11205 ARCHITECTURE & LANDSCAPE CULTURES
WRITING THE CITY
ANALYSIS OF INDIGO SLAM AND GLASS HOUSE
Harshwardhan Kotwal 12497614 harshwardhanjitendra.kotwal-1@student.uts.edu.au
KEYWORDS INDIGO SLAM DESCRIPTION
CIRCULATION LIGHT SCALE
Contents
GLASS HOUSE DESCRIPTION ORGANISATION STRUCTURES MATERIALS COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS REFERENCES
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KEYWORDS
Disconnection
Types of flow
Transparency Patterns
Circulation
Culture
Harmony
Materials Experience
Height
Open plan
INDIGO SLAM
Scale
GLASS HOUSE
Proportion
Structures
Volume synthesis
Size
Materiality
Light
Natural/Artificial
Decorative
Rigidity
Public/Private
Shadows
Connectivity
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Organisation
Free Movement
Grid Layout
Indigo Slam Architects: Smart Design Studio Location: Chippendale NSW 2008, Australia Project year: 2016 From the architect: A piece of sculpture to be lived in, this exciting project fronts newly-built Central Park in Sydney’s Chippendale and creates an inspiring residence for an art collector.[1] Image 1
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CIRCULATION
According to Ching, the concept of circulation in architecture refers to the way people, the blood of our buildings, move through space.[2] In particular, it is the flow people take through structures and urban places. It is the idea catches the experience of moving our bodies around a building, three-dimensionally and through time. The circulation in Indigo slam is compared between the site and building. We can see patterns of flow in all three levels. The types of circulation included are horizontal, vertical, public and private circulation.
Site plan: It shows the movement towards the site.
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Ground floor: Its shows horizontal and vertical flow due to a free open space.
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First floor: The programs on this level are more bedrooms which are compressed spaces, it shows a pattern of private circulation.
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Second floor: The programs included are living area, kitchen and dinning which shows a pattern of public circulation.
LIGHT
Light is the most important factor in the appreciation and understanding of architecture. The nature of lighting in a space describes its character and creates impressions. It is a tool that defines emotional aspect of a person.[3] In this house, light is considered as a main decorative element which is formed by unique design of a facade. The idea of stitch, cut and fold casts patterns in light and shadow inside. This distribution of light reveals textures, colours and balances the dark and clear areas. Image 7
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Uniform intensity of light in stairway from windows and ceiling.
Uniform intensity of artificial light in kitchen.
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The distribution of natural light creates shadows and privacy.
Materials are also an important aspect in lighting. The steel curves and planes of the facade illuminates partial amount of light and shadow to provide privacy for occupants. The smooth concrete wall and timber cuts of the stairs forced to provide concealed lights which makes it inviting as one explores upwards through the building.[4]
The distribution of light in bathroom creates open and closed spaces.
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Image 11
SCALE
The scale is an important domain of the Indigo Slam. According to Vitrivius, a human body is a principal source of proportions in architecture.[5] It is defined by the architectural components of varying sizes like the walls, ceiling height, roof, windows doors etc. The height is not proportionate to the neighbouring terrace houses. As the terrace house are considered as medium density housing, Indigo slam remains an uncertainty in types of housing. The organisation of the house is distinct one that makes the interior spaces huge and grand. The stairway is a large and extensive space that is inviting and exciting as it leads upwards through the building. The size of the windows are over-sized due to the idea of cut, fold and stitch facade.
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Vitrivian man by Leonardo da vinci, ink on canvas
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The height of humans and walls in stairway is not proportionate.
The height and size compared to neighbouring terrace houses. black outline-indigo slam, red outline- terrace houses
The scale of humans at different platforms of the house is same.
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Glass house Architects: Lina bo Bardi Location: Vila Morumbi, SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil Project year: 1950
From the architect: Architecture takes inspiration from the nature that governs it and gives it to the materials and the necessary elements to shape it harmoniously. [6] Image 13
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ORGANISATION
It refers to the configuration of spaces, building and landscape, etc. In grid organisation, spaces are organised within the field of structural grid or other 3D framework.[7] The glass house is a well thought conceptual and organisational strategy by the architect. It defines the spaces and movement with sole purpose of showing modernism. The arrangement of programs in 5x5 grid, lays out a free movement with open spaces at south and the compressed spaces at north side. So, actually a free movement can be considered from open to closed ends in an organised manner (img 15). We can see the arrangement of public and private spaces which is an important feature to grid layout. The kitchen and internal patio separates the owners area and servants area (img 16). The common spaces like living room, library and kitchen offers ease of accessibility and connectivity when transitioning from public to private areas. So, an organisation helps to communicate the function, space usage and domestic relationship to spaces.
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Rough sketches by the architect showing organisation strategies.
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Image 16
5x5 Grid organisation
Internal patio created by grid organisation.
STRUCTURES
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In glass house, pilotis are an important characteristic of structures that helps to understand the transition of spaces. According to Lina, “they are the elegant columns supporting the glass box on the hillside�. They are the ground-level supporting columns that raise a built volume. [8] It allows the landscape to flow under the building which forms a courtyard inside the house. The courtyard allows the trees from the ground to grow up into the heart of the house. (img 18, 19) It actually removes the rigidity of the whole volume making the interior spaces open and free for circulation. (img 20)
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Pilotis supporting the building. Image 18
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Open floor plan in living area creating a free movement
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Landscape flowing under the building due to a lift by columns.
The Open floor plan is due to the pilotis which connects the spaces together. The library, living room and dinning are connected and so it communicates public circulation. The vertical structures are composed of circular columns and horizontal structure in reinforced concrete. This framework led to the transition between varying characters, programs and areas at both physical and experimental levels. In this curation of spaces, transitions is what defines the perception and meaning of a piece of architecture.
Collage of dinning area of glass house showing a strong sense of support provided by the pilotis.
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MATERIALS
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Materials are an important features of modern architecture. As said by Lina, “Its is a house to welcome people. It is an open house�.[9]This defines the affect of different materials in exploring these spaces. The use of materials like glass, steel and reinforced concrete in glass house led to the rise in technology of construction. Many different types of materials are used in this house that shows culture and transparency. Though in theory the sliding panes served to bind the interior and the exterior, Bo Bardi’s glass box seems to imply a purely retinal connection to its surroundings.[10]The glass windows establish a relationship between landscape and nature. The contrast between steel and glass and the lush green of the forest is an important aesthetics to the materiality (img 23). Its like living in a glass aquarium with forest from all sides. A swaying metal staircase connects the winding path to the living spaces above to keep up with the atmosphere of the house [11] (img 24). The steel frames of the windows shows a sense of living in a solid structure. The blue mosaic tiles make us believe to continuously stay in the house and feel active (img 26). The marble at the dinning shows a royal way of eating, a special feeling is generated. Whereas the timber chairs shows the comfort of sitting in a open space (img 22). So, this idea of different material and its experience brings in to define the transition in spaces.
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In the every corner of house, you sense culture: in the paintings, in the antique and modern furniture, in the books cohabiting together in the harmony.[11] The objects and the artworks represent a high culture that inhabits this spaces of exceptional modern architecture. (img 27, 28)
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Image 27
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS The similar aspects in Indigo slam and glass house is the circulation-the free movement that brings these buildings to life. As, Indigo slam is built in 21st century, the free movement is challenged by the rise in technology. Due to more technological feature available, spaces has been designed grand and austere in its size and sparseness which allows circulation to be easy, convenient and serene. Whereas in Glass house built in 19th century, circulation is not challenged by technology but there is still ease of accessibility in exploring these spaces. It is made convenient with the help of structural elements like the pilotis which make the interior spaces free and open for circulation. In the midst of both buildings having compressed spaces, there is a similar pattern of free movement where there is free corridor on one side and compressed spaces on other side. (img 29 & 30) Also, In indigo slam, movement is guided with the combination of natural and artificial light by balancing dark and light areas. (img 31-33) Whereas, in Glass house, movement is followed with the help of natural light. i.e. more transparent spaces to opaque spaces. (img 34)
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Movement shown for the compressed spaces with an open passage.
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Movements directed by combination of natural light and artificial light.
[1] Indigo Slam 2016, ‘From the architect. A piece of sculpture to be lived in’, weblog, ArchDaily Newyork, viewed 30 May 2017, <http:// www.archdaily.com/799154/indigo-slam-smart-design-studio> [2] Portico 2016, Architectural Concepts: Circulation, According to Ching, the concept of circulation in architecture, weblog, Wellington, viewed 30 May 2017, <http://portico.space/journal//architectural-concepts-circulation> [3] Lighting in Architecture 2015, Light is the most important factor in the appreciation, weblog, International year of Light Germany, viewed 30 May 2017, <https://light2015blog.org/2015/01/27/light-in-architecture/> [4] Indigo Slam 2016, ‘but inviting and exciting as it leads one upwards through the building’, weblog, ArchDaily Newyork, viewed 30 May 2017, <http://www.archdaily.com/799154/indigo-slam-smart-design-studio> [5] Life of an Architect 2017, Scale an Proportion-The architect domain, Word press, Texas, viewed 30 May 2017, <http://www. lifeofanarchitect.com/scale-and-proportion-the-architects-domain/>
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[6] Marcelo Carvalho Ferraz 1951, Editorial Blau, Casa de Vidrio-The Glass House, 2345328, Institute Lina Bo Bardi, Sao Paulo Brazil [7] Ching Frank 1943, Architecture-Form, Space and Order, Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons c2007, New Jersey [8] Marcelo Carvalho Ferraz 1951, Editorial Blau, pg 3 para 4, Casa de Vidrio-The Glass House, 2345328, Institute Lina Bo Bardi, Sao Paulo Brazil [9] Esther da Costa Meyer 2013, ‘After the Flood’, Harvard Design Magazine, viewed 30 May 2017,<http://www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/ issues/16/after-the-flood> [10] Marcelo Carvalho Ferraz 1951, Editorial Blau, pg 15 para 3 , Casa de Vidrio-The Glass House, 2345328, Institute Lina Bo Bardi, Sao Paulo Brazil [11] Marcelo Carvalho Ferraz 1951, Editorial Blau, pg 18 para 2, Casa de Vidrio-The Glass House, 2345328, Institute Lina Bo Bardi, Sao Paulo Brazil
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