INFINITELY LARGE – EXTREMELY SMALL | a translation project The Kaleidoscope House fall 16 | graduate design studio I Professor Pari Riahi
DESCRIPTION | The development of digital media has opened up the possibility of understanding the world in unprecedented scales. Through our screens, we are able to look into the minutest particles of a matter, or marvel at an infinitely far and large object. Such acute observations lead to extraordinary perceptions of the world and suggest new avenues for design. The studio makes use of current digital tools and techniques to investigate an array of natural phenomena and artificial apparatus by exploring the theme of “Curiosity Cabinets”. THEME | ”Curiosity Cabinets” were developed from the 1500s onward and contained extraordinary objects of naturlia and articficialia. The arrangements of these objects were to recreate microcosms capable of reflecting the outside world and augmenting one’s understanding and appreciation of it. By selecting among a series of precedents, the studio investigated the logic and structure of natural or man-made constructs and the interrelationships of the container and the contained in order to create a series of architectural interventions in various scales. PROJECT(s) | The studio design sequence is structured around three projects of significantly different scales. Exploring the theme of Curiosity Cabinets, each student was asked to research and reflect on a phenomena that fascinates him/her to first translate such wonder into a series of six abtract digital drawings. The second phrase further explored 3D potential of these drawings, pushing their metamorphosis to identify a central concept. The last and ultimate part of the studio focused on creating an architectural space, pertinent to the specific theme of each individual’s explorations at the scale of a public edifice in the city. The ultimate project encompassed a wide array of actions: from analysis to interpretation, from translation to creation and from understanding to making.
phenomena | symmetry background & motivation From studies about mirrors and reflection came the inspiration of SYMMETRY. Refering to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance, symmetry is a phenomena that occurs almost everywhere from a snowflake to complex math equations, from flower petals to archiectural structure, etc. Abide by rigid rules, symmetry might seems abitrary but nonetheless offers a wide range of opportunities for transformation and design potential. The logic behind can be attributed to evolutionary advantage and perceptual bias. First, human mind are designed to love symetry; bilateral symmetry in faces are deemed physically attractive, indicating health and genetic fitness. Second, the human visual system can process symmetric stimuli of any kind more easily than it can process asymmetric stimuli. Personally, I was appealed to the pleasure and beauty of finding patterns in chaos. I am interested in studying symmetry to find a mechanism that would generate order from chaos. principals
RR
rotate
R
R
R
R
reflect
Simplest, best known examples of geometric symmetry. Figure retains shape in mirrored form Its size, colour. and the angles between axis are unchanged. The direction of orientation: left and right are swapped. Rotate around an axis perpendicular to the plane. The figure preserves its internal characteristics and the distance of its points from the axis. Its symmetry lies in keeping these properties intact.
RRR RRR translate
R R R R R
R
R
RR
glide and scale
Translate a figure along a straight line with a uniform period, always in the same direction The elements are alike in every respect, and the distance between is fixed by period. Their symmetry lies in this uniformity.
Gliding is the combination of reflection and translation symmetry. Scaling refers to the change in size without losing shape and internal characteristics of a figure.
order from chaos chaos
R
R
R
R
Reflecting axis
reflect
R
translate
R R
Reflecting axis
R glide
R
Randomly generated network of lines created chaotic figure
R R
Principles of symmetry, namely reflection, translation, gliding, were applied to the original chaos (the red R in the diagram) in order to achieve a certain level of symmetry.
R R
R Reflecting axis
R
R glide
order
The four new images would act as base layers for later series. To develop the drawing sequence, I layered these images then highlight their symmetry by emphasizing the most crucial part - the center
abstract drawing series center
space
Constantly layering the images to gradually populate the drawings. The sequence suggests the importance of the central image as lines getting more and more populated and spaces started to appear from this density.
moving to three dimension the impenetrable center In four layers that made up six drawings, lines with similar properties are lofted to break the abitrary of symmetry and generate a dynamic form while preserving the most vital feature that holds up the entire symmetrical network: the impenetrable center
The center
Align layers to vertical axis
Lofting matched lines
Lofted centers suggesting void
three dimensional views
Plan View
Lofting lines into structures The lofted center combined and highlighted Highlight four base layers
Section View
N
site adaptation
N
Building line Amherst Fire Department
the site Taking the conceptual interpretation to the next level, students were assigned a site - an empty. narrow lot in Amherst center. Situated on North Pleasant Street between the Amherst Fire Department and the Works Bakery Cafe, the site enjoys a tremendous level of urban commercial activities, which can be both challenging and thoughtprovoking considering the program
Traffic Noise
program The ultimate goal is to create a living/exhibition space for someone who is fascinated by the students’ chosen phenomena while answering to a good number of design questions: how to stay faithful to the established principals, to separate the private residential space with public exhibition, to make a comfortable living space given its urban context, to deal with the odd shape of the site and the limit in square footage, etc.
View
The Works Bakery Cafe NORTH PLEASANT ST
tranlating concept to site Based on a number of features given on the site such as buildings’ corners, viewing directions and their interceptions, a network of site lines was created. These site lines acted as the base layer, same thing with the original chaos in previous project. They are dynamic enough to open interesting design direction while grounded to and repond to the site’s surrounding, keeping the design relevant to its context. This network would then go through a number of iteration processing to reach the final spatial layout.
SITE PLAN
Scale: 1/16" = 1'-0" 0’
8’
16’
32’
design process principals of symmetry Staying faithful to previous phrases’ process, I applied multiple symmetry operations to the site lines. Reflect. Rotate. Translate. Glide. Scale. Because of the nature of the process, the central space was kept intact as a key connection to previous phrases’ exploration. Out of the overlapping layers of line, space started to emerge, indicating a possible arrangement for the floor plan.
Reflected. Rotated. Glided. Scaled
Emerging spaces
Site lines extracted
Reflected. Rotated. Glided. Scaled
Emerging spaces
Base for walls The hollow center can act as circulation area, separating public and privated
spatial layout Due to its envelop, the floor plan can be devided into subsections, each of which has its own roof raised to a different level to mamimize natural light. The program and circulation make a clear distinction between public and private, residence and exhibition while keeping spatial fludity through out. The walls are guiding agency, wrapping and unwrapping multiple perspectives. The house became a kaleidoscope that constantly transforms itself as people and light move through the space
ROOF PLAN Scale: 1/8" = 1'-0" 0’
4’
8’
16’
2F Residence
1F Residence
rage
art sto
B
2F Exhibition A
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
1F Exhibition Public/Exhibition Transition/Circulation
PROGRAM SECOND FLOOR PLAN
Private/Residence
AXONOMETRIC VIEW Private and public circulation
elevations and sections
EAST ELEVATION
NORTH ELEVATION Scale: 3/16" = 1'-0" 0’
4’
8’
16’
S4
Scale: 1/8" = 1'-0" 0’
4’
8’
S3
S2
S1
SECTION AA
SECTION S1
SECTION S2
SECTION BB
SECTION S3
SECTION S4
16’