Development of Design Ideas:

Design Idea1 involvedanalysingcurves usedin the builtenvironment(interiorand exteriorspaces).

Many contemporaryarchitects havetried to distancethemselvesfrom the linear style usedin the past. For example,JeanNouvelfavoursvast openspaces. Thishelpeddesignuniquestructures such as the NationalMuseumof Qatar,whichdefies the rules and expectationsin place.His rather unusual,unexpectedapproachto architectural designreminds ofan artist’s flamboyantstyle that uses elements oflightand darkness to achievean impressiveeffect on the users.

In my turn, I designeda buildingusingcurvedlines. I didn’t want it to be a simplelinear structure. On the contrary,I was in favourofundulatinglines that toucheson the themeoffluidityand movement. Therefore,the layoutofthe structureI propose resemblesto theshapeofan elongatedbean,but I can alsothink ofthe sand dunes ofthe MiddleEast or the gentle wavesin the PersianGulf.

Thisstructurewas alreadycreatedin Design Idea1. However,I developedit by combiningit with Design Idea2 (patterns). Tocreatethe pattern,I took inspirationfrom Islamic Art,which uses geometric shapes.Thesecan be rectangles, triangles, stars combinedintocomplexforms. AfterI created the pattern,I placedit on theroofof eachleveland erasedany excess to fit the shapeofthe building.

My own pattern is created by using elements in the style of Jean Nouvel who influenced the roof of my model. I used the colour blue because just like Jean Nouvel, I thought about the blue sky above and the water of the sea. With these ideas in mind, I came up with this pattern that is specific toAsian cultures. I believe this is suitable for my model because this is located in Stratford, East London and this area is inhabited by large Asian communities.

Whilst doing my research, I analysed in depth the dome Jean Nouvel designed for LouvreAbu Dhabi. His work of art takes inspiration from elements ofArabic culture. He used the idea of light filtered through wooden lattice, which is commonly used in buildings specific to theArab world. His dome extends the tradition, but also brings in a new innovative element. Many have commented on the feeling that they are under the starry sky at night when being inside the museum. This is because the overlapping layers of squares, triangles and hexagons allow natural light to penetrate through the roof both at day and night.

I can also say that the pattern created in SketchUp resembles the shape of a flower. Again, Jean Nouvel used this motive when he projected the National Museum of Qatar, which takes inspiration from the desert rose

I transferred the digital model into a physical one. I took the idea from SketchUp and used it to create a real life model as a prototype. This was achieved by using 2D Design and the laser cutter for precision.

I originally intended to use polypropylene for the Islamic pattern, but the amount of detail would have melted the material when laser cutting.

So, I used a very similar material (acrylic) to ensure all details were accurate.

OnceI got mypiecesback,I encounteredthe problemthat this modelwouldbe extremelytall if I wereto continue to addthe 1st and 2nd floors. Topreventthis from happening,I reconsideredthe overallsizeofthe prototype.

Here we can see how the ground floor was developed to replicate the digital model created in SketchUp. I also added a black card underneath the acrylic to make the pattern more visible without losing details of the geometric shapes that compose it.

I placed my model next to some block models to compare the heights. This is when I saw that if I continued adding the other levels, the final outcome would be too tall in comparison to others. This would go against my plan as I want my building to be longer rather than taller.

Whilst thinking about my model, I realised that if I add the Islamic pattern on each level the model will become too tall by adding a few millimetres on top of each floor. So I determined to have only the final rooftop covered in glass.

Plan of what the model would look like if I kept the pattern on each level.

After testing out different ways of positioning the parts of the model, I concluded to an idea similar to this. I rotated and combined 2 plywood pieces to experiment with a different layout. Each of the pieces measures 6mm in height. I joined up 2 pieces to replicate a single floor. Therefore, my model now has 4 floors in total. For design purposes, I wanted my model to be aesthetically pleasant, so I played up with the position of my pieces. Each floor is jutting out from underneath the other, but keeping in mind the appropriate proportions for the site.

I used different styles in SketchUp to show altered angles.