FISH~ HAUS ARCI 311 PORTFOLIO LUKE DODD / 300256749
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START~
CON~ TENTS
Project Description /
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Site /
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Drawings /
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Experimental Model /
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Materiality Experiment /
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Final Model Process Imagery / 29
Final Model /
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Floorplan /
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Sections /
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Final Digital Model /
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Concluding /
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This portfolio exhibits the work of Luke Dodd from trimester one 2015 at Victoria University of Wellingtons’ School of Architecture and Design. Tutor: Achille Segard
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Lecturer: Peter Wood
PROJECT~ DESCRIPTION
An important ritual of the human is the consumption of food in
the ritual is not overridden by the form itself. Each door through to
order to carry on being human. The prescribed nature of eating
the next space in the building is located at the point of where the
in order to survive has formed the basis of the food chain, where
spiral in the golden ratio meets the next perfect square, or room,
everything plays its part in helping another to survive.
so that people already have a mutual understanding of where the
Fish and humans are both part of the food chain, the latter having
passageway to the next part of the process begins. Following the
a more hierarchical position with the ability to cook and perform a
spiral through each room in plan and also in elevation as you move
ceremonial process of simply eating the former. Most humans as-
upwards into each next room through the hierarchical celebratory
sume the role of food consumption as a ritualistic ceremonial event
process and eventually into the park makes for a simple representa-
rather than just the need to eat in order to keep on living, unlike
tion of the process as a whole.
most other animals in the food chain. The extensive use of insitu concrete in the design of the Fishhaus The Fishhaus is a place to experience the ritual of fish consumption
enforces the simple nature of the fishing process while also refer-
first hand. The architecture of the building is designed to influence
encing the cold and dark flora dominated grittiness of the underwa-
the way that you transition through each of the three spaces in-
ter ocean floor.
volved in the process of consumption, representative of the spiralling movement that a fish (or human) would take on their journey
Light is an important aspect of the ocean environment, or a lack
into the Wellington harbour from the great South. Small circular
there of. Thin strips of glass along the edges of the roof in the fish
windows placed along the footpath on the street and in the park give
pool room illuminate the wall detailing without deterring from the
you a visual snapshot of the greater underwater world that the ocean
clear representation of the ocean environment. The central skylight
has to offer. As you look down through these windows you can see
in the preparation room highlights the important part of learning
fish swimming around, you’re left wondering what an underground
how a fish is prepared for consumption.
fish tank is doing in the middle of the city, and follow the path the into the entrance of the large concrete building.
A fish smoking box emits a beautiful smell that is allowed to waft up the stairway and into the park behind the building enticing pass-
As you enter the building, you then find yourself shin deep in the
ers by to come in and perform the ritual themselves. The smell is
pool with the fish, where you have to catch one with your bare
savored as you eat the fish in the park and reflect upon the process
hands. This process is representative of the ancient Antogo Cer-
you have just involved yourself in.
emony whereby local tribes gather around a diminishing pond in the dessert and catch all the remaining fish with their bare hands to
The Fishhaus is a building which allows humans to experience first
distribute throughout the community as food.
hand the hunter-gatherer nature of being a part of the food chain through a ritualistic exercise of consumption. I hope you’ve enjoyed
The architecture of the Fishhaus involves extensive use of the gold-
the journey...
en section creating simply perfect geometries for each space so that 7
Site / The site for the design proposal is located at number 61 Martin Square in Wellington, New Zealand. Coordinates / 41°17’51.7”S 174°46’36.5”E The spiral nature of travel in entering the Wellington Harbour influences the design layout of the Fishhaus in the way that people move through the building. The site is one of five which is proposed to be developed all centered around the ritual of food consumption, creating a precinct within the square. There is fantastic sunlight illuminating the site all day and a park which just opened behind to the back of the site which are both very influential factors of the design of the building.
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61 MARTIN~ SQUARE
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DRAWINGS~
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Site Analysis / Analysis of sunlight paths allows the building to be designed to take advantage of. The Fishhaus does not need much sunlight but it definitely needs extensive natural daylight to illuminate important aspects of each space. Plotting of nearby fishing spots shows access points for people to perform their own interpretation of the ritual.
Traffic Flows / Mapping foot traffic and vehicular traffic through and surrounding the site gives a clear representation of the ways that people move and how they can be influenced to enter the site. The majority of people moving past the site is through the park behind the site, so it makes sense to draw people into the building .
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Antogo Ceremony / The Antogo Ceremony occurs at a lake in Mali whereby the village people gather annually to participate in a fishing frenzy ceremony. The dry season in Mali makes the lake water to dry away and all the remaining fish in the lake are forced into a small pond. The locals surround the lake and when the leader sounds a gun, the men rush into the lake and catch as many fish as they can, putting them in handmade sacks until there is no more left. The ceremony ends and the fish is taken to the leader to distribute the fish evenly throughout the villages.
Overlay / An overly of all three of these drawings shows that a geometry can be found through the spiralling effect of the Wellington harbour, traffic movements around the site, and a representation of the movement in the Antogo Ceremony. The floorplan is derived by the golden ration formed.
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1.
2.
3.
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1.
2.
3.
Catch One /
Catch Two /
Catch Three /
The initial floorplan represents the ideas outlined in the
The rooftop gains a covering and fencing to create a safer
Details such as the reduction of footpath windows to
project description in a simple way but not yet developed
and more enjoyable environment to celebrate the ritualis-
create more mystery from passers by and reduce light
into a finalised layout. Experimentation of window place-
tic process. A pathway is created in the fish pool room for
inside, adding to the deep ocean aesthetic. The en-
ment along the facade and footpath is overemphasized
observers to stand on if they’re not performing the fish-
trance to the building is moved further down the al-
as is often in the design phase. Movement through the
ing ritual. What happens in the park space is explored,
leyway to allow for a smoother transition through
building is not as smooth of a process as intended to be
filling the gap with more park while also creating more
the spaces following the clear spiral path. This change
through following the golden ratio spiral. As you exit out
space for an exit of strategy from the building through
of path creates a zone along the perimeter walls of
onto the roof to eat, there is no exit from up there, so you
the cooking room. The exit process is still not refined as
the preparation room for people to watch people
have to come back down the stairs and through the build-
you have to come back down the stairs from the roof still.
gutting and preparing fish for the cooking process.
ing. The rooftop eatery is created as a space of celebration.
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Roof Plan / The roof space is a crucial component of the consumption of fish ritual. The pinnacle of the ritual is reached when you reach the rooftop and are allowed to celebrate the process you’ve just been through while being in an open airy environment starkly contrasted to that of the underwater component.
Building Sections / Two transverse sections of the building proposal outline the defined spaces and show occupancy. It is clear that the spaces get smaller as you take the journey through the fishing ritual and are then set free above to reflect and celebrate while surrounded by the beautiful smell of smoking fish.
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Plaster Model Experiment / Throughout the drawing phase of the assignment, I explored the idea of building the final model out of plaster. Though the result somewhat offered a realistic representation of the final built building, it did not have the desired aesthetic. Making the formwork out of plastic card allowed for the texture to be transferred into the set model itself, which was a look that I was going for, but the model lacked structural integrity. I decided that in order to achieve a realistic looking model with stronger walls, I needed to make the model with cement.
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EXPERI~ MENTAL MODEL
Plaster Model Experiment / This method of formwork did not work because as I poured more concrete into the walls, it sunk and lifted up the inner formwork, creating a base that was almost 2 inches thick, when it only needed to ne 8mm. In this initial model, I was not able to model Doors, windows or the changes in height within each room as there was not enough support for the internal formwork. This model was more about learning how to design the formwork for the final model.
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Plaster Model Experiment / The process of removing the formwork from the concrete test model reveals what looks like an earthquake site. Clips were added in the pouring process in a bid to ensure that the wall thicknesses all stayed the same. I faced a battle between pouring the cement down the walls between the formwork and pushing down the internal formwork so that all the walls stayed the same thickness, hence the cans of chopped tomatoes to try and hold them in place. Taking apart the formwork after the cement sets 24 hours after pouring is a satisfyingly therapeutic exercise as the concrete on the edges cracks off and the formwork falls away from the walls. The desired insitu formwork marks left on the walls is something that will carry on to the final model.
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MATERIAL~ ITY EXPERIMENT
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Mixture / Testing sand content. Cement:
40%
Sand:
60%
Colouring:
Concrete Mixture Experiment / Experimentation of the concrete mixture itself before pouring the
0%
final model is a crucial part of finding the right finish for the final model. Testing the structural integrity of the thin tile is relative to the complex nature of the wall thicknesses in the final model. Testing co-
Mixture /
lour allowed for a nicer tone of grey to be selected to better represent
Testing colour and
the underwater world of the ocean. Adding more sand does not make
aesthetic finish. Cement:
20%
the concrete too weak until you reach about the 90% sand mark. So
Sand:
70%
Colouring:
10%
finding the balance between rough edges from more sand and structural integrity was crucial. The desired mixture for the final model was chosen to be 40% cement and 60% sand. This mixture gave enough
Mixture /
grittiness to its form while also providing a nice tint of grey in itself.
Testing structural integrity of thickness. Cement:
50%
Sand:
50%
Colouring:
0%
Mixture / Testing sand effect on finish. Cement:
40%
Sand:
60%
Colouring:
0%
Mixture / Testing color with paint. Cement:
50%
Sand:
45%
Colouring:
5%
Mixture / Testing formwork direction. Cement:
50%
Sand:
50%
Colouring:
0%
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Window Aperture Experiment / This concrete tile is an experimentation of how light might travel through a window aperture and into the building. The idea is to have small openings along the edges of the roof of the model to act as windows which highlight the insitu texture of the walls but also not let too much light in, replicating the dark conditions of the deep ocean.
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FINAL MODEL PROCESS~
Final Model Process / The next few pages outline the process of constructing the formwork in which the final model was cast into. Above is an image of the ever-so-messy work space set up in my living room.
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Main Building Formwork / Modelling the walls of the building turned out to be very challenging on my mental capabilities in imagining the ‘void space’ in which when cast would be the walls. The same process of building the formwork with the intention of pouring the concrete upside down then flipping the final result up the right way applied, hence the confusion in the mirroring of the whole buildings’ floorplan compared to the drawings. Above are images of the main fish room setting in the formwork, and the two smaller rooms up the right way and then upside down to be poured. This upside down pouring allowed for more accuracy and structural integrity of the formwork aswel as the height differences in each room to be modelled.
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Ground Plane / The ground plane of the model is designed to fit into the lager site context model that our tutorial group as a whole contributed to so that we could easily fit all of our models onto the site. I designed the formwork for the ground plane so that it could be poured upside down for an even finish on top when flipped. The large section at the end is the park.
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Ground & Roof Formwork / The roof panels of the buildings are made in the same way that the ground plane is, upside down and then flipped when set. The left image shows the formwork just before pouring. The inserts are to allow for void spaces when the concrete sets ie for windows or skylights. The roof panels are only 8mm thick at 1:50 scale, so 400mm in real life.
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FINAL~ MODEL
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Final Model Imagery / Left / The final model constructed of concrete sits well in its site in Martin Square. The final form well represents the intentions of the drawing phase minus some detail, however the materiality side shines a perfect representation. Though one of the walls had broken in transit to university, the model still retains a strong rough ocean aesthetic. Right / Simple elements of the model are shown here including the front facade facing the street, the preparation room, and the cooking room from above showing the stairway up into the park. It turns out that stairs are very hard to model in concrete unless you’re prepared to spend at least 3 days making the formwork for them. Overall the model showcases the extreme simplicity of the building and its program through materiality, form and light.
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Fish Catching Room / Catching a fish with your bare hands is made easy in the shallow waters of the Fishhaus. People step off the side steps and into the water and proceed to catch a fish. This interior image of the model from the entrance looking into the catching room exhibits the strong materiality and subtle play on light through the thin skylights surrounding the room illuminating the insitu concrete walls and edges of the pool.
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Preparation Room / This interior image of the physical concrete model shows the preparation room of the Fishhaus which is designed around one table, looking from the entrance of the catching room. The table is illuminated by one central skylight from above to highlight the importance of the fish gutting and filleting preparation process. Other guests can stand around the walls and watch the fisherman at work. This room is smaller than the catching room and elevated 400mm higher to outline the progression towards the celebration of consuming the fish itself.
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C
B
FLOOR~ PLAN
C
A
B
A
Floorplan /
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The basic floorplan follows the golden ration geometry to great accuracy. The building is set back in the middle of the site to allow for a small courtyard out the front at road level, and for the park to be infilled out the back to bring passers by to the site. The floorplan is now mirrored compared to the drawings phase. This is because I mucked up in the modelling phase and confused the placement of the doors in the formwork for the wrong side of the building. Though this has no effect on the narrative of the building, the only downside is that sunlight does not light up the entrance way corridor like I would have wanted it to.
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1
2
3
SECTIONS~
Park
Road
Section AA /
Section BB /
Sections / The sections of the Fishhaus show in finer detail the relationships between each space in the building. You can clearly see Section CC /
the fish pool and how it travels under the footpath on the street so that people can peek in through the windows and see swim-
0m
1
2
ming fish. You can also see the skylight window placement on the
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roofs which allow only small amounts of light to enter the space.
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FINAL~ DIGITAL MODEL
1. View from Park /
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2. View from Park /
Fishhaus Imagery/ Digital representations of the building are exhibited on these pages showing the Fishhaus in context. The building nestles well into its site without being too obtrusive and subtly hints towards the ritual that happens inside. You can peer in through the small circular windows to see the catching pool from Martin Square, or the preparation table looking in from the park. The small corridor leads you down towards the entrance of the building where the beginning of the process begins.
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3. View from Martin Square /
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Concluding Designing architecture through drawing is a quality that my generation of architectural students are losing as we develop our skills in the 3D modelling world of the future. Drawing an entire assignment to design an architectural space has proven to be an important process in furthering my skills in sketching as a means of exploring architecture whilst creating art at the same time. I have also spent an entire weeks food budget on pens. I will never model my entire building out of concrete again* Modelling with concrete was a beautiful but also tedious material to work with. The final Fishhaus model has a realistic miniature nature and brutal grittiness to itself representing a scaled down version of what could be that it would not have if it was modelled in any other material. The biggest mistake that I made in the modelling process was to design and make the formwork myself, which meant that I did not have time and the mental capabilities to work out the detailing of the building designed in the drawing phase. The digital model was made in a bid to exhibit the detailing in which the physical model could have shown, providing a more realistic representation of the space in which the ritual of fish consumption is performed. Presenting in a portfolio allows me to showcase and reflect upon the design process as a whole, whilst completing the assignment as a whole design proposal.
*unless I lasercut the formwork
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Thank you.