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SURROUNDING INFLUENCE Exploring architectural purpose and surroundings
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A
Architects face the challenge of creating Something new that will correspond with an already existing space. Every structure serves a purpose, but when built, how do these structures represent their original intent and how do they relate to their surroundings?
Structures have been designed to represent their Purpose, and how they relate to previous surroundings.
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Architectural influence & Purpose Before the photo shoots begin, there is a need to understand
structure have anything to do with design decisions in the build up? The architects main challenge is to design a
plans to really correspond with the surroundings. Surrounding aspects such as location, weather elements and visual features all effect the thoughts of the architect in terms of designing the structure. (Ref 1.)
design and how this represents the purpose of the building.
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Architecture, arising from its ubiquity, have been Compounded by the reductive and unbalanced views of reality, and so also of architecture, characteristic of modernity and post modernity. In the confusing aftermath of these, any useful vision of a more complete architecture needs to be underpinned by a Reassessment of its very purposes (Ref 2.) The purpose of a building relates to what it will be used for. It may be a company or business, in some cases it may a public space or school but no matter what it is, the building is always there for something.
represent the initial purpose.
to be in the position of the photographer. Just as the architect would have designed the building to give a “feeling�, the photograph must do the same.
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PHOTOGRAPHIC INFLUENCE Before deciding to study Graphic design, Always had a strong interest in the design of
His photography is very honest and simplistic. He shows what needs to be shown in a photo whilst still creating a feeling for the viewer.
contrast their surroundings has been a point of interest which is why I have chosen to ture. Many photographers that I have had previous
A combination of research and discussion with Aesthetic quality of a building rather than seeing it as a tourist. Certain features may have been added in the design that He understands the purpose of design and really shows it in his photos.
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These artists are good starting points for my critical discussion on architecture, I will use them as a base
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The following piece of writing has made architectural photography portant that you understand you are creating a whole new world for someone that has never seen that photo before. That may be their
new one: its core action is not one of recording, but of transforming. And as critic and curator Christina Barton writes, ‘the distance condition of the medium.’ In other words, it can’t help it.
up and down verticals when it comes to architecture, something Yet it is for its veracity that it is valued. Indeed it is a function of the photo, once this has been accomplished, so much more depth and they can see past or through the photograph to the thing in itself. So much so that there is a tendency to forget about the messenger altogether. This is what Roland Barthes means when he writes ‘the photograph is always invisible, it’s not it that we see’.
verticals, and the attempt to reproduce the elevations of a building as they were drawn is usually a starting point of any shoot. This approach often gives the building a singularity, an heroic, almost startling quality that it may or may not be able to live up to. But then, the camera with its relentless, staring, one-point peran unerring tendency to highlight a subcontractor’s
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THE begin
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ning.
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LOCATIONS Each location has a unique story behind the design decisions which I, through photographic experimentation and development will portray visually. Each location is different and all serve a different purpose, explained by words from the architects.
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SILO PARK The revitalisation of Wynyard Quarter, lead by
for the area is a mix of residential, retail and commercial development to enable the growth of a strong, diverse and vibrant residential and business community. It incorporates the principles of the wider Waterfront Vision and aims to create a range of public open spaces that provide a variety of experiences.
of the area and the contrast between the old and the new. The development includes the old silos with a modernised public area, this is a
The restaurant and bar area includes old nautical items which relate to the surrounds in the area. These would have been factors thought of during the build that have
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containers used for holding cement. Golden Bay Cement occupied what is now grouped smaller Silos) while Silo 7 was
substantial amounts of the cement that built our fair city.
waterfront which have survived through the include the silos to show how the area has changed based on the matter that was already there. The large concrete materials used and use of space. Images to the right displaying the contrast between the new and old materials, also situated.
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has now moved onto the concrete silos, and how man has interacted with them, or designed around them. To the left, the fresh blue paint adds to what tower. For the three times I have been been perfect which is adding a warm glow to the photos.
of how we must design around the surroundings, the truley done so, adding to these gigantic structures.
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social space that should be used by the public. surrounding influence / 20
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The Cloud but it is really hard to photograph. Its long shape is hard to fully get in shot, and get it in shot with a wide angle lense, it is not ing behind it. The purpose of the cloud is to be a venue for conferences, parties and the
would need to be on. It was hard to see relationships between the design of the cloud and the existing surroundings. The ocean does not really relate to a cloud directly and there isn’t anything too nordic about it. After researching up on the cloud, it was initially built for is called “Land of the long white cloud” it seemed appropriate to base the designs around that.
the end of the day it is not the best structure
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Auckland art gallery through to Kitchener street. The art displays inside can be seen from the exterior really drawing the public in. It wasn’t until further research
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A few selected shots from photo shoot number two. I did in this case have a problem with the weather as it started to cloud over but other than that this location is starting to develop well. I have begun to capture the contrast between materials used in the structure and the natural environment. From here I am going to try a shoot with different The relationship between the wood used in the
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natural surroundings.
a chance when it comes to editing to show the relationship between nature and the newly built structure. This relationship is important as it is part of the right in with the environment. The Art Gallery is seen as a piece of art itself.
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The anvil space is the concept behind it. Patterson architects designed the building to blend
exterior of the building is designed to mirror street level giving the illusion of it not being there at all. Anvil is named after the great cumulonimbus storm cloud that also has internal vortices feeding its growth. So it
form on the crest of the hill, its billow and
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shoot at the Anvil is that the
of a car in my photo really helps with what I am trying to show.
there is no reason for the audience to wonder why something is in shot. In the next shoot I will am framing the photos to gain the most from the building. Weather is also quite crucial due to the obvious fact that clouds need to be between the modern structure and the Anvil cloud formations.
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depth to the concept.
bulidng seem almost non existent and really shows what Patterson Architects were trying to portray. The street to be in shot, the photo will be
concept of illusion. The lighting is not quite right however
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Experimenting with saturation and noise gives a different effect all together. At such a high contrast it almost defeats the purpose of trying to show the Anvil blending in with the clouds. This photo relates to my experiments with the saturation of photos and displays some in a high
this image does also, however I do
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telecom place One of the most complicated architectural structures I have building is almost nothing, it appears when you step inside Telecom Place you can not help but be amazed by
The concept is obvious, connecting people, exactly what Telecom is all about. The relationship between company and the purpose of the business.
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The concept of the building is easy to show as it is such a dominant feature of the building. Other features however do need to be addressed as per the the timber battened ceilings and the
ence to imagery. The idea is to allow for change and interpretation throughout the life of the tenancy�. Understanding the sustainability of the building is also important to the photoshoot, it shows how the company relates and cares for
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Problems I am having so far are mainly to do with lighting. The are a lot a glass panels in the building which are creating detail that has gone into the interior design of Telecom Place is quite overwhelming. Keeping the photo simple to show the connecting people concept is essential so it can not be confusing to the viewer. From here a possibilty may white or in post shoot experiment with colour. The colour of the wood and glass is mentioned by the architect as a main feature to the structure which may be used for depth in photos.
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how the building connects people becuase so far all the images building in search for different andgles or features to include for shooting has lead to a strong interest in the design of the
between levels, and once again are open for everyone to see. Telecom Place has nothing to hide, everything can be seen
building rather than the wide open space in the center, differences througout, it all seems to be very consistant.
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Atrium on Takutai space that runs between the Ernst & Young Building and the northern element of Westpac
provides a more welcoming experience, the design of a large space and can be used
stores, it features two beautiful ‘green walls’, large-scale vertical plantings that live on harvested rainwater and provide many environ-
from most angles, there are some interesting features about the design. The w friendly inte-
maintained plants in well-designed displays enhance the character and appearance of a building and improve the psychological and physical well-being of its occupants. Above all, interior landscaping has been shown to be sence, improving mental agility, increasing use of communal facilities and positively changing a person’s perception of a building.”
to the character of the Atrium.
Atrium relates to the mix of nature and modern civilization. There are many purposes to having plants inside which is what my main focus for the Atrium is.
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First shoot at The Atrium I more so focused on the architectural design of the building and managed to forget about sustainabilty and the great green walls. that lets the light in for the plants to be very interesting. The deep blues contrast against the green walls, and mixed in with the its gives the effect of nature, Water, plants and the earth. Unsure of this being intentional or not, it does relate to the surroundings.
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not very strong due to the focus being on the wrong things, this one here however has potential to show everything about the building. Its purpose is a retail shopping area that has a relationship to nautre and sustainability. This photo shows the retail side, the plant wall and also demonstrates my idea of water, nature and the earth as stated before. A range of different give the photo more depth a be a good example of the mix of nature with modern architecture, as well as showing the purpose of the strucure.
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THe hilton focusing on.
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Small features of the design directly relate to that of a cruise ship, the holes in the wall and colouring to name to obvious ones.
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theme. I want to show the design of the building, but I want to relate it to the ocean as well.
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Once again reverting to the contrast images to get a basic draws and any complication This photo captures the design of the Hilton, the ocean surroundings which have been consideration, and a boat pulling into harbour, once again behind design.
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Ironbank originality, visual impact, functionality and boxes have a restless, sculptural quality, and the raw, muscular materials harmonise perfectly with the inner city context. The various occupancies are each afforded a measure of insularity, yet the open circulation encourages a healthy level of interaction. A strong sustainability ethos has recycling of ninety percent of the site’s existing buildings. It is also manifest in the use of natural ventilation and natural light, and the
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buildings, but once again I found it Everything is very close together and with the 15-85mm lens I had I could not experiment with photographing the inside of the development. I will
is crutial. It is clearly a main part to the design process and really sets rest. The use of materials in this case goes completely against using the surroundings with your design. materials that contrast with all other structures on K’rd.
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of materials, the contrast between the new tinted glass and old iron art itself.
must imagine that the viewer has never been to where you are shooting before, you are creating another world, not a picture. The exterior effect than the inside, it seems lifeinside the development.
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out the strongest. Built with 4 different exposures, the colours and shadows have come out amazing. Compositionally it shows the purpose that top of one another which gives them each their individual space, but to
fact the you almost cannot see in giving the employees more privacy. The clouds have come out amazing, showing nature at its best, contrasted sits shows indivualism for each business.
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portfolio materials I have thought a lot about the presentation factor of my portfolio and after research on existing may be good for exhibiting but a portfolio is a good portable document to be able to show around. I will show a relationship between my research document and portfolio in terms of design so
produces clean printing.
bled a little due to the font been too thin. A redesign of the font is crucial to bring the exterior of
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Clear overgloss on top of the covers for the logo as shown below was an idea always in my head, but once again after the test prints I
Concepts for the covers of both R
for the research document. They are
sleeve for them both to sit in also.
CoversRD.indd 1
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CoversP.indd 1
10/06/12 5:58 PM
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evaluation of finals them in the redevelopment. The photo shows the purpose of
purpose of the space, after many shots I realized that a simple and minimal approach shows exactly what I wanted to show. The outcome is a powerful image which portrays the idea of a
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The idea behind the Anvil interested me from the start. Trying to hide a modern building is such an interesting concept, especially when it is in such an open position. Obviously you are always going to to be able to see the glass structure, but when it
showing the structure blending into its environment. The outcome is made even more effective by the cloud to the left
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what needed to be shown in the Atrium photo. The relationship between human interaction and greenery inside is strong, it and much more. I struggled with what exactly needed to be shot in the photo, it all seemed a little too simple on the interior in comparison to the other buildings I had shot. Experimenting with different angles and playing with zoom on the 15-85mm lens helped to produce a great commercial architecture photo.
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in the door what the purpose was behind the building. There is such a strong relationship between what the company does and how the building has been designed. Telecom are all about
prooved to cut quite a bit out of the shot but returning with a Telecom Place.
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I have always appreciated the idea behind the Hilton even though in my eyes the design is not the best. The positioning
another world through your photography, the night seems very gloomy which creates a strong impact for the viewer.
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shoot due to it being such a challenge. The photo shows that the Architects chose to use recycled materials which has won
do however all come together in a central point for human
something new.
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architectural photography portfolio. Research proved to be paramount into seeing what architects, on how to show the buildings photographically. Exploring different angles, editing techiniques, use of
area or business.
- Adam Wouldes
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References and Websites:
Architecture now (Page 31) Britomart.org (Atrium) Plants in buildings, Why plants? (Atrium) Guestnewzealand.com (The hilton) Patterson Architects (The Anvil)
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