PORT FO LIO
CHO LE` LE` KHAING
DESIGN STUDIO 101
SPRING 2013
WEEK 1 - ICE BREAKER FROM WORDS TO FORM (FIRST ITERATION)
The objective of this exercise was to craft a phrase that hierarchically best describe our personal qualities. We were to construct a small-scale construction that can be handheld and without a base.
OBJECTIVES
I began brain storming a list of adverbs and adjectives that describes me best and I came up with, 1. Meticulously spontaneous 2. Simply Sophisticated 3. Conservatively Balanced The following task was to incorporate these qualities into my iterations while satisfying the set of construction qualities required.
“What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing.”- Aristotle I spent good half an hour pondering on how to construct a model without a base. I brought out my drawing book and started drawing but I couldn’t find a solution. I then discovered the best approach to this project was to start by physically constructing my model as oppose to sketching.
FIRST ITERATION
I believe my ďŹ rst iteration to be successful in demonstrating the qualities I wanted to portray. The shape of my model being in regular triangular shape show my conservative side and the use of single line portray a sense of spontaneity. The triangles created in the empty space demonstrate my sophistication in a simple manner.
ICE BREAKER FROM WORDS TO FORM (SECOND ITERATION)
The objective of this assignment was to continue developing an abstract personification of myself while addressing the issues and flaws noted in my first iteration.
OBJECTIVES
SECOND ITERATION
The flaws addressed on my first iteration was lack of line weight and complexity. I input curvilinear form into my model to address the movement and flexibility of the structure. I introduced more geometric shapes and used different line weight of materials. Since my first model received a lot of hype and appraisal, I was blindfolded into the idea that I could construct my second iteration in shorter period of time. Bad mistake. Not only did it turn out unsuccessfully in terms of portraying my abstract personification but it also failed to self-stand in any position because of the curvilinear form.
WEEK 2 REPRESENTATION
DESIGN ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES
This week assignment is to deconstruct the icebreaker construction into its constituent design elements and to document this kit-ofparts accurately. We were to reconstruct our models to better communicate hierarchical patterns and expressive intentions and to generate new solutions that consider the design principles of balance, rhythm, emphasis and unity.
OBJECTIVES
THIRD ITERATION
Since my second iteration wasn’t what I expected it to be, I went back to my initial thought process. My third iteration can be consider an evolution of my first iteration. By creating crisscrossed reversed parallelism lines, my iteration portrayed the qualities of endless continuity and perpetuity. It created a simplistic journey to the viewer’s eyes. Although my third iteration was successful overall, I still found it challenging to incorporate rhythm, repetition and complexity. One major drawback was that it lacked mystery in design.
WEEK 3 - LANGUAGE NARRATIVE, SCALE, SITE AND HIERARCHY
The assignment for week three was to develop a narrative that related our present design in terms of its scale, purpose and environment; and use this narrative to focus the evolution of subsequent iterations that increase in both complexity and beauty.
OBJECTIVES
FOURTH ITERATION
FOURTH ITERATION
SKETCHUP MODELS + KIT OF PARTS
NARRATIVE
A girl is walking along the beach on a beautiful day; she sees something unusual off in the distance. As she walks closer she sees it is a large wooden structure, carefully crafted and placed along the shore. Jutting out of the sand, above her own head, the sculpture beckons her. She comes closer, seeing first the cross of wedges against the sunlit horizon. The wood seems so very simple, natural, yet elegant and different in its construction. Four triangles sit; a face in each direction. The light hits each differently; though they are each a piece of the same wood, they appear so different. They are cut from the same flesh, the wood grain the same, yet they have become so different, shaped by what they face. As they experience different aspects of the world, they have changed.
Reflecting on these faces, the girl can't help but think of her own life. In life, she realizes, individuals have but one literal face, yet in every situation they present a different face. This sculpture appears to represent these faces, however, there is more to a person than just these
different faces. Her instincts, her loves, her emotions, are unchanging constants flowing through her faces. As she draws herself into the sculpture, she sees the minutiae of the sculpture; she realizes even the constant has been represented. The slim, yet strong, bars which run throughout are simple, yet powerful constants. They connect the faces, providing a thread of continuity, tying the faces to the center. As she feels the textures of each face, follows their lines and gravitates toward the middle, she feels a certain attraction. As the stands in the center she realizes this is meant to be, she has an attachment to this piece; it was made for her. She stands there, four faces, each manicured to the part of the world it is exposed to, yet each inwardly the same, a part of her. With a sudden realization, she is awake, looking around the sculpture is gone. She is sitting at her desk, dozed off with a pile of wood in front of her. She knows what she must do; she begins measuring and cutting, creating her faces.
I believe my fourth iteration was a success. I established the use of four triangular shapes intercrossing one another to form repetition and rhythm. I distributed the use of simple wooden sticks and cooperated with the triangular surfaces so that there is a conversations between the two. It demonstrated hierarchy and complexity that I was trying to achieve. The two challenges remaining were lack of stability and radial formation.
WEEK 4 - FORM
SCALE, PROPORTIONS AND BEAUTY
This assignment was to create a series of scale and proportional transformations that alter the size and dimensional relationships of our design elements and tighten the correspondence between our written narrative and our constructed design.
OBJECTIVES
FIBONNACI SERIES
“What is the value of injecting proportional system into your design? P r o p o r t i o n a l s y s t e m s a r e a l l interconnected and it exists everywhere, even in nature. When one incorporates these proportional systems into their design, it builds on a natural language that the brain is hardwired to understand. Its in the nature of mankind, it’s a ratio you have been programmed to ďŹ nd attractive.
For my assignment I decided to incorporate Fibonacci sequences and the golden ratio. I draw a simple golden spiral, mimicking the spiral shape of the nautilus shell, the most common example of the golden ratio in nature. I extruded the model in Fibonacci sequences going from 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and 21. To transform this array of drawings into both visually interesting and dynamically unified pieces, I rotated, flipped and connected last 4 drawings of my arrays. Even though there is a clear difference in the density of each side, there was a symmetry present which was not an intentional part of the design.
WEEK 5 - SPACE EXPERIENTIAL SPACE AND SEQUENTIAL EXPERIENCES
The goal of this assignment is to focus on the relationship between ďŹ gure and space. We were assigned to produce a series of scaled-up constructions that focus on developing hierarchically expressive spaces deďŹ ned by our forms.
OBJECTIVES
M
A
T
R
I
X
Base Plane
Elevated Plane
Depressed Plane Overhead Plane
Vertical Linear
1
2
3
4
Single Linear Plane
5
6
7
8
L-Shaped Liner Plane
9
10
11
12
Parallel Planes
13
14
15
16
U-Shaped Planes
17
18
19
20
Open at Corners
21
22
23
24
Open at MidWall
25
26
27
28
WEEK 6 - TRUTH
A TECTONIC JOURNEY OF 3 DIVERSE SPATIAL EXPERIENCES
This assignment was to explore spatial qualities and experiences with spatial composition. How do we experience the spatial possibilities?
OBJECTIVES
I T E R A T I O N
The set of qualities required for this assignments
were, 1.  Welcoming and comfortable 2.  Awesome and monumental 3.  Intimate and tranquil From a basic form, I stacked similar boxes one on top of each other. From there I tried to enhance the monumental quality of the piece by extending the height and the area of the top most box. This created an unbalanced feeling evoking a hierarchy, leading to the awesome feeling one may have viewing it. Inspired by the living roofs, I decided to put my tranquil space on the second level terrace, unlike a typical ground level green space, seen in most designs. Finally, the ground level was built in a simple style with human scale so that visitors can feel comfortable immediately.
WEEK 7 - NATURE
PRECEDENCE AND RESPONSES TO NATURAL FORCES (FIRST ITERATION)
To reconďŹ gure/reinterpret the constituent parts into readable expressions of frame and surfaces. Design a site and identify accompanying forces or aspects of nature to which your design will respond.
OBJECTIVES
FIRST ITERATION
My site position rests in serenity, next to a lake side. I chose this site because of the amazing connection between the water and sky in nature. This is the feeling of true belonging within this world. The contrast is provided due to the conict between the very modern rigid structure and its placement within this natural setting. It was not successful piece because there were no frames nor language that existed between the site and the model.
WEEK 7 - NATURE
PRECEDENCE AND RESPONSES TO NATURAL FORCES (SECOND ITERATION)
To continue demonstrate relationships between site and model. Hierarchical design on at least discernible three levels in terms of ‘line weight’, complexity and density.
OBJECTIVES
SECOND ITERATION
To begin the second iteration I first added line weight, filling out the skeleton of my model. I used a variety of lines in order to blend the piece together and increase its harmony within both itself and its environment. Though this helped the model itself, I still felt it did not have a strong relationship to the site. Upon reflection and advice, I explored the possibility of altering the site to suit the placement of the model. As the model does not feature an even base, I decided to sculpt the site to fit the model more naturally. I would create a terraced grade in the ground underneath the model, which will allow it to flow into the ground itself, becoming more of a whole with the site.
CONCLUSION
So far, this has been a fun and inspiring semester. I have met so many inspiration people and feel more comfortable in the world of design. Though most of this semester has been very positive, I have had to learn one important lesson as well; time is precious. I have not always made the best choices for managing my time and have learned that I must change this behavior to succeed in a program like this. Having found myself in this ďŹ rst half of the semester, I can’t wait to explore more in the rest of my semester.