BAS330 Civic Design Studio Study Period 04 Project Brief - Curtin University Australia

BAS330 Civic Design Studio

Study Period 04 – 2025

Perth Concert Hall Redevelopment and new WASO Rehearsal / Recital Hall

• Studio Brief
• Assessment Outlines + Deliverables

Project Brief

A key objective in redeveloping the Perth Concert Hall is to ensure the venue’s future as the home of the WA Symphony Orchestra (WASO).

A new music pavilion will serve as a rehearsal and performance space (recital hall) for the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) and as a performance venue for visiting music productions and festival events. The pavilion will provide high-calibre performance space(s) that can accommodate all musical genres and is suitable for performing music from diverse cultural traditions. In addition, the new pavilion will create office areas for WASO staff, a new instrument and equipment store, and improved accessibility/ disability access.

The new development will include provisional planning for retail and hospitality venues that encourage pedestrian movement between the PCH precinct, the river, and the city; energy and water saving initiatives and improvement works to the northern and southern forecourts to enable them to host festivals and other mass gatherings.

Design proposals should include a conceptual landscape and urban design masterplan that indicates how the new building(s) relate to the project site and the site context.

Project Site

As outlined in the draft proposed Perth Riverfront Masterplan, Lot 853 and LOT 478 will be consolidated for the PCH redevelopment, and the existing City of Perth Parking Facilities on Lot 478 will be removed. The existing roadway bounding Lot 478 to the west–Governors Avenue–will be removed. Terrace Road, bounding the north of LOT 478 will be partially removed–retaining a connection to Victoria Avenue to provide an access road for service vehicles to the PCH building and future WASO Rehearsal + Recital Hall.
The future Aboriginal Cultural Centre (ACC) will also be located on the project site’s LOT 478 (165 Terrace Road). Proposals for the new music pavilion should be sited within the red dotted line and designed as an integrated part of an urban precinct alongside the future ACC building(s).

Furthermore, as an ancillary building(s) to the existing PCH, the proposed WASO Rehearsal + Recital Hall should respect and embrace the architecture of the heritage-listed concert hall and the Whadjuk Noongar heritage of the site along the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River). Design proposals for the new music pavilion should ensure that views from the Perth Concert Hall to the river remain unobstructed.

Assessments + Deliverables

Assessment 01
Submission Date: 11:59 PM on Sunday, Week 04

Assessment 02
Submission Date: 11:59 PM on Sunday, Week 08

Assessment 03
Submission Date: 11:59 PM on Sunday, Week 13

Unit Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, you will achieve the following learning outcomes –

ULO 1. Generate several design hypotheses in response to an identified architectural problem concerning a given site and brief,
ULO2. Evaluate critical issues associated with an architectural problem to develop the selected hypothesis into a schematic design,
ULO 3. Develop a resolved architectural proposition informed through architectural readings and communicated through architectural drawings that integrate cultural, environmental, and structural considerations such as building systems and materials.

A01. Conceptual Design Proposition

[analysis, research + position]

Working Mode: Individual Work | Assessment Weighting: 20% of o/a Semester Mark

This assessment asks you to produce three conceptual design propositions in response to the project brief. The goal of the three design propositions is to illustrate key design strategies identified through your research. You will further develop those design strategies, aiming to investigate the different possibilities they might embody through your design propositions.

Different possibilities to explore through the conceptual design propositions might include -

• different performance types
• different ways of integrating the building into the urban fabric
• different cultural values etc.

Working as individuals, you will develop your line of inquiry through research related to the Perth Concert Hall site and surrounding precinct, the cultural and historical context, relevant building typologies and case studies. Furthermore, you should consider the requirements of the building programme outlined in the brief and the overlaid context of the needs and history of the Perth Concert Hall.
Your submission should focus on three credible conceptual design propositions. All design propositions should include a carefully considered set of drawings, diagrams, images, notes, sketches, etc., demonstrating how the research supports your design position and strategy.

Assessment 01 | Detailed Deliverables

Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM on Sunday, Week 04

Weighting: 20% (Individual Work)

This assessment requires a comprehensive analysis of the project brief site map using a SWOT matrix – this should include the larger precinct area. You are expected to present a concise case study of a music building that supports the development of your return brief. The return brief should address the client’s requirements and align them with your design aspirations to enhance the city and its civic values through architecture.

Requirements

1.Contextual Analysis: Conduct an environmental synthesis, including diagrams for climate, wind, sun, etc., and propose concepts. Evaluate infrastructural and socio- historical factors influencing the site’s current condition and its impact on the urban context.
2.Site Response: Produce a SWOT analysis of the designated site using the provided site plan. Assess Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for each conceptual design option and determine the most suitable option for your return brief.
3.Case Studies / Precedent Research
4.Return Brief: Outline your interpretation of the client brief to demonstrate understanding of the requirements. Highlight how your conceptual proposals meet the brief and identify any recommended amendments substantiated by your research.
5.Conceptual Design Proposition: Develop massing studies and diagrams illustrating design drivers and strategies based on contextual analysis, site response, case studies, and precedent research. Ensure a clear design rationale is presented.

Deliverables

1.Physical massing models for each of the three conceptual design propositions (massing models only; not presentation models).
2.Drawing Set at the level of Concept Drawings.

A02. Architectural Design Proposal – Schematic Design

Working Mode: Individual Work | Assessment Weighting: 40% of Overall Semester Mark

Select one of the conceptual design options presented in Assignment 01 for further development. The chosen proposal should be advanced into a schematic design that addresses all aspects of the project brief. Throughout iterative design development and research, you are expected to integrate acoustic design principles, landscape strategies, as well as propose appropriate structural systems and material palettes.
You are required to prepare a comprehensive building design package comprising drawings that clearly communicate your proposal. This must include process sketches, full floor plans, essential building and site sections, and three-dimensional perspective or axonometric views. Please note that diagrams are not to be included in the drawing set.

All schematic design drawings must be produced at either 1:200 or 1:100 scale and compiled into a concise A3 package (or equivalent).

Assessment 02 | Detailed Deliverables

Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM on Sunday, Week 08

Weighting: 40% (Individual Assignment)

The submission should comprise the following deliverables:

1.Schematic Design Minimum Documentation Set:

• Site plan including roof plan of the proposed structure (scale 1:1000)
• Ground floor plan contextualised within the entire site (scale 1:200)
• Floor plans (scale 1:100) and/or roof plan (scale 1:100)
• Two sectional drawings (scale 1:100)
• Two contextual exterior images: one building elevation and one three- dimensional view
• Proposed landscape or urban design strategy

2.Schematic Design Desirable Documentation Set:

• Additional sections and elevations
  oInterior perspectives of public spaces such as performance and rehearsal areas, entry foyers, thresholds, and interfaces that convey the intended spatial experiences and architectural qualities of the design
• Depiction of applied acoustic principles
• Materiality palette illustrations
  *note – all architectural drawings should meet architectural conventions

Deliverables

1. Drawing Set at the level of Schematic Drawings.

A03. Final Design Proposal

Working Mode: Individual | Assessment Weighting: 40% of Semester Mark
Present a refined section of the proposed multipurpose performance space, showing technical skill in sound insulation, absorption, and credible structural solutions. Use sustainable, high-performance materials for construction and finishes.

The section must demonstrate clear understanding of structure and service integration within a cohesive architectural design. Drawings should be at 1:20 scale.

Continue development of schematic drawing set adopting feedback and design direction.

Assessment 03 | Detailed Deliverables

Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM on Sunday, Week 13
Weighting: 40% (Individual Work)
The presentation must include both a landscape-format poster and a drawing package. The required deliverables are as follows:

Landscape-Format Poster

• One detailed sectional building perspective or axonometric drawing at a 1:20 scale that effectively communicates the qualities of the building design; this drawing must include annotations.
• Diagrams illustrating key design drivers and strategies that inform the design proposition.
• Key acoustic principles.

Schematic Design Minimum Documentation Set (further developed from A2):

• Site plan including roof plan of the proposed structure (scale 1:1000)
• Ground floor plan contextualised within the entire site (scale 1:200)
• Including nominal structure
• Floor plans (scale 1:100) and/or roof plan (scale 1:100)
• Two sectional drawings (scale 1:100)
• Four elevations drawings (scale 1:100)
• Two contextual exterior images: one building elevation and one three- dimensional view
• Proposed landscape or urban design strategy
  *note – all architectural drawings should meet architectural conventions

Deliverables

1.Large-scale - Landscape Poster
2.Drawing Set at the level of Schematic Drawings.