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UNTITLED: A PROJECT ART SPACE FOR MELBOURNE GEORGE ROWLANDS-MYERS 758020 STUDIO E SEM2, 2021
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Spatial Verb Iterations These iterations represent my initial attempts to interpret Richard Serra’s spatial verbs. Whilst some produce interesting results, I believe the majority remain too abstract and are more representative of small scale tests rather than applicable examples for building proposals.
01 illusion
However, my interests are peaked with the possibilities of the jump cut, anamorphic, and illusion verbs. In taking from Steven Holl’s Inversion object installation in Milan, (2013.), iteration 03 attempted to invert the interior negative space was to the exterior, which provided some interesting interior spaces that have the potential for light projection art and atmospherics.
04 jump cut
06 quotation was also interesting in that in quoting from Mies Van De Rohe’s skyscraper proposal, a space was created that was slightly sinister. I think this is a reminder that like quotes themselves, architectural elements create new connotations when taken out of context. This could be used purposefully to shock / excite the user based on their preconceived notions. 07a anamorphic (projection)
02 transparency
03 inversion
05 order / chaos
06 quotation
07b anamorphic (projection)
07c anamorphic (projection)
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I have found that my iterations return a more focussed or intended result if I sketch and idea first before making it in rhino. These sketches here display my initial fascination with the jump cut and the fold. These appear to have great potential for a cross-program stimulation, where new relationships are formed by the intersplicing of non-chronological narratives. In a more linear way, I am thinking the fold may be used akin to Rem Koolhaas / OMA’s CCTV Tower, in which programs are folded to create a loop - a narrative of space - which could then be overlapped / jump cut to create new dynamics between users.
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Splitting - Gordon Matta Clarke, 1974. Image sourced from: https://www.dreamtheend.com/?cat=285&rand=90
In researching artists, Gordon Matta Clarke’s work resonated with me for its powerful imagery and ability to upheave your expectations. His careful use of slices and cuts allows new perspectives to be formed across spaces / programs. I think this is an important aspect that I wish to explore with the gallery - the idea of a variety of perspectives and approaches which speaks to the subjective nature of art itself. I additionally found Clarke’s use of photo montages to be intriguing. As someone with an interest in photography / cinematography this supported the idea of an architecture as montage - where a rearrangement of space (post-slice or boolean) allowed the creation of new perspectives and relationships between elements. This idea of the graphic as a tool for the development of new perspectives / spatialities also seemed to represent the notion of ‘Graphic Space’ discussed in Greg Lynn’s Architecture after Geometry (1997) - the potential for perspective, rather than primitive geometry arrangement to dictate space.
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01 inversion
Spatial Verb Iterations After looking at Gordon Matta Clarke’s work, I took a more sculptural approach this week with the inversion iterations. I think this iteration created some fairly dynamic interior to exterior contrast although it went a bit overboard with the booleans. It was noted during tutorial that Matta Clarke is very deliberate - delicate even - with his slices.
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I also tried to put some of my folding sketches and research into OMA projects into some iterations. The stacking of these with one mirrored also transformed this iteration into more of a jump cut - where spaces maintain a visual connection but are seperated. This idea of a more labrynthine arrangement resonates with me, where the gallery visitor would essentially have a discovery experience in traversing to their desired destination. 07 fold / jump cut
02 illusion - elevation
03 illusion - elevation
05 illusion - perspective
06 illusion - perspective
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Xenia Cage Portrait - Jeff Huntington, 2014. Image sourced from: https://jeffhuntington.com/artwork/3590466-Xenia-Cage.html
In reading Peter Eisenman’s Unfolding Events (1992), I found his notion of the ‘event space’ to be particularly relevant. Eisenman proposed the element of the ‘event’ to compliment the traditional architectural notions of Figure and Ground. In this way, the use of ‘mediated’ environments allows users to transcend the static notions of prior space and become a part of their environment. I find this idea to be incredibly intriguing - that media returns the concept of space to a dynamic environment - of movement, experience and atmosphere, via the use of digital technologies. This also seems highly relevant to a contemporary art space - the notion of the digital and the analogue - something I wish to explore further with my project.
La Villette En Suites - Felice Varini, Paris, 2017. Image sourced from: https://steemit.com/art/@erb/experiments-in-f tional-architecture-anamorphic-projections
This week I also took an interest in illusionary artists, stemming from my look at Gordon Matta Clarke’s photomontages and the illusion of new space that they created, The work of Jeff Huntington came to be an interesting take on the jump cut too - where two narratives or images are interspliced - yet can still be read as seperate or as a whole. In another way, the work of Felice Varini and his linework installations in Paris took this idea of different perspectives created via the movement of the user and applied it in a more practical sense. Again, I think this idea of a range of perspectives and interpretations speaks to me about what the idea of art is.
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These sketches attempted to explore this notion of a dynamic interior that may use illusionary techniques to shock and excite the user of the space - eg. floor folds to become the ceiling, the contrast between positive and negative spcae created by the boolean and jump cut, and the intertwining of programmatic narratives with the superimposition of transparent materials. In looking at this idea of a dicovery experience, I looked at Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s proposal for the Slow House (1989) - which involved a singular tapered cuved pathway that refrained from revealing the exterior view until the user progressed to the end of the space. This notion of using the curve as a monitor for building anticipation and the progression of space appeals to me, to which I attempted to try and encorporate into these sketches and my next iterations. The curve could be used to seamlessly transition between both architectural elements, circulation and space thresholds - creating a more integrated experience. Additionally, the restrained use of the window in the slow house seems to resonate with this idea of Tschumi’s labrynth / discovery experience, as well as the controlled light required for a gallery.
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Park de Villette Diagram, Bernard Tschumi. Image sourced from: https://commons.mtholyoke.edu/architectualblog/2015/12/12/parc-de-la-villette-bernard-tschumi/points_ lines_surface_2/
Park de Villette Proposal, OMA. Image sourced from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Diagram-Parc-de-la-Villette-Rem-Koolhaas-OMA_fig1_318985526
In Architecture & Disjunction (1994), Bernard Tschumi talks about the concept of an experiential labrynth that pulls the user through a particular space via the placement of particular architectural elements and expressions. The idea of this resonates with my design philosophy for an art gallery - it should be a place of intrigue / discovery / surprise - with a notion of ambiguity - that allows the user to discovery the building as they navigate the space. Projects such as the Park De Villette by Tschumi (and, in a similar but different approach, the proposal by OMA) demonstrate this notion through the use of an overlay of contrasting objects - both circulatory and programmatic. I believe this is also why I have been so interested in the jump cut / fold iterations - they have the potential for a narrative focus - which ties back to the cinematic experience that I want to explore with my project. Additionally, I found the notion of Tschumi’s programmatic ambiguity in the pavillions of the Park De Villette to be particularly resonant - with that idea of art as a subjective experience that incorporates a variety of perspectives and positions (conceptually and spacially).
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Public Space Creation Following the site analysis tasks, it occured to me the lack of space that we have to work with - but also how narrow Gertrude and Smith Streets are. This put me to thinking about architectural interventions that allow for the gallery to double as public space - which would blend it into the realm of landscape architecture and blur the art out into the public realm through the manipulation of the ground plane. To this end, I looked at Diller & Scofidio + Renfro’s rennovation of the Alice Tully Hall in NY, as well as OPEN Architecture’s proposal for Shanghai’s Pudong art museum which slices its form to enable public open space creation - a forum, This again speaks to me about the idea of art as a unifying experience that involves a diverse variety of voices and perspectives - a place of culture / community - that I wish to explore.
Inverse Object This task pushed me more to think about the internal (or negative) space that is created when we sculpt the positive elements around it. In rearranging the elements of the Chateau de Chambord and reducing them to primative objects, I found that I almost lost the primary form, which I think is a missed opportunity derived from my initial rhino modelling skill. However, the first iteration’s inversion of the tower peaks into vertical circulation is potentially interesting. The second iteration however I think was more successful, and took inspiration from OMA and Gordon Matta Clarke’s work This idea of taking the Chambord corridor (which connects spaces) and using it as a horizontal slicing element that divides the space is intriging - a disruptive element that may cut across programs.
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03 FITZROY GALLERY
FITZROY GALLERIES SITE CONTEXT -32 noted galleries / art spaces -10 selling artworks -14 Commercial -5 Not- For-Profit -6 venue hire / workshop programs -Majority locally owned small businesses
http://www.thegalerie.com.au/
HONEY BONES GALLERY + STUDIOS -Local pop-culture focussed gallery -Artist studios -Collective of photographers / painters / illustrators -Strong community focus - events and gatherings
THE GALERIE FITZROY -Specialises in vintage and contemporary posters for purchase -Focus on one-time advertisement artworks from over the last century
https://honeybones.gallery/
https://honeybones.gallery/
Potential Programs In undertaking the site analysis task, my group looked at the surrounding neighbourhood’s abundance of galleries and art spaces / events.. As noted on the map, there are an abundance of these spaces within the area - which gives me the question - how do I make my proposal stand out from the existing facilities? Interestingly, I noted that the majority of spaces are focussed on painting / sculpture / object, with only a number interested in photography. I think the idea of digital art is also not properly represented or explored. To this end, a number of potential programs have been brainstormed:
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Photography / Film Studio Library / Book Shop / Archive Museum Venue Hire Cinemateque ( Film Library / Archive).
In exploring this notion of digital art and program intertwine, I believe it would be interesting to focus on a combination between two seperate programs - the digtial (such as cinema / film etc.) and analogue / physical (such as a library or archive). This could be reflected in both program as noted above but also in form and materiality - with the potential for a variety of mixed-media interactions between users and artists - and playing into Eisenman’s idea of this ‘event space’.
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In devising my design statement I found that the most important aspects to me included this interplay between digital and analogue programs and art, as well as the subsequent interpretative atspects and subjective interpretation. To this end, I looked at video artists such as Nam June Paik for the potential for this digital / physical contrasting relationship to be explored - the idea that digital space is imaginary yet infinite, as well as a dynamic tool for creating Eisenman’s Event space, seems to be a central focus of my project so far. Similarly important was this notion of narrative and progression central to the overlapping of program, and inspired by the works of Tschumi, OMA, and DIller Scofidio + Renfro. And finally was this idea of slicing expressions to further create these cross programmatic visual connections, utilised in Gordon Matta Clarke and Eisenman’s works. I believe these concepts provide a reasonably rounded direction for my project that fits together with the physical iterations that I have been producing.
5 Points Design Statement
DESIGN STATEMENT POINTS 758020 George
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An intersection point between digital and analogue art / and program - Create a dialogue between the physical and digital aspects of both the displayed art and architectural experience -Use of both physical and digital programs (media related - e.g. cinema) and their associated forms -Narrative focus in form finding / space arrangement (– eg. jump cut) -Relevant art: TV Garden -Nam June Paik
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Develop an interactive and inclusive communal art space -Utilise the synthesis of media, program, and form to create a culturally stimulating environment -A space for alternative and mixed media forms of art creation / display / archiving
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Site based public space creation / public engagement -In response to Gertrude and Smith street’s existing narrow form -The potential for architectural expressions / interventions to pull the exterior public realm into the building and conversely pull the art out into the public realm, in collaboration with interactive media. Relevant Project: The Lincoln Centre – Diller Scofidio + Renfro
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The potential for multiple readings / perspectives - The potential for the intertwining of programmatic narratives and cross-media stimulation - Relevant art: Gordon Matta Clarke - Relevant Projects: Biblioteque de Tocqueville – OMA, Park De Villette – Bernard Tschumi - Relevant Reading: Architecture After Images - Diller Scofidio + Renfro
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Creation of atmospheric user experience -Use of the ‘Experiential Labyrinth’ - Architecture & Disjunction – Bernard Tschumi -Use of form / materiality and focus on the user’s personal narrative / discovery experience -Relevant Reading: Stairways of the Mind – Juhani Pallasmaa -Relevant project: Peter Eisenman, House 10
POTENTIAL PROGRAMS: Gallery Art Studio Space – Photography, Cinematography etc Library / Museum Cinematheque (Film Archive / Museum)
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Stacking / Urban Massing This week I tried to create iterations that took my previous concepts and more abstract ideas and pushed them into stacked urban forms. Most successful of these I think was the folds - with iteration 01 taking inspiration from the section of Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s US Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado (2020). My research into this project also peaked with the idea of singular progression - where the user can traverse through the whole building via a single ramp circulation. I attempted to use iteration 06 to monumentally fold up from the ground plane after looking at Coop Himmelb(l)au’s Akron Art Museum which also utilises a more montage approach to interlocking materials which I find incredibly intriguing - however, this proposal will have to be radically redesigned to fit in with the site.
01 fold
04 boolean - elevation
02 jump cut
03 jump cut
05 boolean - plan / perspective
06 fold
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I found that I was focussing a lot on the jump cut and fold and thought I should attempt something a bit more outside my comfort zone - cylindrical forms. I looked at Morphosis Architect’s Cooper Union building (2006), as well as UN Studio’s Mercedes Benz Museum (2017) (which I found interestingly similar to Diller Scofidio’s Us Olympic Museum - in the singular ramped progression of space). Both these examples created a dynamic between the rectalinear voids and the curvalinear solids - something that I think has great potential for this idea of digital / analogue programs / forms interlocking / intersecting, even if this iteration’s form doesn’t quite create that solution yet.
Iteration 02 attempted to utilise this notion of slicing found in OPEN Architecture’s Shanghai Pudong Museum (and Koolhaas’ Seoul Musem) to create open traversal space beneath the gallery. I also attempted to incorporate the suggestion of Peter Eisenman’s House X into this proposal, but I think the result became a bit too disjointed and messy. However, the internal views to other spaces proved to be interesting, and again reminiscient of Matta Clarke’s work with this idea of visual connections across programs.
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Iteration Selection I attempted the fold again in iteration 02 after looking at Diller Scoffidio + Renfro’s proposal for the Eyebeam museum, and their intertwining / folding of two narratives (I also found it to have an intriguing concept on the use of digital integration experiences in the building). This to me stood out as having the greatest potential for cross programmatic / media stimulation, as well as playing into this idea of Tschumi’s experiential labrynth and the progression of cinematic space. Iteration 03 also took another attempt at the jump cut in iteration 07, as well as the creation of public space beneath. I found this iteration to have potential but perhaps not for this project or site - in terms of space as well as the policing of public space at night. However, the concept, involving the folding / wrapping around a suspended contrasting program is still valid. I was thinking that media screens could be integrated into these wrappings, and thus redefine the traditional notion of the tv on the wall to the screen on the floor / ceiling etc. Out of the other iterations, 04 seemed to also have the greaetest potential.
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In looking more at the urban stacking and physical limitations of the site, it is clear I need to re-iterate these forms to integrate with the surrounding context. However, as pure experimentations I am reasonably pleased with the direction. Iteration 02 has this potential found in many of DIller Scofidio + Renfro’s works that I have looked at for progression of circulation. Juhani Pallasmaa’s Stairways of the Mind (2000), found the staircase to be the key architectural element for progression experience - it pulls the user upwards with its promise of discovery - something that I think this iteration could play with. Similarly, 02 has the potential for narrative intertwine and a redefining of what is ceiling / wall / floor - which can be integrated with media screens or projection art.
Iteration 04 similarly requires a re-working of the form to integrate with the site, as well as utilise the potential of the geometry interlocking / overlapping to use in terms of program and circulation. Similarly, it was noted that I should focus on more intentiion with the use of the slicing / boleaning - where these voids are placed should be carefully constructed rather than experimental as they were in this iteration. This should take from Diller Scoffidio’s Slow House - to use the window selectively - as tool of climactic progression or selective visual entry. This form however seems to me to be more freeing rather than the more linear constraints of the previous 02 Folding form. It also seems to offer materially a range possibilities for contrast solid pannelling, stone or transparent mesh. It also seems to be something a bit different than what I would normally produce - which is enabling me to experiment and push my boundaries.
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In looking at the potential for these two forms, I tried to look at how they could work in terms of the actual programs of the brief as they are before looking at what I needed to do to rearrange them. I additionally started to map out the different users of the spaces and their various cirulatory flows in order to pinpoint which spaces would be shared / overlapped and how their narrative progressions could be intertwined in relation to the program and the forms of both my selected iterations. My next step is to re-iterate these forms in relation to their respective opportunities regarding site / program / circulation / atmospherics.
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In developing scheme 2, I have found it particularly difficult to re-create / re-iterate the scheme in a more successful manner due to the method of its first creation. A boolean action by its nature is experimental - you don’t know exactly what the interior is going to look like until the shape has been subtracted. However, the interior spaces remain far more intriguing than the exterior - which needs to be sliced in such a way that is deliberate rather than randomly as is here. The slot windows between spaces seem to work well, as well as the potential for skylights slicing through different spaces.
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06 Project Gallery Atrium/ Reception / Café Temp Gallery Media Gallery Artist Studios Staff
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studios Temp Gallery
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I tarted to re-arrange scheme 1 with more intention this time in order to fit in the program - however it still remains far too random and disjointed. Additionally once I’ve started working with the parameters of the site it’s become apparent that there is absolutely no room for an atrium space. This current set of iterations is using a smaller site dimmension than it should, leading to the iteration being squashed horizontally. The correct site measurements were clarified and used after this.
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Scheme 2 Development It was noted that one of my previous iterations - 08 from the original list was a much more successful boolean attempt than I have been making up until now.
01 Boolean
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As I was struggling to make the current scheme work, I have attempted to go back to 08 to determine how to use its success / develop it further into scheme 2. These iterations here represent experiments with this angular skylight slice that seems to work well. I have additionally gone back to look more at Peter Eisenman’s work in his numbered House series. Of these I think 03, 05, 06, and 11 all seem to work the best - yet they still don’t work as well the original 01.
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In looking at David Umemento’s concrete objects I came across the work of French artist Benoist Van Borren, whose concrete sculptures seem to communicate the tectonic ideas I have been trying to develop within my project. There seems to be the implication of an interior negative space that is surrounded by the postive objects - as well as a more careful assemblage of parts that are singular but remain as part of a whole.
Cantilever 1 Sculpture - Benoist Van Borren, 2016. Image sourced from: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/661148
BF-10-4/4 Sculpture - Benoist Van Borren, 2016. Image sourced from: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/661148
BF-10-5 Sculpture - Benoist Van Borren, 2016. Image sourced from: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/661148
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Peter Eisenman’s House 10 uses the slice deliberately as a statement between multiple different spaces. This in conjunction with Gordon Matta Clarke’s work, has pushed me to look at this diagonal slice from iteration 08 as successful for its ability to penetrate multiple programs, spaces and forms - its ability as a disruptive intervention or element - that offers up new or alternative perspectives between users and their various activities within or outside the space. This seems to be the allure or successful notion of the boolean. In developing scheme 2, I have attempted to utilise this form from 08 yet pull it out to create a more tectonic assembly of parts. - with an implied negative interior akin to Benoist Van Borren’s sculptures. This was also due to the need to expand the current form of 08 to fit onto the site / fit the programming. I think the form has become a bit too brutalist for my liking but this could be rectified to be more delicate following the mid-sem.
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MID SEMESTER PRESENTATIONS
The idea of doing two different schemes has been quite a challenge for me, but I think it has pushed me to try and explore different aspects of myself as a designer. Both schemes could be developed much much further after the midsemester. I think both schemes have successes and failures in different capacities which means I may use a combintation of the two moving forward, rather than a single selection. Next I would like to refine my plans for both schemes and also play more with the fold in scheme 1, as well as the boolean skylight in scheme 2. Materiality is also something that needs to be explored, with interesting potential for either scheme that is selected.
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POST - MID SEMESTER PRESENTATIONS
Following the mid-semester reviews I have begun developing scheme 2 further, as this seemed to be the iteration that held the greater impact for the reviewers. To me it seemed the interiors were more successful on scheme 2 whilst the exteriors were more successful on scheme 1. Personally, I was leaning more towards scheme 1 as I found it easier to progress within the first weeks of the semester with this scheme rather than 2. However I do agree that whilst an intriging form, it is probably the least-fitting in terms of gallery typology. In terms of scheme 2, the main comment was that there should be more of a logic to the booleans that slice through the form - should this be taking into consideration some kind of contextual factors to inform this? Scheme 2 was also noted as being a more cohesive project incorporating a clear relatioship between the exterior and the interior which was well communicated in the seciton and the boolean diagram on the previous page. However, this was not really reflected in the plans, which will require more of a rethink.
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Though the section clearly shows these slices vertically, they still remain faily abritrary - I have placed them there for no particular reason. Because of this, my plans don’t really have a logic to them and therefore the program is also arbitrarilly placed (apart from immediate site factors - daylight etc) I do feel as though this was the scheme that I focussed less on and therefore it wasn’t as resolved as scheme 1 - which is making my progress post-mid sem a bit slower in trying to catch up. I’ve been looking at various architects to try and look at their logic for booleans, such as Daniel Liebeskind and his various Jewish Museums. These however haven’t really helped me as much as they are generally much larger scales than this project however,
1ST FLOO
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This idea about the slcies determining my planshas pushed me back towards the contextual response - if there is a site-based reason for these booleans then the plans and programming will follow. One of the slices on the far side of Gertrude St I’ve angled in such a way that a person needs to be standing within a specific place in order to see into the building - which may be a good concept to use for the remaining booleans. It was also noted that these slices should be the corridors - the circulation should follow too. I’ve also tried to straighten the top edges of the form to resist the more brutalist look that wasin place before. Simplicity and restraint appears to make the form more elegant rather than complex.
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Al Naslaa Rocks. Image sourced from: https://www.science101.com/ a1-naslaa-rock-formation/
Al Naslaa Rocks. Image sourced from: https://ww a1-naslaa-rock-formation/
In trying to find more of a logic to these booleans, I have looked at a variety of sources, most usefully, Strategies of the Void by Rem Koolhaas and Ten Canonical Buildings by Peter Eisenman. In Strategies of the Void, Koolhaas details OMA’s competition entry and design process for the Grand Biblioteque (Big Library) in Montreal. In it, he proposes the concept of voids as being the inverse of the physical - with the idea that the digital aspects of information negate the need for physical constraints. In the case of the grand bilbioteque, the creation of voids subdivided and suspended the physical objects between negative space - aka, the negative space gave order to the postive space. This notion of the digitital as the embodiment of negative space and the physical as the embodiment of postivie space is very intriguing, and seems to call back to these ideas around mixed media in my design statement.
ww.science101.com/
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After looking at a number of readings and going back to my design statement, I have the works of Gordon Matta-Clark, its ability to be interpreted from a variety of differen
This one particular slice on Gertrude street that allowed users to peer into the buildin the whole building. This idea, additionally came from reading more about Eisenman’s critiques (most notably in his house splitting project as a commentary on suburban lif
Matta-Clark’s slices were also noted as offering ‘voyeristic’ views - essentially views tha This has created an object that pulls users in from all directions/entrances around th on this idea about art being understood from a subjective position.
e found that I have been talking a lot about the subjective nature of art, and, particularly in nt places - both physical and emotional places.
ng as they approach gave me the idea to utilise various points around the site to slice up slices in his house series and as well further research into Matta-Clark’s works as social fe) - thus the slice became something more purposeful in response.
at revealed things that you wouldn’t normally see - essentially pulling back the urban fabric. he site - and, more poetically, from all manner of backgrounds and places, and commenting
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CAFE SHOP
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I have tried to utilise this feedback about the voids also serving as the corridors / circulation devices through the building. This has meant they have become wider, which I think has also improved the exterior form - and created a more sculptura, faceted object.
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I have found it particularly difficult in balancing the idea of the voids with the internal programmatic logic, as they somehow work to simultaneously break and mend the program together - creating a structure that is seperate yet also whole at the same time.
Most notably, this has occured in the basement space - where I have rotated the cinema to be in line with the void - yet it has completely shuffled the whole plan off axis. Similarly, the ground floor reception area is not well resolved.
LOADING DOCK
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In this case, I think I’ve gone a bit too far in adhering to the logic of the voids rather than the program or plan’s logic - which has left a few strange corners and places where things don’t quite fit. I have to therefore make sure that the internal spaces and further, the user experience is not compromised by the strange geometry of the scheme.
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The feedback expressed that the basement is working much better - and with the grid lines has given the impression of a hierarchy between the orthogonal and the angled elements. This idea is interesting to me but also seems obvious in hindsight - the plan should use the angle to slice through the orthogonal shapes internally as the voids slice through the physical object externally.
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Following on from week 9 I have attempted to try and rectify the problems with my plans and therefore make the space mroe useable. Most notably, I have made the basement cinema space more regularly aligned in accordance with the basement’s logic, as well as reduced its size. (As the size of the building will hardly accommodate such audiences that ACMI experience).
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The ground floor and second floor plans need more reworking to reflect this idea - however, the first floor seems to communicate this idea more clearly.
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also tested a few different materials this week with rendering. This attempted to look at a few panelling options, a refelective aluminium, and a contrasting concrete render with steel mesh. Out of these, the upper wo images more successfully communicate the expressed joints and tectonics of the object.. However, I think white seems to work the best - as the outer lighter areas would contrast with the interior dark spaces of the slcies. I do like the fuzzy haze that is created in the black carbon panel texture and how he lines draw your eyes around the faces of the objects in unexpected ways.
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I have tried to update my section so that it better reflects the monumentality of the slices and the interior experience that results, as the plans don’t fully communicate this. There is still a bit of an issue that I have been struggling with in displaying the further interiors of the space - I am thinking that some sort of exploded axonometric diagram - either vertically or horizontally - would be a good fit for the final project presentation. Additionally, I am toying with the idea of some sort of transparency in these blade walls, which will both allow views across spaces horizontally but also potentially make the section clearer.
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This week I have received feedback from the engineer consultant which has helped me better resolve my structural issues - most notably being - the positioning of my column grid in relation to the angled slices - and attempting to position them in such a way that it doesn’t comporomise these forms., internally or externally. I have had to make slight changes to the rhino modelling and plans to accommodate these updates.
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Additionally, I have found that the monumental nature of my project has naturally reduced the need for glazing and therefore will reduce my HVAC costs, which means I don’t have to majoraly offset my emmissions, though it is still somthing I will be thiking about in terms of more environmentally friendly design in the project.
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I have attempted to better resolve my interior spaces in order to get a better understanding of what will work best in terms of lighting and materials, as I think I have spent too much time working on the exterior and the planning. This modelling has included utilising a steel mesh-like material for the void spaces that still enables a visibility and level of connection between floors and spaces. The test rendering of this shown to the left has been quite succesful I think, and created some interior visibility and light gradients which have illuminated the angled blades of the space. The ground floor reception and staff area near the entrance on Smith Street however still looks majorly unresolved from the exterior, which I have had a bit of trouble working out. It was also noted that I should take the slices and bring them all the way to touch the ground, rather than let it float above like a big cube - which lessens the object’s impact.
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Hokusai Museum Ground Floor Plan. Image sourced from: https://afasiaarchzine.com/2016/05/kazuyo-sejima-19/
I have been analysing Sejima’s Hokusai Museum which seems to share a number of similarities to my project - form-wise, materially and in terms of scale. Of most notable interest to me however is the plans and the way in which the folds from the exterior inform the spaces inside - these create intrusions upon the interior envelope - as if the exterior is trying to cut its way inside. This is something that I think will help make my plans work with the overall project relationship better, as I think at the moment they still adhere too much to the standard box shape of the site. I additionally have found the Hokusai Museum’s use of a bright aluminium panelling on its exterior to be of great interest - this is perhaps the kind of look I wish to achieve. The project also highlights the tectonics of its form by cladding the inside of these cuts with a darker glazing - that simultaneously lets light in and also invites users inside - this is something I need to experiment with in terms of the transparency of my blade walls.. I have additionally been looking at the art of Ian Strange with his suburban light installations. Which have given me something interesting ideas in terms of lighting the project at night using strip LEDs to further accentuate the slices through the form.
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After looking at the Hokusai Museum’s plans I have attempted to try and instill this idea of the exterior cutting into the envelope - which has also resulted in pushing the edges of the slabs further back from the facade. This has also solved my issue in terms of maintaining the exterior solid form without showing the floor levels through the slices - and again implying an internal monumentality to those walking past.
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I’ve also tried to better explore this idea of angular void slicing through the orthogonal aspects of the plan - which I think is being better communicated now in both the ground floor and the second floor. There is however still an issue with my cinema space that makes it feel slightly disconnected from the rest of the project - which I need to look into. I have been recommended to look at SANAA’s New Art Museum and OMA’s Prada Foundation in Milan to better understand the logic of the cinema typology. Perhaps this space needs to be opened up into a more flexible part of the media gallery rather than the more rigid, fixed use that its current form suggests.
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I’ve been modelling more of the interiors to better relate to the surrounding contexts, with more of a focus on Gordon Matta-Clark’s purposeful cutting. This when rendering is starting to look pretty good I think, with some interests potential for light and shadow playing. I also pulled the ground floor slices back out towards the facade, which has negated the effect of the floating box problem from earlier, and also coincidently pushed the building to look more like my original iteration from the first half of semester.
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After looking at OMA and SANAA’s cinema / theatre spaces I concluded that they worked with much larger buildings than this project. However, I think the space is still important for viewing longer video installations or short films. The space seems to work much more cohesively once I stopped thinking of it as a singular, closed off room, and is much more in line with a gallery in which you can walk freely between spaces depending on what interests you - rather than being boxed in to something that doesn’t.
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Playing with materials to see what works best with the exterior form. I was undecided on whether to select a concrete render, an aluminium white panel, or a reflective panel akin to the Hokusai Museum. The class was also fairly evenly split between these choices - yet it was noted that there should be some contrast between the sliced areas and the solid faces - so the reflective panel (at least in this render and with this lighting) looked too dark. I personally am leaning more towards some sort of panel, as the tectonic joints seem to wrap themselves around the irregular geometry that pulls your eye around the form. However, I think whatever panel I select needs to be subtle enough not to distract from the overall building.
In terms of interior materiality I similarly want to keep it simple in order to not be too overwhelming due to the geometry. I like the interiors of Diller Scoffidio + Renfro’s olympic museum - whose section I was inspired by way back in week 4. This includes a polished concrete floor, plain white plasterboard with black metal trims to accent the triangular walls. I think this will work well with my interiors. Additionally, it was noted that I should include some kind of warmer material so as to avoid a cliniical interior of bright white everywhere. To this end I am thinking that the stairs could be timber with these dark trimming balustrades. The elements that slice through the form should be a contrasting, darker colour / material than the remaining white walls, so as to accentuate these elements as disruptive to the physical order of the building.
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I have done some small experiements in order to look at using some kind of graphical style that fits with my project. As my two main precedent artists involve Name June Paik and Gordon Matta-Clark, I am thinking between some style that incorporates a analogue photographic montage look yet also has a digital / video art feel. To this end I have been looking at a lot of graphic design from retro vinyl covers and 60’s pop art, as well as vintage photomontages with newspaper cutouts.
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FINAL PRESENTATIONS
REFLECTION In coming to the end of the semester I am fairly happy with my progress since week 1. It has certainly been a challenging 13 weeks that has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, but I think the project should speak for itself that I attempted to engage with the architectural material and the wider art world. Beginning with the spatial verb experiments was a method I admit I found difficult, as I think as a designer I work better (or at least it is easier - perhaps a different thing...) when I have some sort of end goal in mind - an intention of experimenting. This is particularly relevant in terms of total digital modelling - which I find restricting in that you have type the command to enact the task - there is not as much intuition as holding a paper model and quickly cutting or folding. However the sheer amount of iterations with digital techniques allowed me to experiment over a number of weeks to come to something. I further found the two schemes both difficult and liberating - being able to not lock myself in to one scheme that I wasn’t entirely happy with enabled a more varied result, even if the scheme that was chosen was not the one I really wanted to pursue.
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Looking back now though I am really glad that scheme 2 was pursued - it was something I wasn’t as comfortable with and that experimentation / unknown resulted in a better project, and I think has grown my skillset as a designer. Of course there are always ways in which you can endlessly improve your project, and this one is no different. I think if I had more time I would have liked to focus more on animation / video perspectives renders, as well as resolve a few of my spaces further, such as the reception / gift shop / cafe, and the sculpture terrace, which I think were a bit neglected in favour of working out my plans. I am looking forward for finalising and presenting my project in the coming week. In the future I will have to remember to always choose the unknown of scheme 2 rather than the more comfortable choice.
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