Perfo-Pliant-Ply Graduate studio
Year completed: 2014 Duration: 11 weeks Professor: Sandra Site location: Domain car park, Sydney NSW, Australia
THE ORIGINS “GARMENT ANIMALISTIC” - A SECOND SKIN A second skin, clothing, is a uniquely human concept. We use it to separate ourselves from our animal instincts, to civilise us, for modesty and political correctness.
PLAN
The animal mask transformation takes a pair of men’s corduroy pants, originally designed to conceal the wearer’s private areas and make him a civilised member of human society, and creates a mask that conceals his human identity by concealing his face. This allows animal instinctual nature to emerge, to be set free.
Normal human clothing segregates humans from animals. This mask separates the wearer from humans, and as a result puts him in touch with his animal nature. The garment animalises, rather than humanises the wearer.
It does this in three ways: - Through the literal, visual impact of the lion mask in changing notions of human identity ELEVATION - Through isolation from human ‘group-think’, gaining awareness of humankind's evolutionary roots. EXPLORATIONS Folds making space.
- Through the restriction of movement- the wearer is forced to walk on all fours, gaining the perspective of an animal.
ELEVATION
SECTION A-A
Explorations Folds making space. Solid and yet folding model Changes in thickness, transparency and space.
SECTION B-B
SECTION C-C
Purpose of the Project: To Design a folding facade, based on the “folding” and “flattening” explorations, that addresses specific needs of a contemporary art gallery.
EXPLORATION OF THE JOINT TO MAKE THE SCREEN FLEXIBLE How can the properties of plywood be used in forming a joint for the screen?
How can the concept of “folding” and “flattening” be taken into real building materials? - Building materials have a rigidity that requires innovation to achieve the desired folding technique - To achieve an alterable screen it is required to move- a “flattening” and a “folding” - Materials such as glass and concrete discounted due to their brittle nature, would break
Material: initial cardboard model
Exploration Aim: Timber/plywood ‘folding’, able to move from flat to three-dimensional. An exploration of the joints beyond the obvious use of pre-bought hinges. How can the properties of the material be taken advantage of? The idea: cutting strips of material from one flat piece and adding joints. When the model is put under lateral force the joints will give way and create a 3D screen.
Aim: To cut the cardboard in such a way that will encourage bending. By dividing the sheet into an array of parallel columns, each column can bend along its own length, to let the sheet form a bend by twisting around the axis of the links.
Material: Balsa wood Aim: To discover the effect a timber grain has on the joint model- which grain direction will break more easily?
cardboard before cutting
Conclusion: The bending acheived was very successful, with little effort required to bend it and little stress of the object- does not feel like it will rip/tear. The model has undesired movement and flexibility in other directions, which adding extra joints between the columns will fix. It has been observed that the horizontal joints do not bend, as can be seen from plan view, and therefore it has been concluded that, instead, the bending comes from a twisting in the vertical column elements. This is important to note to understand how a timber version would bend, and where it may ultimately snap. bending of cardboard after
Cutting strips of material works very well in form finding and allows the model to sit flat. The initial paper hinge models were successful, but obviously flimsy. The timber pin jointed model, below, allowed for a more robust exploration of the limitations of the form under lateral force. A more sturdy and innovative joint is required, however.
Conclusion: Bending against the grain is difficult and the desired rounded bend is not acheived. It is, however, more durable to snapping as a resilt of the bend. Bending with the grain is easier and creates the desired, rounded bend. More susceptible to snapping.
Exploration aim: What effect does changing the depth of the width of the slices have on the joint? What effect does changing the number of links have on the joint?
Grain: Bending with the grain
12mm
Material: 6mm Plywood Grain: Bending with the grain
5mm 4mm
40 links
20 links 3mm
10 links
12mm
3mm
4mm
20 links
40 links
5 links
10 links
2mm Exploration aim: What effect does changing the depth of the width of the slices have on the joint? What effect does changing the number of links have on the joint?
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In all of the cases where the width was less than the thickness of the material, the bend was very successful. The smaller the width, the more flexible the joint was. In fact, the 2mm test was incredibly flexible and resilient, with little to no stress on the joint.
Aim: Design a connection size that limits the The 12mm test, double the thickness of thestress material,on wasthe verymaterial, unsuccessful.limits the danger of breakage, that does not fatigue, and with an impermanent deformation. Compared to the 10mm wide slices from the next page, the 5mm slices were more successful in bending.
Exploration aim: What effect does changing the depth of the vertical slices have on the joint?
Material: 6mm Plywood Grain: Bending with the grain
Material: 6mm Plywood Grain: Bending with the grain
5mm 10mm
10mm 40 links
20mm
20 links
40mm 5mm
5mm
10mm
20mm
10 links Conclusion: The test with the longer vertical slices allowed the top edges to splay outwards during bending, adding stress and contributing to breakage.
5 links
The test with the shortest slice was the most successful in bending. All tests were relatively easy to bend, with little effort needed. As can be observed from the photos, as the depth of the vertical slices was doubled each time, the bending ability of the plywood decreased proportionally.
Conclusion: Compared to the 5mm wide slices, the 10mm slices were less successful in bending. The more links there are, the deeper the curvature of the bend.
Exploration aim: What effect does changing the depth of the vertical connections have on the joint?
20 links
Material: 6mm Plywood Grain: Bending with the grain
5mm 10mm
40mm
10 links
20mm
5mm
10mm
20mm
5 links
Changing the depth of the vertical connection does not have much impact on the ability to bend the plywood. This is because the bending is not happening in the horizontal elements, but is a twisting moment in the
5 links
Massing- the site is long, thin, low.
Perforated pattern generation Solar access and aesthetics, transparency. Pattern derived from material experimentation.
Sun penetration and sha to undulation of screen Force to make screen move
Manipulation Perforations designed to allow the screen to move in a certain, controlled way with horizontal force applied. This is in response to desired ventilation and solar gains and shading, provided by the undulation in the screen.
Structural The screen is given a thickness, which varies along its length to control sun and noise penetration through perforations.
Environmental Soft southern solar access, ideal for illumination of gallery. Eastern sun captured in undulating surface of facade. Breeze from south west captured through undulating
Noise Majority of noise from highway and train tracks to eastscreen thickened at this end to block out. 2mm
Pedestrian access Important as visitors will stroll through gardens for access from the city.
Views Intentionally no horizontal views from gallery, so as to not give clear context or distract from artworks. Vertical transparency between slats with views to the sky. “Could be anywhere�
Tiered floors allow for visual transparency throughout the building while allowing solar penetration
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Detailed Section @ 1:20 Showing rail system and connection of screen to existing wall.
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Detailed Section @ 1:20 Showing rail system and connection of screen to existing roof.
1) Existing concrete structure, thickness and structural details to be confirmed on site. To be exposed internally and polished. 2) Timber beams 60x200, to visually hide rail. Varnished finish. Bolted to existing concrete structure. 3) Aluminium rail, screwed to timber beam surrounds. Screwed to timber support baton, allowing it to move the screen. 4) Set of 4 alluminium wheels and trolley 5) Plywood slats 150x60, varnish finish. Nailed to timber support baton. 6) Timber support baton, screwed to rail. 7) Timber beam framing, bolted to existing concrete and nailed to timber beams using a fixing plate. Varnish finish.
PLIANT-PLY How can an architect design a gallery that is customizable to suit the spatial needs of a variety of artworks, while simultaneously remaining unobtrusive and non-dominant over the works that the architecture is there to show off? Our design is at the same time dynamic and neutral, practical and decorative, context-less and context-giving. A screen-like façade of perforated plywood slats creates a decorative, aesthetically attractive pattern and gives the solid building a sense of transparency. The perforation size varies to allow varying degrees of fractured light into the building. The perforations are designed to allow movement in the screen- allowing for adjustments in solar access and shading, ventilation and internal circulation and views. The material-informed investigation into the effect that perforations will have on the physical malleability of the plywood screen enlightens the design. If we want the screen to not move in a certain area, we just perforate the screen in a way that we know will not allow it to move. The screen is run along the southern wall of the existing car park. The majority of the existing building has been retained and adaptively re-used, as the retention of a building’s embodied energy contributes to the livability and sustainability of communities. The soccer fields on the roof of the car park have been maintained, as they are an important and highly valued meeting place for the community. Soft, dispersed southern light filters through the perforations. The thickness of the screen is varied where further control of sound and solar access is required. The floor of the gallery is cut away to allow for views down to the bottom floors, and for the screen to move. This gives the internal building a transparency, where the viewer can glimpse the entire museum, giving the sense that all of the art within the gallery is interconnected through a multicultural artistic language. The intricate light pattern falling across the gallery conveys a sense of the passing of time to a visitor as it moves across the floor over the course of the day. The works of art to be shown in this gallery space vary according to the schedule of AGNSW. The contemporary art world is simultaneously multicultural and culture-less- it is an amalgamation of worldwide notions of art, influencing and interweaving, no longer able to be defined by one culture or tradition. The screen, instead of dictating a meaning to the art, can be interpreted from the perspective of the viewer and in relation to the art that it surrounds. For example, if the gallery were hosting a Japanese art show, the screen would take on the appearance of a traditional oriental privacy screen, which would, in turn, deepen the viewer’s experience of the artwork. However, if modern electronic light shows were displayed, the screen would take on a futuristic feel and in turn give back to the viewer's involvement with the artwork. The architecture feeds off the creative energy of the artworks shown within, and vice-versa. The screen embodies the multicultural nature of contemporary Australia, through customization and malleability- both in form and in meaning. The ambiguous screen creates a gallery that is open and receptive to the artistic and cultural diversity of Sydney, Australia and the
I am a passionate artist, with a particular love for portraiture. I love the precision required in portraiture to achieve a likeness, coupled with the creative potential to convey the personality of the subject. The variety and quality of my work demonstrates my attention to detail, patience and work ethic. My use of colour shows an aptitude for colour choices and creativity.