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GET LOST! A Dive into Disorienting Architecture
Aparajita Rao
Syracuse University School of Architecture Fall 2018 ARC 107 Design Studio
INTRODUCTION: orientation PROJECT 01 cartesian prism PROJECT 02 action space PROJECT 03 hhh analysis INTERMISSION the poor image PROJECT 04 ground control
as humans, we are driven to understand our surroundings as part of safety and survival. we travel to vantage points and map spaces in our heads. from hidden sequences, to artistic control to mirrored space, there are a number of ways to exploit this human tendency and make a statement about existence through space alone.
PROJECT 01:
cartesian prism
the only idea of disorientation executed in the cartesian prism is that of the s-curve. it uses a multistep directional shift in sequence, can be executed in multiple axes simultaneously, and can be distorted to form a hierarchy of “curves,� making it ideal for a purely formal project.
the project begins with the core formal concept: the s-curve. It can be executed through both form and void.
the conept is executed through a series of cuts through the form of the cube: one cut is through the xy plane, another through the zy plane, and the third through the xz plane.
the inital execution is further developed from form and void to consider frames and planes as elements of execution.
following further development, the form is “activated.” It is set in motion by a force, a descriptive verb that modifies its form and underlying logic by “acting on” the original, static form. an “offset” pulls apart the elements of the form in multiple axes, creating new secondary spaces in addition to the core spaces outlined initially.
the final prism uses offsets to define its spatial hierarchy, and seeks to blur boundries between frame (one-dimensional,) plane (two-dimensional,) and volume (three-dimensional) elements by slicing and dividing them so that they appear as one kind of element from one axis, and only reveal their multi-dimensionality from another axis.
PROJECT 02:
action space
the action space functions as a space to engage an activity, a way of thinking, a discipline, through the channeling of a “shadow client,” a figure to serve as inspiration for both the architect and the client. this action space engages the art of filmmaking and channels the subversive and energetic qualities of alfred hitchcock’s films.
hitchcock’s work has its own ways of disorienting viewers. from the beginning, they are made aware that anything could happen regardless of their own expectations, and that they are at the mercy of the director from here onwards.
the one concept that carried throughout the project, though varied in its execution, was a translation of hitchcock’s use of rear projection. a technique left over from the days of the stage, rear projection uses a moving background filmed independently from the actors and projected onto a screen behind them. it is a view separate from the action in the foreground that becomes flattened by the camera. this action space uses the “significant view” special to the site of the project as a backdrop, and frames it narrowly, providing a clear view only from outside the main sequence.
this action space cuts the view from the entry corridor into screen-sized windows barred on the sides by walls as a reminder that the artist is in control of what the occupant sees. a corridor with slightly converging walls hints at an escape from the artist’s control before throwing in one last twist at the end.
PROJECT 03:
house, habitat, home the hhh analysis uncovers the operations of an architecturally significant residence project and pulls them apart for future synthesis. this set of drawings focuses on architect valerio olgiati’s villa alÊm in the alentejo forest in portugal, known for its cork trees.
olgiati’s villa alÊm disorients in a different way: rather than hiding pieces of its sequence, it hides its entire form. a cardboard box-shaped concrete bunker, it holds both a house and a garden within its walls, away from public view. the villa operates on a binary division of space in the x-axis subdivided into a tripartite organization across the z-axis, yielding a six-quare grid.
axonometric drawings box-within-box analysis of formal organization
exploded axonometric revealing alignments in axes and directions
set of axonometric drawings demonstrating light and shadow based on daily sun path
Intermission: the poor image
the poor image project generates a new floor plan that combines elements of a “damaged” image and an orginal, the “poor plan” is a collage of olgiati’s villa alem and its damaged counterpart, with levels adjusted so that the concrete textures read as walls and figures instead of part of the ground.
figures generated around the tree in the damaged plan serve as inspiration for the figures generated in the ground control project. textures becoming forms serves as the core operation for dividing exterior spaces.
Project 04:
ground control
conceptually, the ground control project merges the built and the site itself. formally, it builds on shapes from none other than the poor plan of villa alem. the merging operations began on a phenomenon of altered space-- but as the method of executing this “altered space� evolved, the level of occupant disorientation only increased.
the very first method of altering space used XZ-planar offsets to divide spaces instead of using any kind of y-axis planes (walls.) the second method used variations in material properties to indicate a division of space and still avoided the use of walls. the third method used roof and floor openings to allow light to creste the divisions of space. this method was the only one to carry into the final space.
the garden consists of two large reflective panels that enclose a maze of mystery masses that partially obscure the view to the lake. climbing on top of the masses or walking to the very end of the garden, however, can lead the occupant to a full and unobscured lake view. the mirrors are built into the landscape and tiled onto the side of the work shed. their specular reflective properties duplicate the spaces buried in the site, creating an illusion of symmetry and of a dark, infinite space. while situated in a maze of tall, looming masses, the occupant can see themselves in the mirror, and becomes simultanously “found� in their own visual field and lost in a seemingly endless darkness.