idea no.1
About the architect A British architect, Norman Foster, born on the 1st of Ju ne 1935 in Reddish, Englan d is considered to be one of the most successful archite cts in the world and ‘one of the most prolific British arc hitects of his generation'. F oster practices in modernis m, his designs are sleek and HighTech. He often finds hi mself seeking ways of maki ng the structure more susta inable to the environment, aiming to sustain the level of carbon emissions in the air as low as possible, all over the wor ld
The architect doesn’t like to limit his style, we see him working with curves as well as geometrical shapes and sharp angles. His exterior d esigns often include leading lines and diamond or trian gular patterns. In addition t o that Norman Foster likes to use glass in his structures, to all ow the natural light to ente r the building, which saves t he electricity from being consumed.
Inspired by 30 St Mary Axe, also known as the Gherkin, was inspire d by a natural form found in the Pacific Ocean, a marin e sponge called Venus flower basket sponge. It is an un derwater organism that has an exoskeleton which disperse the forces from strong currents. To recreate the exoskeleton in the design of the commercial skyscraper, Foster added the diagonally braced, like double helix, lines, made of steel. The lines are designed to go in opposite directions to create a di amond shaped pattern, which add a high tech feel to the structure. They meet at the top, making a shape, which from the looks of it reminds a flower.
Just like Norman Foster I looked for inspiration from natural forms
Idea no.2
I decided to recreate a part of the staircase in Sketchup to work out how to achieve this flowy edge in the digital software.
Developing ideas following Thomas Hetherwicks method Louis Vuitton women's spring-summer collection 2021 was presented by Nicolas Ghesquière at Samaritaine in Paris, France. I watched the show, observing the clothing as well as the surroundings and the location, looking or inspiration and interesting forms which can be later transformed and developed into potential models.
Throughout the show I kept frequently seeing the belts, worn by models, with poked in them, circleshaped holes. There is nothing extraordinary about that shape, but I wanted to explore it further and see what I could do with it.
The reason why I picked it is because it's simple complection gave me more creative freedom allowing me to produce a broad range of different forms, working with 2 dimensional as well as 3 dimensional forms, giving me more choice to pick a much more suited outcome for a further development.
I produced a wide range of sketches of shape manipulation based on thew shape I found in the Louis Vuitton clothing. This allowed me to develop ideas further, turning them into actual design concepts. Shape manipulation I found most effective was when I cut the shape up onto a few pieces and then rearranged them.
Developing ideas further through model making, using random objects Option No.1 For those models I used an orange, a random object I found in my kitchen. To create the models I followed the sketches produced by me before to create a similar form.
I cut the orange in half twice, shifting the top part to the left side. The problem with this model was its lack of support and imbalance. I had to add toothpicks to make it stand still while I was taking a picture, as it couldn’t stand on its own. I think this model works really well and can be developed further into a potential outcome.
Option No.2 To produce this model I had to cut the orange in half, cutting out small triangular dents in the half-sphere. After that I used the other half of the orange to cut out 2 triangles, twice the size of the dent, to make them stick out. I used toothpicks to attach them together, which allowed me to fixate them in one spot. I don’t think the model works well because of the spacial consumption it would take, if applied into design. I would find it hard to incorporate movement and flow into this shape.
I picked out two, in my opinion, best figures, which I thought I could develop further through my research, and turned them into sketchup models.
I think the model on the left didn't work as well as the second one. It doesn’t work in terms of spacial consumption whithin the design. The model on the right seemed much more successul to me, because I thought I could add more things to the design to make it fit into the existent aesthetic.
Exploration of curved surfaces and forms + development I decided to look at leaves because its curved surface reminded me of Zaha Hadid's work. Through the exploration of the shape, I intend to gather research I could use and apply in my design.
I tried to incorporate my research into the previous model, I had done. I started off by layering leaf-like form on top of the model, manipulating it in the way it would wrap around the shape.
I decided to cut off all the excess parts to make it less spacially consumptious to the area. This changed the form of the model.
I connected all the lines and pieces together, creating this outcome.
Movement and function of bones and joints
My previous model was imbalanced. It needed support to be able to stand on the surface firmly, without collapsing from the weight of the dominant side pulling down the structure.
Human bodies are made up of bones which are connected by joints. They give us the ability to move and function allowing us to do all daily tasks. I chose to look at them as my research material because I want to add movement and support to my project.
Primary image
I liked the idea of the function joints and bones can create, so I drew a few sketches that helped me develop an understanding of how I could join different parts of the design in my advantage. I plan to add support to the structure and thought my research, I have managed to develop a few ideas which can be incorporated into my design.
I applied the outcome for the support onto the design, attaxching the 'legs' at the front part of the building
I decided to experimentwith the form of the roof and sort of extend it in the certain direction. I don’t think it worked well visually so im not going to go along with this idea
FINAL OUTCOME
I am really satisfied with this outcome. I think it works really well, as it fits the brand identity of Louis Vuitton, which makes a perfect fit for the complex centre. I have managed to achieve the desired element of fluidity and movement through research, based on Zaha Hadid. The only functions the building was supposed to fulfil was entertainment. I think the problem with this design is the inefficient use of land, resulted in the fluid form of the structure.
I did a drawing of a side elevation and a plan drawing of the second floor to understand the space better and be more specific with the stuff that I want to include in my future model.
In this diagram, I briefly summarised the materials I plan to use, including white foam board, grey card and acrylic, for different parts of the model. I have also prepared the measurements for each detail I will be making.
I plan to use a foam board for the walls and curved surfaces. To achieve that curved effect, I am going to make several vertical cuts, like I showed in the sketch, and bend it in the wanted direction.
MODEL MAKING: planning
Collection of materials I will be using in my model and what roles they would serve in relation to the model are shown below.
Clear acrylic cut-outs for windows: to produce this detail I made a sketch in 2D design, which then was transferred to be laser cut.
Frames for windows: I produced another, much more detailed sketch in 2D design, which was then laser cut in grey card.
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To keep the model simple, I made the remaining details in white foam board. This will allow me to present my model in a minimalistic manner
Part 2
Zaha hadid opus
Connecting two sites Since I now have two sites to work with, I had to think of ways how to establish the connection between them, and because I have a road that separates them make it far more challenging. To create the connection between the two sites, using my research on Zaha Hadid, I created two external overground corridors which merge the building together. To establish this sort of elements of movement and flow I had to give them direction from which to dynamically flow from one point to another. I did that with both corridors only changing the destination direction from block 1 to block 2. I sketched a few elevation drawings of the corridor and what it will look like internally and externally to create an understanding of the space and solve the issues I had with the site. This series of sketches allowed me to grasp an idea of what I want the exterior to visually look like and how possible it can be to connect both architectural sites. Like I showed on the diagram the top corridor would have two pathways coming through whereas the bottom one would only have one. I think this concept would look quite interesting visually and be well fitted for the brief as it will allow me to attract customers and normal passing-by people to go inside