ENVS10004 DESIGNING ENVIRONMENTS DEV GOLDING 588 142
SITE
Concrete lawn, Parkville VIC
Chronology: Weeks 01 – 04 Module: Site Design Techniques: Design thinking; Historical context; action; climate; site shadow; egress; temperature; movement; spatial relationships
Overview: Set against the back drop of the historical Joseph Reed façade and the newly re-built Melbourne School of Design, concrete lawn is located in Victoria on the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus. Concrete Lawn integrates civic, cultural and social needs of the university and provides a green space to compliment the surrounding buildings. Analysis of the site investigated spatial characteristics such as temperature, shadow, movement in addition to the exploration of the historical context. This lead to conclusions regarding the key egress paths together with an integrated understanding of the spaces role as a social platform for students. These findings were later used in the development of the final project to try and facilitate and enhance the students experience of the site.
FORM - SPATIAL COMPOSITION Chronology: Week 04 Module: Form Design Techniques: Frame/ grid; Design reasoning; model making skills;
Overview: Exploring the concept of frame and grid, the notion of design reasoning and refinement was introduced in week four’s exercise together with the architectural system of frame and grid.
My design explored the repetition used in bridge construction whilst integrating the use of a reciprocal frame. A vortex was detailed and a connection member was added to form a three dimensional structure. This module would serve as the principal form that would complement the systems deck. It was important that the modules were equally spaced across the deck as variance in the spacing undermines the grid that was implemented and that ultimately characterizes the design
FORM - LANDFORMING Chronology: Week 05 Module: Form Design Techniques: Subtraction/ extrusion; design reasoning; model making skills;
Overview: Week fives task was focussed on the development of design through the use of extrusion and subtraction. My design focussed on the use of subtraction to define space. Through the central void, the remaining negative space was forced to become an active piece within the composition. highlighting this relationship, the north western corner was extruded to frame the area and force the viewer to accept the path that has now been defined.
FORM - ASSEMBLAGE Chronology: Week 06 Module: Form Design Techniques: Disjunction; Design reasoning; model making skills;
Overview: Week 06 aimed to develop the model that was made during week 05 but focused on the assigned technique of either disjunction; grafting; or smoothing. Having been assigned disjunction, I aimed to contrast the order and balance that was presented in my landform model and contrast this with chaos. Re-working my spatial composition model, the order that was integrated into the design was altered and thrown into a web of chaos. This was then placed against the clean backdrop of the landform model to juxtapose the contrasting elements.
FORM - ASSEMBLAGE
FUNCTION - Spatiotemporal Narrative & Superposition Collage Chronology: Weeks 07 and 08 Module: Function Design Techniques: Disjunction; Design reasoning; abstraction; design themes; narratives
100-word narrative As Dan and Ned strolled through the ranges of Mount Dandenong they were in awe of the spider webs that laced the towering Vic ash trees. The webs encased the canopy and darkened the path that lay before them. As light penetrated one of the openings in the web it illuminated one of the wanted posters that advertised the £8000 reward for Ned’s capture. Ned and Dan squinted, gripped their pistols and fought the dense bush to make their way to greet Steve. However, as they approached Steve, they pondered why he held a train ticket. . After developing the narrative, I aimed aim was to integrate key themes into the following works: the spatio-temporal collage and super imposition collage. The key design themes that were extracted from the narrative were concepts of permeability, enclosure, pathways and the meeting of natural elements.
Materiality - Experience Chronology: Week 09 Module: Form Design Techniques: Disjunction; Design reasoning; model making skills;
Overview: The aim of the experience task was to explore the relationship between materials and how material choice can define an environment. Exploring the use of metal, I aimed to integrate corroded steel into my design and demonstrate the atmospheric qualities of the material. By rendering the façade of the MSD, a contrast was established on an environment familiar to students that allowed elaboration into the way this rendered environment would create an alternate space to the current experience. The assemblage model was maintained its form however it was rendered to be clad in steel via hot rivets. The use of hot rivets and the idea of ‘forced entry’ was introduced in the experience exercise and would be refined for the final presentation. The materiality exercise also lead me to the work of Sean Godsell who implements the materiality of steel in a variety of effective ways whether it be to alter the atmospheric qualities of a space, or to create a sense of permanence on a structure. Key areas that were carried over from previous weeks were the assemblage models form; the design narratives themes of enclosure, path vs destination, and permeability and moving forward the concept of forced entry would be implemented together with the permanence that corroded steel implies.
Figure1:: Sean Godsells Tanderra House
Figure 2: Sean Godsells St Andrews Beach House
Figure3:: Sean Godsells Tanderra House
FINAL PROJECT Chronology: Weeks 10-12 Module: Form Design Techniques: Disjunction; Design reasoning; model making skills;
Overview: A collection of the semester’s work, the final design project aimed to integrate all the themes that had been explored across the course. Previous work ultimately shaped the design – the design narrative themes of permeability; pathways; and the meeting of elements were at the for front of developing the design. The concept of modular construction that was introduced in the spatial composition task were again used to form the gantry structure. The assemblage models juxtaposition of elements was the integral platform for design of the final project and aided with the development of the entry. The concept of permeability was the shaping factor for the façade treatment of the form. Finally, the design aimed to bring together the functional needs of the site by defining pedestrian space and tying back to the concept of pathways and the meeting of conventions that were introduced through the narrative. The end result was an architecture of difference that brought together elements of dissimilarity to define a coherent form. The geometry of the structure and formal characteristics bring coherence to the site. The permeability of the design allows the structure to define its place within the site without overpowering the existing features complimenting the civic nature of the precinct whilst providing a network of emotive experiences for the end user.
FINAL PROJECT
The work of Lyons architects on the Swanston street Academic Building Atrium and Fender Katsalidis’ work on the Nishi Building in Canberra were catalysts for the development of the theme of forced entry within the design. Figure 3: Lyons Architects Swanston Street Academic Building
Figure 4: Nishi Building by Suppose Design Office (Tokyo) and Fender Katsalidis Architects
FINAL PROJECT
Thank you.