quest for building more exciting, unique ride experiences. Variations such as the stand-up roller coaster and the flying roller coaster position the rider in different ways to provide different experiences. Stand-up coasters involve cars that have the riders in a standing position (though still heavily strapped in). Flying coasters have the riders hanging below the track face-down with their chests and feet strapped in. Vekoma "Flying Dutchman" coasters have the riders starting out sitting above the track, then they fully recline so that the riders are looking at the sky. Eventually, they twist into the "flying" position. B&M flying coasters have the riders hanging below the track like in an inverted (hanging) coaster. To go into the flight position, the section of the car where the riders' feet are raised to the track. That way, they start in the flight position. In addition to changing rider viewpoint, some roller coaster designs also focus on track styles to make the ride fresh and different from other coasters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_coaster

TECHNOLOGY

How to record LEVELS

http://www.flyingtoys.de/images/spielwaren/murmelbahn.jpg

http://www.skg-forum.de/images/schlauchmurmel_bahn02.gif

"historical change of levels"

http://artobserved.com/artimages/2009/12/Construction-Shell-Building-1958-South-Bank-Via-Architects.jpg

Cranes behind the Royal Festival Hall,1957

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/25/arts/20091126_FRANK_SLIDESHOW_8.html

Tower cranes on the construction site of The Shell Building,South Bank, 1958

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/25/arts/20091126_FRANK_SLIDESHOW_3.html

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

"The area occupied by the exhibition site had been marshy land and only developed after the Second World War. This redevelopment comprised three major impacts-improvements to Waterloo railway station, a new Waterloo Bridge and the construction of the LCC County Hall-creating a triangle into which the South Bank Exhibition was slotted.

The Dome of Discovery and the Skylon were two notable attractions, but the one building to remain is the Royal Festival Hall.

The earliest photograph taken in 1958, shows the river frontage between the Royal Festival Hall on the left and the County Hall on the right. The huge gap between these two buildings was the site of the Southbank Exhibition. This gap came to be filled by the Shell Building and other offices. It was completed by 1963 and was one of the first tall office blocks to be built in London with a height of 350ft.

The London Eye is much higher than the Shell Building and, at 450 feet tall, it was the third highest structure in London when it was opened.

The Shot Tower, 120 ft tall, had been a London landmark since its construction in 1826. Its purpose was the production of shot from lead.

During the Festival of Britain it was converted into a lighthouse that flashed from sunset until the Exhibition closing time. The Shot Tower was demolished to provide room for the new buildings when the South Bank Arts centre was extended in the early 1960s."

Thurman, Chris. (2003) London´s River:Westminster to Woolwich. London:Tempus Publishing

idea: people walking on different levels...making them aware of different levels of the buildings; usually ust walking past, without seeing what is further back;

Idea of the "site´s furniture"

INTERACTION between pedestrians and the "sites furniture"

How do people interact in my chosen part of the site?

How many people walk up/down the shown staircases?

How many people walk offside the walkway?

How is the space used?

How do they use the sites "furniture", such as benches, stairs, attractions...