With this new appreciation of reflective and polished materials, I decided to experiment with metal instead of timber. I experimented with a brushed stainless steel so as to not create a mirror in the space. I feel that this gives the space a more contemporary and airy look, it feels cleaner, more professional almost. It feels stronger and a place where you listen to people who know what's what, professionals, experts.
The metal's reflective properties mean it reflects the white of the room making it feel bigger than the timber did, it also subtly shimmers the ripple pattern without being distracting due to it's brushed finish.
The pattern of the "planks" now catches the blue of the sea and the sky, softly bringing the tone in. Again another hint at what might become. The planks again allow for light to filter through the cladded volume and trickle out, adding to the sense of space with an airy feel.
I also incorporated this steel into the passage over the "last shoreline". At first I experimented with incorporating a small version of the exterior skin pattern however decided to ease congestion and get rid of the railing. I then covered the gap with toughened walk on glass (25mm) so multiple people can go over at once and wheelchair users are not forced to either take up the entire path or navigate around. This over the skin means that as users go over, they block different portions of the metallic pattern "mesh". This means that the users themselves cast different ripples and waves down to the "last shoreline". The movement of the users directly influences and affects the surroundings. This is another lesson that the building tries to teach showing how people can directly affect their surroundings and hence the future.
The building aims to show just how people can interact and change through it's design.
