ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO: EARTH S1, 2016 SUBJECT STUDENT BOOK James Douglas
329725 Heather Mitcheltree Group 6
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1.0 THREE RELATIONSHIPS 1.1 Point/Line/Plane 1.2 Frame & Infill 1.3 Mass 2.0 HERRING ISLAND. SOMETHING LIKE A PAVILION 2.1 Site analysis 2.2 Conceptacle and Sketch design 2.3 Design Development 2.4 Final Design drawings 2.5 Final Design Model 3.0 Reflection 4.0 Bibliography
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1.0 THREE RELATIONSHIPS
Three exercises were completed, each devoted to essential building blocks of Architectural design. Each allowed an exploration of the concepts, separate from practical architectural design. This meant a deeper understanding and exploration of these concepts. These included a study in Point/Line/Plane, Frame and Infill, and Mass. Different relationships between the components and qualities inherent with these concepts were explored to produce rounded compositions.
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Final Model Experimenting with ideas of perspective, the model expresses the concept of Point/Line/Plane in different ways. In elevation the model presents as a series of lines; random angular strips interacting with vertical elements seen as ‘columns’. These show a different relationship to the strips when viewed from other angles. From above you start to see that the columns are separate from the strips and aren’t supporting them. From above the lines from the strips become planes and the lines from the columns become points.
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1.1 POINT / LINE / PLANE The precedents seen here were used to look at the different relationships between point/line/plane components and how they interacted with each other. Left: A dense collection of darker points creating a series of grid like lines. These in turn creating borders for lighter coloured points creating planes. Below: A series of lines are used to create and mold a curving plane to be used for seating/laying.
My Country by Maureen Nampitjinpa-Hudson
Park ‘seating’, Peel Street Park, Collingwood
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Final model
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Exploded axonometric drawing of model
1.2 FRAME & INFILL Working with ideas of perspective once again in the final model, the framing elements are dynamic and ever changing. From elevation or plan view they appear as a regular grid but break up once the view is twisted. The model is exploring the relationship between the frame and the infill elements. From the precedents seen here, ideas of organic versus linear and dynamic versus static are employed. The model shows a fairly static grid frame with infill elements which are tilted or every so slightly off the grid, breaking free from the static.
MFO-Park, Zurich, Switzerland - Raderschall
Furniture by Fien Muller and Hans Van Severen
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Final design
1.3 MASS Playing with ideas of transitional mass, light, and space, the final charcoal drawing expresses a series of spaces of experience under the earth. Inspired by the concepts of mass and gravity expressed in precedents shown here, the final work is a transition of experience from lightness and openness to increasing darkness and heaviness. The final space in the journey is expressing relief from this transition while still instilling a feeling of entrapment.
1 Mario Botta - The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center, Tel Aviv 2 BIG - Human Body Museum, France 3 Ai Weiwei - “Kippe” 4+5 Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold - Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin 6 Jean Nouvel - Monolith, for the 2002 Expo on Lake Murten, Switzerland.
Bilgi University - Faculty of Architecture Midterm Project: Void by Subtraction “Cubitter”
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2.0 HERRING ISLAND. SOMETHING LIKE A PAVILION
The design for something like a pavilion on Herring Island was to come out of the concepts explored above. After having an understanding of the concepts, it is critical that these can be successfully applied to an actually usable architectural space. These ideas become bound and directed by requirements of brief and site and so applying them to a design proved to be challenging. However, with a better understanding of the elements, it has shown to produce something that is compositionally more successful.
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Chosen Site
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Topographic map 1:2000
Tree Cover and Paths 1:2000
Topography 1m - 9m
Section AA 1:400
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Paths
Section BB 1:400
Section CC 1:400
2.1 SITE ANALYSIS The site contains an interesting mix of exposer and isolation for the visitors. Herring Island is in the middle of a fairly dense urban area, only about four kms from Melbourne CBD. The site manages however, to remove the users from this environment around them to different degrees across the island. In particular, the western region of the island, due to the topography and the denser tree coverage, feels the most removed - sight to the outside environment and noise from surrounding areas are blocked. The mounds surrounding this area provide this protection. However, once this threshold is crossed the feeling changes drastically. One suddenly hears the freeway on the north or people and traffic to the south and a feeling of exposure is instantly felt. In my design, I wanted to experiment with this juxtaposition of feelings and play with the link between the two. This would relate also to the concept of keeping secrets employed on the design.
Site Map 1:10000 N oi s e s o u rc e Major a c c e s s t o s it e
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C o n c ep tacle
S k e t c h D esig n
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2.2 CONCEPTACLE AND SKETCH DESIGN Although some secrets need not be shared with others, some can have destructive/harmful effects and consequences on people involved. These could include addictions (alcohol, drugs) or even infidelities. Keeping these kinds of secrets from each other can have a number of psychological effects on us. This could appear in the form of isolation and withdrawal from loved ones or a heightened sense of anxiety or frustration and distrust from both parties (Lickerman, 2012). In my design, I wanted to explore these psychological effects on both parties through an experiential psychological labyrinth. When creating my conceptacle I therefore wanted explore the feelings of frustration, entrapment and isolation in a visual way. In one, a rigid structure is trying to break free from entanglement. In the other, the grid like structure is containing and juxtaposing with the organic planar forms, weaving in and out. Ideas of transparency and inspiration from work by Richard Serra, seen below, would be the basis of my design of something which evokes isolation on the users.
Ric h a rd Se rra - I n s id e Ou t , 2 0 1 3
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2.3 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Moving from the idea of an organic form within a rigid grid like structure, my design process began by developing what this might look like translated into usable spaces. The forms developed through different degrees of uniformity. The development was mainly one of a transitional space or series of spaces. This began with ideas of two or three spaces following a path like transition through different emotional consequences of keeping secrets. In an effort to create a series of spaces which create the feeling of isolation while also creating a different experience for each visit, the design progressed to a less transitional space and more a series of spaces which instill the feelings and consequences which go along with keeping secrets and promote reflection. Throughout the process, the design was attempting to incorporate two levels - one which cuts into the mound and the other which goes over the top. This was carried through to the final design to a degree with the ability to rise above the structure through the centre or at the edges.
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Plan 1:400
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Store Room Cleaners Cubical Disabled Toilet Female Toilets Male Toilets Store Room Tech Room
East Elevation 1:400
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South Elevation 1:400 B
A Section BB 1:400 6 7
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Section AA 1:400
2.4 FINAL DESIGN DRAWINGS As one walks through the space, they are met with a sense of removal and separation (particularly intended for the ones they are with). The use of translucency and varying heights of planar elements create the sense of presence, without identification. The planes cut through the topography, breaking down the barrier between the island and urban life. This is constantly felt but never seen by the users, leaving them helpless, removed and potentially frustrated.
Site Plan 1:500
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The space is meant not only to instil these feelings but allow the users to reflect on their own secrets. Finally the topography around and through the centre of the design allow the users to rise above the structure which is sunken in, giving a glimpse of the whole picture, including views into the secret spaces, providing at last some relief.
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2.5 FINAL DESIGN MODEL
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3.0 REFLECTION
Gaining a deeper understanding of the three concepts of architectural design through the exercises completed in the first half of the semester proved to be invaluable in broadening my design ability and process. Being able to spend time to research, understand and produce examples of these concepts separate from any practical use allowed a deeper understanding of not only these concepts but in composition, which would ultimately flow into the final design project. Using a solid idea from the beginning of the design project and exploring this through the use of conceptacles was also extremely valuable. This allowed for ideas in form and tectonics to generate which might have otherwise not been possible through the use of precedents and sketching alone. It felt fairly simple then to translate this idea into a built form. The process as a whole felt like it flowed from one into another with success, and I believe I was able to take the lessons and ideas from the previous study into the next. The design process became slightly more challenging when having to refine the actual architectural design into a usable space, in line with the brief and which fitted the context. A context analysis helped with this, and after some design work, a return study to the tectonics present on the site helped ground the design further. I feel as though I was able to fairly successfully translate the ideas of Point/Line/ Plane, Frame and Infill, and to some degree Mass into the final design and this design progression can be seen when viewing the final model next to the models from the early exercises. Having said this, I believe my design process could have gone even further. If I had more time to work on my final design I would explore the design possibilities even further, possibly creating an even greater relationship between the site and the spaces for use by the visitors. Overall however, I feel as though I have gained a lot in the way my will process a design problem and solve it though meaning and composition.
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4.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ai Weiwei - “Kippe”, 2013, photograph, viewed 20 March 2016, http://www.loulou.to/saturday-is-caturday/the-art-of-ai-weiwei-at-the-ago-and-an- interesting-bit-about-his-love-of-cats/ BIG - Human Body Museum, France, n.d., photograph, viewed 20 March 2016, https://au.pinterest.com/pin/308285536973764660/ Bilgi University - Faculty of Architecture Midterm Project: Void by Subtraction “Cubitter”, n.d., photograph, viewed on 20 March 2016, https://au.pinterest. com/pin/308285536973763883/ Furniture by Fien Muller and Hans Van Severen, n.d., photgraph, viewed 10 April 2016, https://au.pinterest.com/pin/317011261252858523/ Jean Nouvel - Monolith, for the 2002 Expo on Lake Murten, Switzerland, n.d., photograph, viewed 20 March 2016, https://au.pinterest.com/ pin/486036984756861122/ Lickerman, A 2012, The Danger of Keeping Secrets: When should we keep a secret? What are the risks?, viewed 20 April 2016, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201209/the-danger-keeping-secrets Mario Botta - The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center, Tel Aviv, n.d., photograph, viewed 20 March 2016, https://au.pinterest.com/ pin/137782069824453269/ Nampitjinpa-Hudson, M YEAR, My Country, painting. Passage through Richard Serra Installation, n.d., photograph, viewed on 17 April 2016, https://au.pinterest.com/pin/73324300160865292/ Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold - Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin, n.d., photograph, viewed 20 March 2016, https://au.pinterest.com/ pin/308285536973764630/ Raderschall - MFO-Park, Zurich, Switzerland, n.d., photgraph, viewed 10 April 2016, https://au.pinterest.com/pin/333266441152899615/ Shapiro GF, 2014, Richard Serra - Insi de Out, 2013, photograph, viewed on 17 April 2016, https://svbscription.com/blog/richard-serra-sculpture- architecture-and-the-body Yarra Council, 2011, Park ‘Seating’ at Peel Street Park, Collingwood, Victoria.
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