1669580 | 2015
Michael List Representation II Portfolio
Contents 01 - Window Design: Skylights 02 - Window Design: Screens 03 04 - Jameson Tea House 05 - Perspectives 06 - Floor Plan + Site Plan 07 - Elevations 08 - Sections 09 - Exploded View 10 - Construction Details 11 - Initial Concept Sketches 12 - Initial Concept Sketches 13 14 - Jameson Tea House + Design Intervention 15 - Final Concept Sketches 16 - Exploded Detail: Wall Construction 17 - Perspective Views 18 - Site Plan 19 - Elevations 20 - Sections 21 - Exploded View 22 - Construction Details
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Window Design: Skylights
In vernacular Chinese architecture it is a common feature to incorporate a sky-well into the centre of a structure. Sky-wells themselves do not reference a particular spiritual meaning to the Chinese; who choose to reflect their belief systems in the materials and methods of construction as opposed to particular functional elements. Depending on a structure’s scale sky-wells can be a simple opening into the centre of a building or be placed above an internal courtyard with windowed walls placed adjacent. However almost always the sky-well marks the intersection between different areas of the house, commonly a distinction of private and public space. Chinese vernacular architecture typically created relatively small dwellings backed close together. The sky-well then provides a vital role of allowing light to enter the centre of a structure in addition to permitting hot air to rise out, drawing cool air in. Michael List | 1669580 | 01
Window Design: Screens Vernacular Islamic architecture heavily incorporates symbology and ideas of it’s faith into many components of it’s architectural style, including window design. Additionally, these components also carry a functionality that works symbiotically with their religious meaning. Pattern screens are commonly used to restrict the amount of the bright Arabic sunlight entering a structure whilst allowing a consistent airflow. Both the pattern screens and the shadows they create symbolise the infinite nature of Allah. This idea can also be seen with the intricate geometries of mosaic patterns also found in Islamic architecture.
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Jameson Tea House Constructed from bronze and glass, the Jameson Tea House is located in a back garden of a suburban home. The design references a Japanese Lantern - being suspended off the ground and each wall being made from glass.
PERSPECTIVE VIEW
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CD2 10
S2 8
FLOOR PLAN 1:50
S1 8
S2 8
S1 8
SITE PLAN 1:100
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CD1 10
EAST ELEVATION 1:50
SOUTH ELEVATION 1:50
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SECTION 1 1:50
SECTION 2 1:50
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steel support
EXPLODED VIEW 1 STEPS
roof
glazing
door timber window frame
door
EXPLODED VIEW 2 STRUCTURE
base
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CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 1 Window Junction 1:10
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 2 Cross Section Window 1:10
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 4 Steel Cross Support 1:40 CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 3 Steel Support 1:20
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One key point Tanizaki explores in ‘In Praise of Shadows’ is the contrast in perception between ideologies relating to light and dark. This was my primary concept to explore in a design alteration to the Jameson tea house. My initial goal was to design a space that differed in purpose and form to the existing structure. This juxtaposition was meant to reflect the interplay of light and shadow.
The existing tea house has complete glass walls and is suspended off the ground, emphasising an airiness and delicacy to the structure. This can relate to the ritualistic and meditative nature of the tea ceremony taken in the tea house. It is also a fundamentally extroverted space, as several people are involved in the tea ceremony and there is no privacy from the rest of the back garden.
It was then thought that my addition could contradict these components, and be a private space. Because of these parameters a Japanese bath would suit the space well.
DESIGN INTERVENTION INITIAL CONCEPT SKETCHES
Ground Level
The bath itself is partially sunken into the ground to contradict the suspended tea house.
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INITIAL CONCEPT
Surrounding the bath with be a curved, sculptural screening wall. This will provide privacy for the bathing area in addition to creating dramatic shadows and projections. It will also guide people towards the bathing and tea house area, utilising the existing path to the tea house.
A vertically sliding shoji-esque screen is attached to the southern end of the tea house’s support structure. This divides the bathing space from the tea house while allowing light to diffract into both areas.
The sculptural screen wall curves down to reveal the suspended tea house.
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Jameson Tea House + design intervention In further stages of the design process it became clear that the intention of the design intervention was to reflect three separate layers of understanding behind light and shadow. These are the western (and perhaps typical) views of light and dark, Tanizaki’s opinion proposed in ‘In Praise of Shadows’ and my own personal interpretation.
Western Ideals
The western understanding of light and dark typically compares the two as a dichotomy - where light symbolises pureness and knowledge and dark symbolises sinfulness and evil. As the Jameson tea house is suspended and transparent it symbolised light in the western interpretation of the design. A sculptural screen wall wraps around the back of the tea house, allowing it to be viewed from the backyard, before encircling a bathing area. This wall rises to hide the bathing area from the backyard, thus making it an antithetical space to the tea house to reflect darkness in this western interpretation. Programmatically the activities of these spaces juxtapose as well - as the tea ceremony is a ordered, social event whereas bathing is private and unstructured.
Tanizaki’s Views
In ‘In Praise of Shadows’ Tanizaki discusses the beauty of many objects and spaces when illuminate in dim light or when long, dramatic shadows are cast. This alludes to an understanding that light and shadow can be complementary - and both contribute to the appreciation of a physical space or object. While the curved, sculptural form of the screen wall contrasts against the orthonormal and utilitarian features of the tea house, it frames it in the context of the backyard and provides logical entry and exit points. This symbolises the complementary ideals of light and shadow in the Tanizaki interpretation of the design intervention.
As the screen wall is curved, varies in height and includes small openings it is intended that the shadow patterns vary dramatical from hour to hour, day to day. This is especial prevalent in the bathing area where the wall is its highest.
My Personal Interpretation
My personal opinion of light and shadows is that they are two components in a broad spectrum of visual information used to interpret space and form. This spectrum also includes physical form, texture, reflectivity, transparency, light intensity, frequency, source points among many others. In this interpretation the sculptural wall symbolises this spectrum as it continually rises and is made from many individual components. It’s deliberate positioning, curving behind the tea house and in front of the bathing area, infer the tea house is symbolised as light and bathing area as shadow. The mid point of the wall is left open as the passage between tea house and bathing area in addition to symbolising the mid point of this spectrum.
DESIGN INTERVENTION FINAL CONCEPT
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The sculptural screen wall is made out individual pyramid shaped wooden components.
5 Pyramids are used to make a hexagonal component - with three facing down and two facing up. Note the top right pyramid is left out to allow light to pass through the wall.
These hexagonal components tessellate together to create the wall.
The wall is shaped as a triangle - with the low end located by the entry pathway.
The wall is then curved around the tea house and Japanese bath. Entrance ways to the bath and tea house are cut out of the wall.
EXPLODED DETAIL SCULPTURAL WALL ASSEMBLY
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view from house
view from behind
view from entry
PERSPECTIVE VIEWS
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S4 20
S3 20
S3 20
S4 20
CD6 22
SITE PLAN 1:100 Note: Floor plan of tea house remains unchanged
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EAST ELEVATION 1:100
NORTH ELEVATION 1:100
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CD8 22
SECTION 3 1:100
SECTION 4 1:100
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steel support
tea house
sculptural wall
Japanese bath
EXPLODED VIEW 3 STRUCTURE + WALL
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700 mm 150 mm
100 mm
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 5 Timber Hexagonal Wall Component 1:10
Psuedo-random rise of wall
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 6 Steps to Tea House 1:30
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 7 Sculptural Wall Detail 1:30 water level heating apparatus seat ground level
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 8 Japanese Bath 1:40 Michael List | 1669580 | 22