Journey
377998 | AMANDA NGIENG’S EDITION
Special thanks to my partner Caiyan Lynn Lin, and my tutors Nano Langenheim, David Harrap and Michael Mackinnon for their assistance in this design project.
contents
10
Explorations
12
fill + float
20
cut
28
cut + fill
6
Objective
38
slope usage
8
the brief
46
landform + water
54
Design Intervention
56
the form
60
digital modelling
84
details
102
documentation
134
fabrication
156
My Journey
144
the story
158
reflections
7
OBJECTIVE
selected from the latest addition to the 'Modernist Flat Packs catalogue is the 'Farnsworther' which is almost identical to the Mies Farnsworth House completed in 1951, located near Plano, Illinois.
Project Brief The Maribyrnong Council wishes to place a pavilion on the west bank of the Maribyrnong river to activate the river bank in anticipation of the re-development of the Department of Defence Site opposite on the east bank. The pavilion, selected from the latest addition of the Modernist Flat Packs Incorporated catalogue is the “Farnsworth House Jr”. It is almost identical to Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, a pavilion completed in 1951, located near Plano, Illinois. The pavilion, simply referred to as “Farnsworth House” in this folio, is to be located between the upper and lower path of the sloping bank of the Maribyrnong River.
Site location plan
SITE LOCATION PLAN
to be located between the upper and lower path of the sloping aribyrnong River. isse you are to explore the possibilities for strategically siting the
OBJECTIVE PROJECT BRIEF
Our aim is to create a design that successfully integrates the building into the landscape. Cost is not an issue in this project.
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To begin with, we explored five different themes, providing a design response for each theme: 1 Fill + Float 2 Cut 3 Cut + Fill 4 Slope Usage 5 Landform + Water
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E X P LO R AT I O N S
The first exploration involves using only fill to integrate the Farnsworth House into the landscape.
EXPLORATIONS
EXPLORATIONS FILL + FLOAT
fill + float
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IRE
IEW
ME
ISO
OF
T EN
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SIT
V RIC
T
In this exploration we sought to create a design that was dramatic rather than subtle, using fill to greatly modify the landscape. We decided on elevating the house to allow for a greater view over the river and landscape.
CLOSE UP OF ENTRANCE
PATIO IS ENCLOSED BETWEEN BUILDING AND TOPOGRAPHY
EXPLORATIONS FILL + FLOAT
As seen in the model images, the Farnsworth House has been oriented and placed such that three sides of the main body faces out over the landscape while the patio is contained between the building and the natural steep slope of the land. This is in the attempt to create two different experiences of the building - open and enclosed.
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A 12 11 10
9
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5 4 3
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1
A
PLAN
EXPLORATIONS FILL + FLOAT
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To enhance the open feeling, the building is placed on a platform shaped according to the footprint of the building so that it would appear to be floating in space.
SECTION A-A
Fill Stone Retaining Wall
Walls of Lucca, Tuscany. Source: Richards, T. (2012). Week two: Fill and Float [PDF slides]. Retrieved from ABPL20047, University of Melbourne Learning Management System online: http://app.lms.unimelb.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-3602481-dt-content-rid-10881345_2/courses/ABPL20047_2012_SM2/LECTURE%202_FILL.pdf
This platform makes use of retaining walls, similar to that of the Walls of Lucca in Tuscany. Walls of Lucca, Tuscany These walls, made up of small red bricks specifically created for their construction, were built as a means of defending the city but have never been put to the test in war.
In our design the retaining walls would be made of stone instead of brick, a material that we felt would complement the Farnsworth house.
VIEW FROM THE RIVER
EXPLORATIONS FILL + FLOAT
To connect the house to the existing path below, we designed a sloping path that winds its way down. Quoted from the lecture, a limitation of fill is that it is “prone to erosion and slippage�. For this reason we refrained from making the slope too steep. The grade of the slopes on the sides of the path are a maximum of 1:3 and should be reinforced by small shrubs or grasses native to the site.
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The second exploration involves using only cut to integrate the Farnsworth House into the landscape.
EXPLORATIONS
EXPLORATIONS CUT
cut
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Shanxi Hanging Wall Freeway. Source: Hanging wall highway in Shanxi, China [image] (2010). Retrieved August 19, 2012 from http://blog.sina.com. cn/s/blog_5379794d0100jag1.html
Inspired by the Shanxi Hanging Wall Freeway, we decided on cutting into the existing slope, letting the path carve its way towards the Farnsworth House. Shanxi Hanging Wall Freeway This hanging wall freeway is chiselled into the existing cliff, allowing visitors to experience moving into and out of the cliff.
EXPLORATIONS CUT
TOP VIEW OF THE ENTIRE SITE
SIDE VIEW TOWARDS THE HOUSE
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A
B 12 11 10 11 9 10 8
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7 6 5
4
3
2
1
A
B
PLAN
EXPLORATIONS CUT
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12 10 8 6 4 2
SECTION A-A
12 10 8 6 4 2
SECTION B-B
Instead of having a straight cut into the slope, with both sides of the cut vertical, we sloped one side of the cut at 1:3. The image of the model on the left tries to capture the experience one might get when walking into the topography.
CLOSE UP ON THE CUT INTO THE SLOPE
EXPLORATIONS CUT
Like in the Fill + Float exploration, the patio is also enclosed between the main body of the house and the topography. However, in this case, the house is placed on a platform created by a cut instead of a fill, and the house is embedded in the landscape rather than floating out of it.
PATIO ENCLOSED BETWEEN MAIN BODY OF BUILDING AND THE VERTICAL STONE RETAINING WALL
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The third exploration involves using both cut and fill to integrate the Farnsworth House into the landscape. Modelling in Autodesk 3ds Max is mandatory.
EXPLORATIONS
EXPLORATIONS CUT + FILL
cut + fill
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Source: ‘Farnsworth House’, http://www.farnsworthhouse.org/rental.htm, last updated 5 April 2012 [accessed 22 August 2012].
Design Intent: To create a unique location suitable for special occasions.
EXPLORATIONS CUT + FILL
As we can now apply both cut and fill which gives us greater flexibility when designing, we decided on researching around the original Farnsworth House to get our design direction.
Focusing on the fact that the original building is used for wedding-related occasions, we decided on incorporating the shape of a heart into the design.
In the official website for the Farnsworth House, we found that original Farnsworth House is often rented out for use in special occasions due to its unique, scenic site.
Following the design we did in the cut exploration where the path cuts into the topography, we expanded on the design and turned the curve into one that resembled a heart.
We too wanted to achieve this, and so we attempted to sculpt the landscape in a poetic way.
The heart is oriented such that the path winds in and out of the topography.
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B
B
A
A A heart is drawn onto the site through a combination of cut and fill, the gradient of the path maintained roughly at 1:14. The dashed white lines give an indication of the original contours.
EXPLORATIONS CUT + FILL
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9 7 5 3 1
SECTION A-A
9 7 5 3 1
SECTION B-B
EXPLORATIONS CUT + FILL
Left: Walking along the path, it is possible to see the heart drawn by the path. This is very important as there is no point if the heart only exists in plan.
Right: View from inside the Farnsworth House in the morning. Again, the curves of the heart can be seen clearly, giving a rather poetic feel to the place.
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This sequence of images attempts to give an idea of the kind of experience one would get when walking towards the Farnsworth House, moving from within the topography, exiting onto a lookout, before moving back into the topography.
VIEW OF THE FARNSWORTH HOUSE ALONG THE LOWER PATH
EXPLORATIONS CUT + FILL
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The Farnsworth house itself has been modified such that the columns now extend much further downwards, turning the patio into a sort of balcony cantilevering over the site, allowing for the feeling of floating in space as well as a great view of the surrounding landscape. All these aspects would contribute to making this a unique location suitable for special occasions.
The fourth exploration involves using grading drawings to create an equal access path. No modification of the topography is allowed.
EXPLORATIONS
EXPLORATIONS SLOPE USAGE
slope usage
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Col de Turini [image](2010). Retrieved August 25, 2012 from http://smartereurope. wordpress.com/2010/07/12/driving-on-the-col-de-turini-near-monaco/
Winding its way down the slope, the shape of the path aims to encourage more experience and use of the landform. This inspires us to design our equal access path in the same way. Col de Turini This is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Alpes-Maritimes, France. It is famous for a stage of the Monte Carlo Rally which is held on the tight road with its many hairpin turns. Lush scenery could be seen everywhere along the curvy path from top to bottom.
As from the lecture, we know that slopes have different uses depending on the steepness of it. Our design has varying slopes to accommodate the different activities.
EXPLORATIONS SLOPE USAGE
3%-8% perceptible slope - reasonable for walking - common for roads and paths - within accessible range - allows for limited sports activities - may allow for seating
0%- 3% imperceptible slope - comfortable for walking - completely accessible - useful for sport activities - accommodates for plaza or market space
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A
B
A
C
A PLAN WITH THE CENTER LINE OF THE PATH
EXPLORATIONS SLOPE USAGE
Path segments between points A and B Using the maximum ramp grade with handrails (1:14), - Gradient = Rise/Run = 7.14 % - Run = Rise/Gradient = 1m/0.0714 = 14m - Scale = 1:500 - Radius = 2.8 cm
Path segments between points A and C Using the maximum walkway grade without railings (1:33), - Gradient = Rise/Run = 3% - Run = Rise/Gradient = 1m/0.0303 = 33m - Scale = 1:500 - Radius = 6.6 cm
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ESQUISSE 04 - HOW WE USE SLOPE| TUTOR: Nano Langenheim + David Harrap
USE SLOPE| TUTOR: Nano Langenheim + David Harrap
tivity
Section
12 10 Section A-A 8 1:500 6
ESQUISSE 04 - HOW WE USE SLOPE| TUTOR: Nano Langenheim + David Harrap
Section A-A 1:500
Section
SECTION A-A
Direct views upward and downward Section A-A 1:500
Direct views upward and downward
Good area for walking, dancing and sports activity
Good area for seating and walking
4 2
Good area for seating and walking
Good area for walking, dancing and sports activity
Direct views upward and downward
Good area for seating and walking Direct views upward and downward
EXPLORATIONS SLOPE USAGE
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3% - 8% slope 0% - 3% slope River Greenspace Tree
DIAGRAM OF THE SITE LANDFORM
The fifth exploration involves designing a water retention pond. Modelling in McNeel Rhinoceros速 is mandatory.
EXPLORATIONS
EXPLORATIONS LANDFORM + WATER
landform + water
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ISOMETRIC VIEW OF ENTIRE SITE
Remembering the cut + fill exploration where the heart path did not have sufficient space for events, we allocated plenty of space in our attempt at designing a dry retention pond. Dropping the idea of the heart, we designed based on the shape of a ring.
Top: Sourced from Ward A (2008). Retrieved 8 Sep 2012 from http://www.bustler.net/index.php/article/harvard_universitys_tanner_fountain_wins_2008_landmark_award/ Bottom: Sourced from Tanner Fountain [image] (2009). Retrieved September 8 2012 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlinz/3618707704/
EXPLORATIONS LANDFORM + WATER
Like the Tanner Fountain, we aimed to create a design that is functional, with its function and aesthetic changing depending on the wetness of the season. Tanner Fountain The fountain is made up of 159 stones arranged in a circle. It is a popular gathering place where one can relax and play, using the stones as either seats or stepping stones.
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A 12
14
11 10 13 9 8 7 6 5
Pathway Retaining wall Seats (dry) / Stepping stones (wet) 3
New path 4
Dry retention pond
3
2
Lookout
Existing path 1
A
EXPLORATIONS LANDFORM + WATER
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Section A-A
The entire site is raised on a circular mound, with a pathway running around the perimeter of the circle. The ring then branches out into paths that merges with the existing path. Running through the dry retention pond is a series of half a meter high boulders.
Lookout
Useable area
Seats
Useable area
When dry, the entire site can be used as a gathering area, a place to relax, or for other recreational activities. The slope of the dry retention pond is 2%.
Retention pond: Dry
Lookout
Water retention
Seats
Useable area
When partly wet, the water will gather on the lower end of the retention pond, leaving the rest of the area dry for use.
Retention pond: Partly filled
EXPLORATIONS LANDFORM + WATER
Lookout
Water retention
Stepping stones
Useable area
When completely filled, the site is transformed, turning into a pond with stepping stones running across it. This allows for a different experience in the site.
Retention pond: Full
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The design intervention pulls together all the techniques and ideas from the previous explorations to form a completed, coherent design. It combines the heart path from exploration 3 with the dry retention pond and its stepping stones from exploration 5. It must be noted that certain parts of the design process, such as detailed research, are omitted. These can be found in my partner Caiyan Lynn Lin’s edition of the folio for this design project.
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DESIGN INTERVENTION
This section explains how the form of the design intervention came about.
DESIGN
DESIGN THE FORM
the form
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During a feedback session, we were asked to focus on the heart path from the cut + fill exploration. Initially we were stumped. The very reason why we did not continue on the heart idea when designing the retention pond in the fifth exploration was precisely because we couldn’t find a way to do so. Additionally, there is still that issue about not having enough space on the heart to hold events. We expressed these concerns to David, our tutor. He made a very important suggestion that ultimately became the core of our design: instead of making the space for special events, focus it the experience of walking along a heart. Having found the answer to one of the key questions - what the design will be used for - it was necessary figure out how to combine the dry retention pond with the heart path, without deforming the heart. I used my favourite brainstorming method - quick sketches.
DESIGN THE FORM
The retention pond has to be linked to the Farnsworth House. Retention pond flowing along the heart? A waterfall at the middle heart bend? Looks strange.
Attempt at drawing a perspective to get into the space.
Attempt at drawing my idea in plan.
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Final sketch of idea. Will need some sort of storm water drainage pipe to discharge water under the bridge into the retention pond. Like in the cut + fill exploration, the curves still cut into the slope, and there is a lookout area that peeks out of the topography.
As I was quite frustrated with the 3dsMax interface when modelling for the cut + fill exploration, I decided to stick with Rhino, the modelling program that I am from comfortable with and am continually improving in. In this section there will be references made to Grasshopper. GrasshopperŽ is a plug-in for Rhino, a graphical algorithm editor tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modelling tools. It is a tool that I have learnt in a previous subject, Architecture Design Studio 3: Air.
DESIGN
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
digital modelling
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After finding the form, I needed to find a place to locate the heart. With a retention pond (that has the same surface area as the house) in one of the curves of the heart, the heart has to be quite big. Because of this it is no longer possible to fit it in our original chosen site. I began by creating a solid of the contours.
First attempt at creating solid by loft: I selected all the lines, then gave the command “loft”. It was horribly messy.
Second attempt at creating solid by loft: I selected a few lines in the right order, then gave the command “loft”. The contour lines are too complicated; the loft is no good.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
After some research, I found the “patch� command. It is not completely accurate, but it works!
I then trimmed off the unwanted parts of the patch and joined the surfaces into a solid. I can now explore places to put the heart.
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Explore the possibilities of building siting: Explore the possibilities of building siting: Explore the possibilities of building heart-shaped path towards the river.siting: heart-shaped path towards the river. heart-shaped path towards the river. Exploration1: The proposed path is placed at the part of the slope that it could take advantage of the topography for the moving in and out of the slope experience. Exploration1:
Choosing The Site
The proposed path is placed at the part of the slope that it could take advantage of the Exploration1: However, thefor right of the heart-shape path does not have many slopes for cutting topography thepart moving inat and of of the slope experience. The proposed path is placed theout part the slope that it could take advantage of theand moving in thefor slope experience. topography the moving in and out of the slope experience. However, the right part of the heart-shape path does not have many slopes for cutting and moving in the slope experience. However, right part of the heart-shape path does not have many slopes for cutting and moving in the slope experience.
1. The path has to resemble a heart.
River
shape is huge
Existing path River River Proposed path Existing path Relatively steep slope area Existing path Proposed path Proposed path Relatively steep slope area Relatively steep slope area
Exploration 2: The left and right part of the heart-shaped is placed symetrically on the slope where will allow Exploration 2: for great moving and out of slope experience. The siting of the building willright allowpart for great towards the river. symetrically on the slope The left and of theview heart-shaped is placed Exploration 2:
where will allow forpart great and out ofisslope experience. Theonsiting of the The left and right of moving the heart-shaped placed symetrically the slope However, the lower part ofmoving the proposed path couldexperience. not connectThe with the of the building will allow for great view towards the where will allow for great and out of river. slope siting existing it isgreat extended to connect buildingpath will well. allowIffor view towards thewith river.the existing path, it will However, the lower part of the proposed path could not connect with the existing path If itpart is extended to connect thenot existing path, it will However, thewell. lower of the proposed pathwith could connect with the existing path well. If it is extended to connect with the existing path, it will
2. The path has to be placed at a location where it is able to wind in and out of the topography. The middle part of the heart acts as a look out and has to peek out of the topography. 3. It has to be wide enough at one of its curves to allow for a dry retention pond, and still not disrupt the smooth curves of the heart. 4. It should not be too massive.
shape is still larger than it needs to be
From the series of diagrams on the left it can be seen that the optimal position is towards the southern end where the slope is steeper and closer to the river. Exploration 3: The proposed path is located at the concentrated slopes area where the topography will allow for great moving Exploration 3: in and out experience for visitors.
The Farnsworth House can then be orientated and placed at the end of the heart where it fits in with the shape of the path, and still have a good view over the river.
The proposed3:path is located at the concentrated slopes area where the topography will allow Exploration for great moving in and out experience for visitors. slopes area where the topography will allow The proposed path is located at the concentrated for great moving in and out experience for visitors. The proposed path perfectly connects with the existing path to allow for a complete journey. The proposed path perfectly connects with the existing path to allow for a complete journey. The proposed path perfectly connects with the existing path to allow for a complete journey.
optimal position
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
Next is to grade the paths. Not knowing what grade to do yet, I started by drawing the centerline of the heart path, then dividing the lines by lengths of 5000mm.
I then drew lines perpendicular to the curve at where the curve had been divided. These lines are about 2400mm long, and represent the width of the path. Because I didn’t want a slope at the lookout area, I had to end the slope as soon as possible. Hence I decided on a 1:20 gradient for the path; this is the steepest slope possible without having the need of either railings or platforms.
Next, I drew a curve by connecting the ends of the perpendicular lines.
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In this image, I have turned on the control points of the curve. Due to the method I had used to construct the curves, the control points are all at 5000mm intervals.
I then slowly moved the contour points down. As the points are 5000mm apart, each set of points was moved down by 250mm more than the set of points up the slope - this will ensure a 1:20 gradient.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
Now to cut into the topography. As with what I had learnt in the 3dsMax tutorial during the third exploration, I began by extruding the path up. This was done by making the graded path into a surface, and then extruding the surface into a solid.
With the “boolean difference� command, the heart has been successfully carved into the topography.
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Following the cut is the fill. Initially I used the same 1:3 fill that I had used for the cut + fill exploration (pg 28), but once it was modelled I realised it was not such a good idea. Far bigger than the heart done in the exploration, the slope looks far more pronounced here, and appears to deform the heart.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
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So I tried using retaining walls. The result is a much cleaner shape. Rather than extending the legs of the pavilion like I had done in the cut + fill exploration, I settled on placing it on a small platform. This is to let the house merge neatly with the rest of the path. I decided to leave the 1:3 fill on the fill at the lower part of the slope since it falls in naturally with the curve of the heart when seen from ground level.
GETTING READY TO CUT INTO THE TOPOGRAPHY
CUT INTO TOPOGRAPHY SUCCESSFUL
NEW SOLID TO CUT OUT OF TOPOGRAPHY
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
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With the fill in and the overall shape finalised, I added in the retention pond. Rather than a flat retention pond, I decided to have one that slopes towards the ends of the pond. This is for the same reason as the slope in the landform + water exploration — I wanted to have different experiences on the site depending on the wetness of the seasons. When I tried to cut out the shape of the retention pond from the model I have been modelling, I got a boolean difference error. To counter this problem, I recreated the solid I wanted to cut out of the topography, then used the boolean difference command to recut into the original topography.
THE MODEL AS OF NOW
From my experience of modelling in the landform + water exploration, I knew that I needed to model the retaining walls for the rendering process. To get the retaining walls, I took the shape of the path, and altered it so that it is slightly wider. I then extruded this shape into a solid, and intersected it with the original topography.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
This is the result of the intersection.
Here I have extruded the shape of the path into a solid.
With the boolean difference command, the retaining walls can be formed.
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1
2
3
4
I used Grasshopper to assist me in modelling the stepping stones, as I had done for the landform + water exploration. I first generated voronoi shapes, then fit them into the shape of the path. With this done, I altered parameters within the Grasshopper definition until I got the layout that I wanted. Images 1-4 shows how the stepping stones change as I change the parameters within Grasshopper. Image 5 shows the chosen layout of the stepping stones for the intervention. Image 6 shows the solid stepping stones. These stones are extruded 1m up in height, and then recessed 0.5m down into the ground. With a height of 0.5m above ground, it is at a good height to be used as seats.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
5
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6
THE MODEL AS OF NOW
1
Grasshopper was also used to model the bridge, also referred to as the deck. 1 - These are the curves of the sides of the deck. 2 - The curves are divided, and lines are drawn across from one curve to another. 3 - These lines are offset at 5mm in both directions to create a 10mm gap. 4 - The ends of the lines are then joined up to create closed curves, which represents a member of the deck.
2
3
4
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
FINAL
SOLID
DECK
TO BE
PLAC
ED IN
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MOD
EL
THE MODEL AS OF NOW
1
2
Again, Grasshopper was used to assist me in modelling the otherwise impossible railings. 1 - This is the solid support member that runs under the planks of the deck. 2 - The lines to create the shape of the rail is oriented along the sides of the support member.
3
3 - Using the pipe command in Rhino, the lines were turned into solid rails.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
4
5
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When I first realised it was necessary to include rails for the deck, I was worried that it might spoil the design. However, Michael’s suggestion to create a rail that slowly slopes down was excellent. Not only will the slope of the rail contrast with the slope of the topography and add to the design, it will also end off smoothly at the end of the deck, instead of abruptly. 4 - Using Grasshopper I grabbed the end points of the rail lines. 5 - The end points are then move down gradually to create the slope of the rails.
6
6 - A curve is then drawn by connecting the points.
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8
7 - With the curve from step 6, creating the solid handle of the rails was easy enough. This solid is then used to cut the solid rails previously made in step 3.
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8 - The unwanted solids protruding above the rail handle is deleted. 9 - The rail is then trimmed to fit into the topography.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
COMPLETED DECK WITH RAILINGS
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Finally, the digital model is nearing its completion. Looking it over, the lookout area of the heart is missing a very important component - railings of some sort to protect visitors from a 3m drop. To avoid altering the design too much, we chose to do a simple balustrade that blends in with the retaining wall below it. With that, the form of the digital model is complete.
DESIGN DIGITAL MODELLING
LOOKOUT NEEDS RAILINGS
BALUSTRADE ADDED
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This section shows how the digital model was used to create renders and diagrams for showing details of the design.
DESIGN
DESIGN DETAILS
details
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Rendering Having learnt the basics, and figured out material mapping in the landform + water exploration, with a few tries I managed to get roughly the material textures I wanted. (at this point of time we have decided on most of the materials we are using in the intervention) I decided to leave the glass a flat green as not only does it take very long to render realistic grass, it is also hard to map the grass onto my weird slopes. Additionally, I do not have trees or other vegetation, and hence do not want to make the grass look too realistic as the surroundings are not realistic anyway. I was uncertain about not showing the trees in the design. Trees are undoubtedly quite important in this landscape, and it would affect my design greatly should it hide too much of the heart shape. However, after talking about this with my tutor, Nano, I decided to leave it as it is, without the trees.
DESIGN DETAILS
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I placed vertical lines at a height of 1800mm throughout the model to serve as scale people. I then went into the model to figure out what views I needed. After quite some deliberation I settled with the above few views to render.
ORIGINAL
FINAL
Like in the Fill + Cut exploration, the heart can be seen on ground level.
DESIGN DETAILS
Although probably not noticeable at all, there were some post processing of the renders. When saving the renders I also saved the zdepth image of it - this will allow me to fade out the distance if I wanted to. Final images have also been changed to CMYK colour mode to avoid nasty surprises when printing. When showing the renders to Nano, she suggested making the images a little lighter to avoid the images coming out too dark when printed. It was a good thing that she brought it up, for I had forgotten about it. Already we had the issue of dark images in the earlier landform + water exploration (the images had been lightened in this folio). The next few pages are laid out as follows: 1st column: zdepth images 2nd column: original renders 3rd column: final images
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DESIGN DETAILS
V1
V2
V3
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DESIGN DETAILS
V4
V5
V6
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DESIGN DETAILS
V7
V8
V9
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DESIGN DETAILS
V10
V11
This sequence of images shows how the journey along the path would look like. I decided on setting the sun at a time during the day when the areas within the topography is partly shaded. I would have loved to include people in all of the renders - unfortunately there wasn’t enough time. Besides, only having a couple in the last image works well too. There is a sense of a completed journey, when the camera freezes and the couple walks on ahead.
V12
I had considered using a silhouette of a couple either hugging or kissing, on the patio. However, the silhouette of a couple holding hands in casual clothes seemed, to me, to tell of a more matured love and ties in to the story I wanted to tell. This story can be found in the story section (pg 144).
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To explain the dry retention pond, I first tried to make renders, like I had done in the landform + water exploration. However, perhaps because of the long shape of the retention pond, it did not work out. The top row of images shows my first failed attempt at showing water levels the retention pond. The second row of images is slightly more successful than the first; these were rendered at a time when the sun is directly overhead. At Michael’s suggestion, I decided to instead show the water levels in a diagrammatic form.
DESIGN DETAILS
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WATER LEVEL DIAGRAM OF DRY RETENTION POND
Dry
When dry, the stepping stones has a double function, also acting as seats as they are 500mm above ground level. Users will be able to experience walking on the gravel surface cover of the pond; they need not travel over the stepping stones. The area can also be used for small functions such as picnics.
Partly filled
When partly wet, the water will gather on the two deeper ends of the retention pond, leaving the rest of the area dry for use.
Full
When completely filled, there is a very close interaction between the users and water as the stepping stones function as real stepping stones across a water body.
compacted clay or similar to seal surface
rough concrete wall finish crushed gravel drainage material
geotextile filter material drain tile concrete footing with reinforcement extending into wall, length as required
RETAINING WALL DETAIL
DESIGN DETAILS
On the left is a retaining wall detail. After we drew this detail, we found that the thickness of the retaining wall that we had drawn in the plan was way too thin, considering the height of the wall. However, in my opinion, making the walls any thicker than what it already is will make the design look cumbersome rather than elegant. So following the idea that what you don’t show is important as what you show, we kept the wall thickness in the plans as it is, and instead drew the detail without a scale. CAUTION: NEVER DO THIS IN A DESIGN PROJECT WHERE IT REALLY MATTERS.
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This section shows how the digital model was used to create plans and sections, as well as the process of making the plans presentable.
DESIGN
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
documentation
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To create the plans, I first needed to get the lines out from the digital model. This was easily done through the contour command in Rhino, which easily allows me to get contours at 0.5m intervals.
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
ORIGINAL CONTOURS GENERATED USING RHINO
PROPOSED CONTOURS GENERATED USING RHINO
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DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
This is the first draft of the plan. Here I had set out the contour lines such that it is thicker when higher up and thinner when further away - I thought that this was a good representation of depth. However, the feedback that we got was to use drawing conventions to draw the plans. I had messed up the solid and dotted lines: yes, the proposed contours are meant to be solid lines. However, I did not realise that the proposed contours only referred to the changed contours. In other words, the lines that overlap with the original contours have not been changed, and should be dotted.
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DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
This is the first draft of the site plan. Apart from the issues already raised in the previous plan, another obvious problem was that the contours generated from Rhino looked very, very different from the original. These I had to somehow fix up.
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Before I continued working on the plans, I had to understand drawing conventions. To do so I looked at the key text for this subject, the chapter “Site Grading 101” from the book Grading for landscape architects and architects. The full reference is: Petschek, P. (2008). Grading for landscape architects and architects. (pp. 60-101). Basel: Birkhũser.
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
Notes that I have found useful in the creation of plans include: - The lines at the main 1m intervals should be thicker than the 0.5m intervals. - Contours are labelled with base of the number oriented downhill. - Existing contours are drawn in dashed lines, proposed contours are draw in continuous lines. - Spot elevations are used to indicate changes of elevation between contour lines; if none are present, a uniform slope is assumed.
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DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
This is the second draft of the plan. Following drawing conventions, I ensured that the lines are all dotted correctly and given the right lineweights. While technically the original contours should cross over the design, for clarity’s sake they are omitted. As the ramps are quite different from the normal straight ramp, I did not know how to indicate the ramp in the plan. I cannot just draw a massive ramp arrow in the plan; it would not even look like an arrow. At 1:20, it is not compulsory for the ramp to have a landing, and the design does not have one. In the end, Nano suggested to just mark the ramp as a “1:20 walkway�.
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DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
This is the second draft of the site plan. Working in Rhino, I took the actual site contours and merged it with my Rhino copy. The result was quite satisfactory, and looks much better without the weird circular contours in the plan.
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10 9
5
12 .5
6
FPfL 6.000
2
FSL: 6.000 FPfL: 5.5
2
6
5
FDL 6.000
3
1:20 WALKWAY
3
4
5
6
7
8
11
12
4
1
5
FDL 6.000 6
1:2 PLA 2 SLO TFO PE RM TO
FPaL: 7.104 FPfL: 6.300
FPaL: 7.774 FPfL: 6.300
Plan
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
This is the final plan, completed with colour, labels, the north arrow and spot levels. As the legend does not fit in the A5 page, it has been placed over the next two pages.
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Existing Path
Proposed Path - granitic sand cover Granitic Sand Good for paving. It is chosen because of its sandy brown colour, contrasting with the gray gravel of the dry retention pond.
Granitic Sand [image] (2012). Retrieved October 19,2012 from http://www.cfulton. com.au/prodlist.php?cat=4
Dry Retention Pond - limestone gravel 20mm Dove Grey Limestone Gravel This gravel adds to the experience of the “rocky� part of the journey both aesthetically and acoustically, crunching as it is walked on.
Decorative Gravel [image] (2012). Retrieved October 19,2012 from http://www. mainlandaggregates.co.uk/products/20mm-Dove-Grey-Limestone-.asp
Retaining Wall
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
FSL
Finished Stepping Stone Level
FFL
Finished Floor Level
FPaL
Finished Patio Level
FPfL
Finished Platform Level
FBL
Finished Deck Level ModWood Composite Timber Decking This material has been chosen for the deck. Comprised of waste wood and plastics, it looks natural while being more weather resistant than normal timber. It has a slip resistant finished and is suitable for use outdoors.
Timber Composite Decking [image] (2010). Retrieved October 19, 2012 from http://www.homeimprovementpages.com.au/article/low_maintenance_timber_composite_decking
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Getting the section was not quite as simple as getting the plans. As the journey is a very important part of the intervention, we decided on doing a single long section along the heart part, rather than the conventional straight sections. Because of this, we cannot simply cut the digital model, and get the lines out using the Make2D command. First, I drew the line along the heart path, and then extruded it into a surface. Then I trimmed away the parts of the digital model that is not needed.
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
GETTING READY TO TRIM AWAY UNNEEDED PARTS OF THE MODEL
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TRIMMED MODEL FOR SECTION
The process of turning the section into a flat 2D vector diagram was one that I found quite fascinating.
I began by turning the solids into linework through the silhouette command in Rhino. Now I had to somehow get these lines projected onto the surface.
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
Using Grasshopper, I grabbed the control points of all the lines, and pulled all these points onto the surface.
This results in a bunch of lines lying on the surface. All that’s left to do is to unroll the surface along with the curves.
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DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
The unrolled lines are not perfect, and had to undergo intensive cleaning in Rhino. Additional details also has to be drawn in. As the water is drained from the Farnsworth House to the dry retention pond through a storm water pipe, this pipe has to be drawn in the section. Drawing this pipe at a fall of 1:40, I realised that it would not work in our design. As shown in the im-
age above, the pipe will be discharging water at a level where it would not reach the stepping stones. To solve this problem, I thought of raising the platform that the Farnsworth House is sitting on. To avoid changing the contour lines of the plan, it can only be raised less than 0.5m, which should be enough.
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DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
In this section, the platform has been raised slightly, and the area from the deck to the patio is now at a slope of 1:22. With the lines all drawn, it can now be exported to Illustrator to be dressed up.
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DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
This is my first attempt at dressing up the section. Colours are usually clear, and easy to apply. It was not so in this case. For instance, I could not clearly differentiate between the original ground and the part that has been filled. Using a different colour for the filled ground might make the section confusing as it becomes difficult to tell which is in section and which is in elevation.
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1:20 WALKWAY
I decided to use hatches instead. After some research, I found out how to create a custom pattern hatch, which I used to hatch the ground. For the fill I used the conventional diagonal lines. The result was surprisingly good, and looks far more refined than using brown to colour the ground. After labelling, the section is complete.
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
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11 10 9 8
1:22 WALKWAY
7 6 5
E
1:10 SLOP
4 3 2 1 0 meters
SECTION A-A (ALONG PATH)
Existing ground Proposed fill Retaining wall (elevation)
A
A
SITE PLAN
DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
This is the final site plan, with the section line marked in. Contour labels have been removed in this folio as the lines of the site plan is too small. While I could have labelled the section as “Section Along Path� and not draw a section line in the plans, I thought that it was important to show which way the section line is facing. I have decided to show the section line only in the site plan. Since there is quite a lot going on in the plan, the section line will reduce its clarity; in contrast, there is next to nothing going on in the site plan.
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This section shows how the physical model was made. It also contains photographs of the model.
DESIGN
DESIGN FABRICATION
fabrication
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After contouring the model, we pulled the lines apart. All these lines were then projected onto a flat plane, and rearranged into sheets in accordance to the laser cutting guidelines. Black - Cut Red - Etch Magenta - Border of material As we had contoured the model at 500mm intervals, at 1:500 the sheets had to be 1mm thick. Hence, the material we chose to use was the 900x600mm 1mm thick boxboard. We etched a side of the material to prevent the pieces from falling out - this we ended up regretting as it was very time consuming to cut the lines ourselves, and the pieces were held onto the board by masking tape anyway.
DESIGN FABRICATION
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It was great to put together the physical model and see the final product. The model shows very clearly how the topography looks like. Placed next to our presentation sheets, we can be certain that our intervention will be well understood. In the following images I have tried to capture details of the model, and tried to get into the space - with varying degrees of success. As advised in an early lecture, I took photos of the model using the sun as my light source. I also tried using my lamp.
DESIGN FABRICATION
OVERVIEW OF MODEL
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DESIGN FABRICATION
In these two images the shape of the heart can clearly be picked out.
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Left: Some close up shots of the retention pond. Right: A close up shot of one of the curves of the heart.
DESIGN FABRICATION
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DESIGN
DESIGN THE STORY
the story
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DESIGN THE STORY
The Journey : a love story This proposal allows for the unique interaction between people and the topography as the path winds in and out of the landscape; in addition to this, the experience of walking along the heart path tells a story of the development of a relationship between a couple. This story is not fixed. Depending on how one really feels when walking along the path, the story may change. For example, one might simply see the act of going into and out of the slope as moving between good and bad times of a relationship. The next few pages will make use of renders from the details section to tell of one version of the story.
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1:20 WALKWAY
V1
V2
V3
V4
DESIGN THE STORY
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11 10 9 8
1:22 WALKWAY
7 6 5
E 1:10 SLOP
4 3 2 1 0 meters
V5
V6
V7
V8
V9
V10
V11
V12
SECTION A-A (ALONG PATH)
Existing ground Proposed fill Retaining wall (elevation)
V1
V2
The First Meeting
Befriending
The start of the journey is out in the open. At the intersection of the existing and proposed path, the main characters of this story meets.
The open path represents the period of time where the two get to know each other as friends.
DESIGN THE STORY
V3
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V4
Confession
Dating
The curved path, partly in the shadows, piques a sense of curiosity about the next chapter of the story.
Moving into the topography there is a sense of enclosure and of privacy. This tells of the time when a couple is dating, in their own world where they can only see each other.
V5
V6
Proposal
Marriage
Moving out of the topography; a transition point.
Exiting the topography onto the lookout, the world comes back into focus and there is a fantastic view over the landscape. This represents the happy occasion of marriage and hints of the bright future.
DESIGN THE STORY
V7
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V8
Anticipation To the right of the lookout, in view but out of reach, is the Farnsworth House, representing the final goal of the relationship - a true, mature love.
A change in materials and a change in mood as the path winds back into the topography. The granitic sand path gives way to a timber deck with stainless steel railings.
V9
V10
Conflicts & Hardships
The Rocky Road
The railings decrease in height as the path cuts deeper into the topography. This contrasts with the rising height of the retaining walls, playing with perspective and making the walls seem taller than they really are.
Here the path breaks off into stepping stones. This is representative of the time when couples face difficulties they must overcome together in order for the relationship to grow.
The dry retention pond is located in this area.
LED light strips are recessed into the sides of the stepping stones for safety purposes.
DESIGN THE STORY
V11
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V12
Nearing The Goal
Reaching The Goal
A part of the Farnsworth House can be seen from the view within the topography.
At long last the couple reaches the Farnsworth House; their love has fully matured, grounded in complete understanding of each other, and they can look forward to a peaceful and happy life together.
Storm water is drained from the roof of the Farnsworth House into a single pipe, which channels the water into the dry retention pond. This pipe discharges the water under the timber deck in this view (see pipe in section).
This section contains my thoughts and reflections for the five explorations and the final design intervention. It also summarises what I have learnt throughout the entire design process.
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MY JOURNEY
This design project has been a rewarding one, with every exploration teaching me something new and contributing to the final design intervention. In this section I have written a little about my thoughts and reflections throughout the design project. fill + float exploration As the first exploration, the most challenging part was to create the contour plans. While I understood the basics on contours, I have never tried drawing my own contours. Immediately from the get-go we were already trying to grade pathways and slopes, and thus struggled quite a fair bit as it had not been taught yet. At that time, we had naively thought that our design was a good one, and was surprised and disappointed when we got our feedback and realised that it wasn’t so. cut exploration In this exploration we started the design process a little differently. Rather than figuring out contour lines by drawing them, we decided to cut straight into the model. Using this model as reference, we drew the contour lines, and then cut the model again. Not keen on repeating what we did for the first exploration, we did not grade the paths, and instead just stuck on a staircase.
MY JOURNEY REFLECTIONS
cut + fill exploration Although I have had some experience in digital modelling, this was the first time I had ever used 3dsMax. Overall, I found modelling in 3dsMax very frustrating. The program was quite different from other modelling programs such as Rhino and Sketchup, and with my limited knowledge on it, I felt very restricted. Having said that, the tutorial videos were very helpful. The technique of how to apply cut and fill on a digital model as well as how to create ramps that were of a specific slope was very important; this technique I had later modified to suit Rhino, and was a technique that greatly assisted me in the future modelling processes. It was extremely fortunate that it turned out that the heart can be seen at eye level when standing on the ground. I was quite uncertain of it when I was modelling, but amazingly, due to the steepness of the slope and the way the path cuts into, enough of the heart can be seen. To our surprise, the idea of the heart path was well received by the tutors. This was something we had done only because we could think of nothing else.
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slope usage In this exploration I learnt quite a fair bit about the way people perceive slopes, and how the different steepness of slopes affect how they are used. However, as we were unable to modify the topography, we were at a loss at what we could do just by grading. Perhaps we should have tried to explore more in this section; however we merely graded a simple equal access path that zigzags its way up the slope. landform + water Out of all the explorations, this was personally my favourite. I liked how the outcome really did remind me of a massive ring – with the Farnsworth house as the jewel, no less. Having already had previous experience with Rhino, modelling the design was very good practice. I also sought to expand on my skills, and went to learn how to use the rendering engine, V-Ray. The renders turned out to be great, and I was able to use them to explain the design well. To be honest, I did not expect the heart to be seen as the better design.
MY JOURNEY REFLECTIONS
design intervention To further develop the heart path was quite challenging. Figuring out how to integrate the retention pond and its stepping stones into the heart was a breakthrough that I am sincerely glad I got. The modelling process was also not easy. While the modelling process (pg 60) was set up to look like I knew exactly what I was doing most of the time, this was definitely not the case. One problem that particularly gave me a lot of trouble was the boolean commands in Rhino, in particular the boolean difference command. Like what the McNeel Wiki says, the command is not magic. I kept getting the error “boolean difference failed�. When dealing with solids that have straight edges, there is seldom this problem; however with curves, due to a slight accuracy limitation in Rhino, the boolean difference command cannot work properly. I had to try a few roundabout ways before I could get my desired outcome. Booleans FAQ section of McNeel Wiki: http://wiki.mcneel.com/rhino/booleanfaq
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With intensive modelling during the non-teaching week, we were able to complete our digital model relatively early, and can focus on other parts of the design such as details and presentation images. Staying on top of the work proved to be particularly beneficial as I was able to carry a list of questions with me to class every week, and constantly clarify my concerns and improve my work. Final note Within this folio I have included as much detail of the design process as I can remember, with a focus on the parts that I worked on. I apologise for using some technical terms when describing the modelling process; regardless, I hope that the folio provides some insight into the journey I had undertaken in this design project, and is as good a read for you as the journey was enriching for me.
MY JOURNEY REFLECTIONS
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Fin.