Master planning for Newcastle is a delicate subject. The city is divided by the heavy train line cutting the connection of the city to the water edge. Getting rid of the train line has been a controversial debate and it has been proposed to end the line at Wickham. However, this master plan propose, having as the main building the Very Fast Train (VFT) Station, to connect the two train lines in the same station on Darby St.
In order to sustain the VFT transit the infrastructure of Newcastle must improve as well. As a result of this, the Faculty of Business and Law and colleague accommodation of the University of Newcastle has been proposed along with a sensible high-rise office tower.
OFFICE TOWER
Ground floor of the office tower was completely public. From the with 2 levels of shops and restaurants between the street and a public corridor through the building. In addition to this a car park was incorporated to serve the complete complex. On the above levels the common floor plate was again divided with a circulation corridor containing the cores with lifts and services in the middle. THe businesses here would have the option to hire a small space, a medium space hiring a section of the floor, or a large space using all the floor area on a level
STUDENT ACOMMODATION
Student accomodation would provide the scheme some student life. The building is dividedin two wings conected in a circulation area that not only conects both wings on each level but also conects Hunter St. with Honeysuckle. Internally the units divided in 8 and 4 people units with public areas in between that can be integrated and in practice unite several units in to one.
This is the heart of the scheme and expected to b the more circulated area. Centred with wheeler place. The central HUB and information Common is framed between the library and the the lecture building. On the library side there is an esplanade for easy transit from Hunter St. To Honeysuckle while a courtyard is used on the lecture building for students to interact without being in an enclosed space or bother by public pedestrians.
VFT STATION
If the University is the heart of the project, the train station is the arteries and veins of it. Thus a Very Fast Trains Station is the main focus of this design exercise. At ground level the stations is more of a sculptural piece; a gate to what is beneath. It connects Hunter St with Honeysuckle like the other buildings, however, this main buildings does more. It connects the urban feeling of Newcastle with its lay-back-beach-town side. Being the lowest of all the buildings in finishes the transition from buisness to leisure.
Underneath the majestic structure is where overlapping of transport services happen. It connects the the existing train line, the very fast train and a new bus station on ground level. Circulation is well defined and sections well established.
