ORGANIC A LIGHT STUDY BY AFTON KENNETH A1725038
4 Part 1:PLACE 4 SCALE STUDY AND HISTORY SITE PHOTOS 6 3D VIEWS 8 SITE ANALYSIS
10 Light study 1: LUMINOSITY
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12 Part 2:IDEA 12 EXPLORING THE METAPHOR SITE PRECEDENTS 14 FORM GENERATION POINTS OF ENTRY
16 Light study 2: REFLECTION
18 Part 3:FORM 18 FINAL FORM ELEVATIONS AND SECTION 20 AXONOMETRIC POINTS OF ENTRY
22 Light study 3: OPACITY
24 Part 4:MATERIAL 24 GRASS ROOF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS PALETTE 26 ATMOSPHERE RENDERS
28 Light study 4: FILTRATION
SITE LOCATION
Part 1:
PLACE
SEEK LIGHT! The University of Adelaide’s old school motto to inspire students, researchers and visitors. But what does ‘SEEK LIGHT’ mean? This book intends to explore this and design a new light pavilion for the universities
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maths lawns in front of the 1930’s Barr Smith Library entrance and between two long stretches of more modern glass and concrete heavy maths and science buildings. With this in mind, the view over the length of the lawns
to the Barr Smith Library is heritage listed and can not be obscured.
Barr Smith Library On the South West side is the Ingkarni Wardli building, built-in 2010 with an abundance of glass and tacks onto the red brick engineering and maths sciences building.
Ingkarni Wardli
On the North East is the angular glass Braggs building which also connects to the red brick Molecular Life Sciences building.
The Braggs
DAY: Walk way under maths and engineering building
DAY: Shadow cast by tree on wall
DAY: Shadow cast by tree on ground
NIGHT: Strip lighting under Braggs
NIGHT: Library column
3D SITE VIEWS
Ground view from benches looking towards library
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Aerial view looking down maths lawn
Ground view from library steps looking towards botanic gardens
Aerial view looking at Braggs and library
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SITE ANALYSIS BA R LIB R SM RA ITH RY
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Building names
Vegetation on site
Vegetation on site
Unobstructed views of Barr Smith Library
Places of use: Cafe and benches
Movement on site
9AM Summer
2PM Summer
3PM Summer
Location diagram
9AM Winter
The site is marked out here in pink, located at the corner of the University and opening up to a busy road, the awns are one of many open spaces in the University and lined either side with benches and trees. The axis of the site is not perpendicular to the north-south grid of most of the city, this allows for more light to enter into the site despite being corralled in either side by tall glass buildings, the glass nature of these buildings also help in reflecting some light back down into the site.
2PM Winter
3PM Winter
Light emitted or the luminosity of a source can do a lot to control our perception of a space or objects. Measured in Lumen’s, the scientific definition of Luminosity, plays an important role in architecture as our understanding living standards has changed. Living in the dark with no natural light can negatively affect a person. But luminosity can mean something more than just a measurement. We see, because light is bouncing off materials and reflects back, giving us an ability to understand form, texture and colour from a distance. Luminosity make things clearer and more understandable and brings us closer to architecture by bringing forth, hiding, or highlighting important elements.
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LUMINOSITY
Known generally for her flowing form and grand projects the roll luminosity played in Zaha Hadid’s architecture is less famous, and perhaps often overlooked. Even in her early work incorporating Hadid was able to incorporate light in skilfully and interesting ways, starting slightly more conventual with luminous lines framing and complementing the forms. Her later years are instead characterised by fields of dispersed lamination filling spaces more subtly. This can be seen in her Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, Hadid diffuses her lines of light to transform her geometrical forms into soft luminous lines and the structure is now lit up from within with lights place behind semi-opaque panels giving the building a living reflective form. This same approach to diffused light was applied to her Leeza SOHO, Beijing, an under-construction skyscraper that when completed will become illuminated softly from within. The fountain-like lightwells of her Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London, and her black staircase centrepiece of the Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome are examples where this technique of dispersed light plays into her design, with filtered sunlight and concealed electric lighting filling the space with diffused flowing light. Making the spaces feel lighter and accentuating the forms.
SEEK LIGHT AT A METAPHOR FOR GROWTH AND EXPANSION OF STUDENTS
Part 2:
IDEA
Abstracting the idea of expansion to a linear expansion in one direction I ended up with an array of triangular angles, interesting possibilities but unconnected to the site.
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Abstracting expansion from a point out rapidly resulted in a rigid and regular a form.
Exploding the point outwards gave a lot more energy and when trying to step further I realised how random and almost organic the patterns were, reminding me of leaves on a tree.
Pictures were taken of trees on-site to directly tie back into the location. Many photos were taken and the most promising were selected, their shadows singled out. The most successful was chosen and the inverted shadow was used to select shapes to help inform the design. The final form is a collection of organic blobs, which gave me more freedom to experiment Chosen photogrph of tree shadow was selected
The shadow was singled out in Photoshop
SITE PRECEDENTS: TREES ON SITE AND BOTANIC GARDENS The Maths Lawns open out to the botanic gardens which lie across the street. There is a direct, heritage-listed site line between the site and the maths lawns that must be maintained. Due to this fact it felt fitting to bring this natural and organic origin into my design via the trees which surround the lawns and lead out to the gardens.
An inverted selection of the shapes formed by the shadow
FORM GENERATION
Inverted shadows placed on site
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Shadows were roughly traced to form pavilion
To form the pavilion I started out by stretching my inverted shadow to fit the site not caring about how skewed it looked. I knew for simplicity that I would want my design
to be subterranean to allow for a pure uninterrupted view across the site. so to create a mixture of hard and soft elements like those of a tree I traced out a shape from my
Start of pavilion form
shadow to form the rough angular body of the pavilion. I then worked on the challenge of bringing light underground by positioning the Inverted shadows, stretched and
Shadow shapes were arranged to create windows re-arranged, to form surface level windows. I then used the windows raised and bubble the ground plane to create a flowing organic surface.
POINTS OF ENTRY
Access and areas of interest
With this design, I then worked on creating a workable access path in and out of the site. Since Disabled access was needed and it would help promote realistic
use of the pavilion I included access to the basement of the neighbouring Ingkarni Wardli building. This also gave the pavilion an alternative emergency exit if neces-
sary. I also marked out areas that I found interesting in the form and kept these in mind when it came to programming and allocating the pavilion.
The throwing back of light, heat, sound or objects without absorbing it or its force is called reflection. Although pure reflection (where no energy is absorbed) is rare in the scientific world in general conversation reflection often means the bouncing of something off of a surface, for example a ball bouncing off the walls or more contextually to subject matter of this magazine light and mirrors.v Reflecting surfaces in art and movies can be a symbol of confusion and dissolution. Surrounding the viewer by what is known or unknown, making the screen feel uncomfortable and locations unclear, these shots often ‘reflect’ the character’s or scenes deep emotions. Reflection can also be seen as something valuable, reflective metals and gems are desirable and show status, glitter is a popular eye-catching accent to clothes, art and make up an large reflective glass panels in architecture can show status, help engage with surroundings, add depth or simply draw interest.
REFLECTION 16
Despite Modernisms obsession with simple clarity and transparent glass, it was clear to some that the overuse of this medium will become dull and ordinary in an experimental architectural landscape. Buildings like the Elbphiharmonie in Hamburg, designed by Herzog and De Meuron vear away from the transparency of glass and instead turn their building into a shimmering glass and metal skin that reflects the surrounding city, water and sky in its facade but also distorts and confuses the form with the convexly curded glass extrusions. The blueness of the exterior gives the city reflection an almost whimsical quality and when viewed from a distance this quality helps the large and heavy extension flow and bubble into the sky from above the old brick work construction. A titanium clad example of reflection is the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum by Frank Gehry, the sliver flowing panels of this design have been related to the scales of a fish but as the building has become an iconic symbol in the is reminiscent of a sparkling jewel that frames the skyline in reflective light.
FORM Part 3: 18
FINAL FORM
ELEVATION 1:500
ELEVATION 1:500
SECTION 1:500
The final design came together delicately from above, creating withing the curving of the earth interactive lawn space for students to enjoy. Now visible in the section my
design shows off that minimal impact on the site lines from the botanic gardens while still being open enough to the outside.
INTERNAL AREA OF PAVILION
The pavilion is constructed of three main components. First, the glass skylights which are all custom curved and heavy-duty to match the undulating ground plane. each window will also have a deep frame to bring the inside all down to meet the walls which are free from the roof above.
Within the pavilion, the stairs will act as both a way of entry while also acting as open lecture spaces, relaxation spaces and a point of differentiation within the continuous underground.
The main structure of the pavilion is mostly open plan with a few separated rooms for private and quiet spaces. This is to encourage free student interactions and use of the space, making it more informal and comfortable.
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Exploded axonometric diagraM
SITE PLAN AND ROOM ALLOCATIONS
1 First open seminar room/
5 Reading / relaxing space 6 Bathrooms divided into male
3 Small library space with storage 4 Reception area
7 Relaxing/ Lecture space 8 Exhibition and presentation
staircase 2 Second open seminar room
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female and disabled
space
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vilion with art and transform the whole space into a gallery for particular events and likewise for library space or any other programs that students or staff could impose on the space.
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As part of the nature of the open floor plan, the spaces defined are loose guides to fit the brief. If needed or desired by the users at the time it would be completely achievable to fill the whole pa-
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1:500 Site plan
Opacity refers to the translucency of an item or image, the higher the opacity or the more opaque and the less opaque the more translucent it is. Opacity is more or less the clarity of one element over another, stained glass and frosted windows are more opaque than clear ones. This is a very common feature of digital design as being able to overlay images can often help show more detail while keeping to a certain stylistic effect. The opacity or clarity of a situation has very strong connotations for the situation, showing who has control or who isn’t. It can imply a softness to an image, and sacred or contemplative emotion. film and media opacity can often represent a dreamy or fantasy situation where maybe what is being depicted is not necessarily close to reality. In a way lowering the opacity of a scene like this can increase the clarity or the viewers understanding.
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O PA C I T Y
Nordic countries are unique for their naturally subdued and opaque lighting where a lot of their buildings utilise white walls to enhance the small light they receive over the winter months where the sun comes from a low angle. This utilisation of white in Nordic design is not only a response to the lack of light over winter but reflect the beauty from the snow outside. This utilisation of ‘whiteness’ and opaque lighting is a symbol of sacred spaces and have been a strategy employed since the 15th century and is still an important design strategy in religious designs today like the DybkĂŚr Church in Silkborg Denmark, a relatively small space where stronger light is used to accentuate the focus of the audience behind the alter and subtle light from high up in the walls fills the space. The different types of natural light throughout the day you can get has also been employed Pirkkala Church in Tampere Finland, as well as others who wish to take advantages of these natural characteristics of Nordic light. Windows and building orientations are determined by the different types of light achievable during the day and getting them to align with the stages of the religious ceremony. Some architects decided to move away from this ideology and instead employ all around subtle light to fill the space and not distract from the religious service, encouraging the subtle characteristics and soft lines.
GRASS ROOF CONSTRUCTION DETAIL
Part 4:
MATERIAL
Grass planting
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Substrate Filter sheet Drainage layer Protection mat Root barrier Water Proofing Roof construction
The roofing of the pavilion will be made up of a grass roof system. Using real grass over the lighter and cheaper fake grass options or even a different roofing system like timber or concrete allows for a seamless transition between the existing maths lawns to
the pavilion design. I want the pavilion to ‘grow’ out of the ground that bubble up to reveal the glass and expose the secret building underneath. Results that wouldn’t be possible if the pavilion was constructed from a different material. Real grass
also makes the outside all the more appealing to engage with. I want as much as possible of the pavilion space to be used so there is no loss of usable ground space.
MATERIALS PALETTE To relate my design back in with the surroundings building and not add to the textural variance of the lawn all materials on the design were taken from on site. Matching the paving from outside for the flooring, concrete forv the walls, timber steps matching the benches and so on. This is intended to create a cohesive lawn.
Light pavers
Concrete paneling
wood
Steal
Glass
Grass
INTERNAL RENDERS SHOWING LIGHT AND ATMOSOHERE
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Render taken of the reading/lecture space, being used as a relaxation area for soft study.
The exhibition area forms a tight point and could allow for some uniquely curated exhibits it also receives the least natural light, minimizing sun damage to the art displayed.
Corridors are slightly narrow and constantly bending, making the pavilion feel bigger and also drawing attention upwards to the skylights.
Pictured here is the second informal lecture space in use. There is a stage for the lecture to take place defining the space and the walkway.
EXTERNAL RENDERS SHOWING LIGHT AND ATMOSPHERE
COLLAGE RENDER
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UNRAVELLED PLAN
Filtration is the process of selectively or indirectly separating a desired outcome form an undesirable one. This a common and natural process in life as plenty life especially that of sea roaming life like bottom feeders to wales employ some form of filtration strategy to get their food away from hat they do not want to eat. Selectively changing an object of a space to include more or less of a certain feature can have incredible powerful outcomes for the way the object of space is perceived different from the original. There has been a long known yet incredibly hard to master strategy in design where ‘white space’ or the negative of what is left empty that can be an incredibly powerful move. What is left out can often be as important as what is currently present.
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F I LT R AT I O N
Le Corbusier was a subjective master at the manipulation of filtration of light into a space. Utilising all his tricks from building orientation, fenestration to the textural qualities or the materials he was using and even that of the light itself. He made sure to control his filtration strategy that the light that was present in his building feels deliberate placed to control the atmosphere of the spaces he is trying to create. Le Corbusier also had a strong link to the utilisation of light and its place in religious buildings, some even going as far to saying that the way Le Corbusier employs light in his religious buildings erodes and outshines the religious requirements instead drawing viewers’ attention up towards the sky and its natural value. In the Church of Saint-Pierre in Firminy France, Le Corbusier utilises upward flowing wave in natural lighting in a dimly lit space making the marvel of his filtration strategy all the more striking.
Page 10: https://www.archdaily.com/868157/fluid-luminosity-the-architectural-lighting-of-zaha-hadid Page 16: https://www.archdaily.com/796974/veiled-in-brilliance-how-reflective-facades-have-changed-modern-architecture Page 22: https://www.archdaily.com/542503/light-matters-whiteness-in-nordic-countries Page 30: https://www.archdaily.com/597598/light-matters-le-corbusier-and-thei-trinity-of-light