PARKS

The more I think about using parks as the primary tool for distributing the parliament, the more sense it makes. Parks are:

• Part of the Australian identity and so very relevant for a solution for Parliament. The numerous parks we have in our cities reflect and culture and our way of life. Australians are reputed for being 'outdoor' people, embracing the active and sporty lifestyle that our climate affords us. The many parks and natural landscapes in Australia and in our cities show our appreciation of this active aspect of our lifestyle, as well as the social yet laid-back nature of the culture.

• Parks are an adventure playground for children. The lacking interest of people in the Parliament and the federal Government can be attributed largely to the low priority that education about our government system is given. And the best way to introduce a new system of education into our lifestyles is to encourage this learning from as young an age as possible. If we can distribute the parliament through our cities in such a way as too expose children to the parliament, then it could potentially become a part of their lives from a very young age. Parks therefore have the potential to expose children to the workings of the parliament. This needs to be investigated further, as an architecture that will invite children to participate must surely be different to one which invites the participation from adult members of the community....

• The use of parks gives a very clear message about being open and accessible. As we identified that one of the biggest weaknesses with the existing parliament is its isolation from the people, than a successful solution will need to have a very different approach. Parks meet this different approach. Parks are places that are well recognised as public spaces, spaces for the people and they are highly accessible. Also if I can find a solution that will retain the outdoor qualities of parks then it will be possible to create an inviting and social solution which extends an invitation to people without mystery or intrigue.