ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO: EARTH S1, 2016 SUBJECT STUDENT BOOK Olivia Clare Goodliffe 722120 Scott Woods, Tutorial 12
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CONTENTS THREE RELATIONSHIPS .................................. 7 Point/Line/Plane .......................................... 8 Frame & Infill ................................................10 Mass ..............................................................12 HERRING ISLAND. SOMETHING LIKE A PAVILION .....................15 Site analysis ..................................................16 Conceptacle ...............................................18 Design Development ..................................20 Final Design drawings .................................22 Final Design Model ......................................24 REFLECTION ..................................................27 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................29
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THREE RELATIONSHIPS
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POINT / LINE / PLANE Dynamic equilibrium. The form of the design uses equilibrium to enter a state of fragile balance. Cantilevers and point supports are used to create a sense of delicacy yet stability and to suggest an element of magic. The geometrical essence of point, line, and plane is expressed with each part in their purest form. The composition plays with the solidity of the ground plane, contrasting the light, floating elements with the solidity and strength of the ground plane which is built up using plinths and stepping forms. There is a playfulness in the logic of layers of transparency and lightness above the ground plane and heaviness again above. The elements form a continuous composition where the distinction between inside and outside is blurred.
“For the Greek, Hemeroscopium is the place where the sun sets. An allusion to a place that exists only in our mind, in our senses, that is ever-changing and mutable, but is nonetheless real. It is delimited by the references of the horizon, by the physical limits, defined by light, and it happens in time.� - Ensamble Studio, 2008 In the Hemeroscopium House, Ensamble Studio plays a game with the placement of structures. Heavy monoliths are arranged in an apparently unstable balance. The composition provokes and plays with gravity and an element of lightness and transparency also manifests.
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MASS Mass Tension. Void. Movement of mass. The aim was to be ambiguous and provoke a range of responses. When introducing the third dimension of movement, I thought about the representation of time. Movement of the earth’s mass is constant, it occurs gradually and slowly over a long time, however the section could also be a snapshot of an intense moment of seismic movement. The idea of violent movement brought up a more literal response related to seismic movement of the earth and the separation of the small fragments that make up mass. It has an element of heat. Graphically it is somewhat contained, yet not. It can be literal or diagrammatic. Like Palazuelo’s work it can be observed in different scales. It could be taken more architecturally as a long section that has been broken up and continued below. Passive voids are created by movement of mass rather than removal. It represents perception of space in mass, feeling the mass from within the voids. The darkness it heavy. It is atmospheric, lacks stability and evokes feelings from fragility to uneasiness to fear.
Pablo Palazuelo’s artworks explore the nature of form and mass. His work is representative of abstract geometric forms found in nature and the conflict, force and rhythm between these elements to make up mass. It is about the moment of the formation of a relationship in mass. The tight linear passageways and vast openings encouraged me to feel and think about ideas of claustrophobia and release and the qualities of space within mass.
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Frame and infill MASS Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes are thin shell structures where the frame is in structural stress and tension. Triangles are created with the overlapping circles. I was interested in the patterning of the geometric elements. My design was created by taking away the symmetry and system of the dome by unfolding the structure to create something more abstract. The composition defies gravity, seeming like it should topple over. I wanted to play with the typical hierarchy of frame and infill architecture where the frame is the structural element and infill is the supported element. The frame still supports the infill but in different places than the typical structure would. Each of the infill elements can fit into their frame but there are only two points of connection, rather than three, allowing for movement. It is as if someone had flicked the infill elements or the wind has made them spin out of place. The infill is no longer the element of closure separating the inner and outer space. This design has strong potential to work on Herring Island. The infill elements could spin from closed to open to be adjustable for weather and other uses.
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HERRING ISLAND. SOMETHING LIKE A PAVILION
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site analysis MASS An island is an escape. It has a sense of isolation. Herring island was previously a basalt quarry. It was formed by man, being cut off from the rest of the land to reduce the likelihood of flooding. The island offers a different perspective of the Yarra River. During my first experience of the island I focused on a number of areas. I wanted to analyse the topography and look for the steepest terrain. I thought about the underground and potential for secrets, questioning what is below the island. I focused on the paths, where is access restricted, what areas provoke exploration and what areas do not, such as log placement that guides movement. A reflection of my findings and experience and a second visit to Herring Island narrowed my focus of the site analysis to exploring how the island is experienced from off the island. How is the island experienced by a person who doesn’t know it exists? Or as someone travelling along its perimeter from across the water? I analysed the activities taking place around the island and how they relate to the island. It can be experienced as a rock climber under the freeway, but not as a person on the cricket oval. It is experienced by pedestrians and cyclists, but not by vehicles on the freeway. I also observed the locations where man made elements such as artworks, picnic shelters and buildings be seen from off the island to suggest it can be accessed and used by humans and is not just a habitat for wildlife. The main question was if one can tell that it is an island, from off the island? Although I have passed Herring Island many times in my life, I never knew it existed. Observing the island from the areas around, I found a number of suggestions but no confirmation that it is an island. The movement of vehicles disappearing behind the island, and the landing docks for boats are suggestive that it is an island. It is possible that a complete view and confirmation of the island could be achieved from the houses on the hill but from the unknowing eye, the fact that Herring Island is an island, is a secret.
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CONCEPTACLE MASS My conceptacle aims to unite my previous designs while acknowledging that they are three visually distinct elements. In this diagrammatic composition the triangle is the uniting device, bringing coherence to the differing components. There is a sense of the identity of each of the elements and how they may or may not relate. The identity of each element is expressed on the face of a triangular prism, which is a representation of the ground plane. A relationship to the ground plane manifests on each face. The point line plane is embedded, the mass is below and the frame and infill is floating above. The layout also explores the relationships between the three elements. From above, all three can relate, from an angle two can relate, and from straight on only one is experienced. Black is not a colour. White is every colour. Red has certain associations. But black is whatever the audience interprets it.
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MASS
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PLAN 1.5M N
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FINAL DESIGN MASS People pass by Herring Island every day not even knowing of its existence. In my site analysis I explored how the island is experienced from off the island, and how it was artificially created. In my design a slice has been taken from the island to create a deep void. The delicate but accurate surgical cut is a representation of the island as created by man. The slice is indefinite, incomplete. It also symbolises the split and separation that is the identity of the island, as from off the island it is impossible to tell that it is one. The void reveals the secret that the site is an island. Looking into the void creates an experience and feeling of depth, mass, claustrophobia, darkness and secrecy. A void is nothingness manifested. We are looking into the unknown, into a secret. The slice constructs an artificial, geometric lagoon, at the bottom of which lies a time capsule. The plinth-like structure that grounds the design contains a recreation room, bathroom and storage. The delicate slice taken out of the monolith links to how a secret can cause fragility and uncertainty in something solid and sure. In my conceptacle design I used a pyramid to diagrammatically represent the visually distinct difference of my point line plane, mass and frame and infill designs, and to explore the relationships between the three. I have used the pyramid as a precedent for my pavilion design. Pyramids are full of secrets. Secrets are hidden in a solid mass, only explored as a singular experience through tight passageways and chambers.
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MASS FINAL DESIGN In my design, an inversion of mass and void reveals the secrets. The monolithic chambers and passageways form a geometric and sculptural arrangement of floating, cantilevering elements, which are accessed by ladders and bridges. It is an experience of searching for and discovering secrets. The passageways each have transparent side to create lookouts and frame different views of the island, and expose the identity of Herring Island as an island, which cant be realised from the streets. The playground-like tight passageways and nests in the canopy are likely to be identified by children as secret spaces. The passage cantilevered over the void has a transparent floor to experience the void from another perspective as suspended above. Â The singular experience above ground contrasts with the sheltered social gathering place on ground outside the recreation room. This space is open and adaptable, allowing program to evolve for the desire of its users. Â The frame covering the structure reveals or conceals the architecture. The infill triangles can be programmed to different modes (functional, strategic and natural) and a technical room housing the controls is located in one of the floating structures. In the functional mode the frame is a shield to shade, suppress sound and shelter from wind and rain. They can also be used for strategic purposes to reveal or conceal the whole of, or elements of the architecture. In the natural mode, the infill elements respond to nature. They move with the wind, like whispered secrets travelling and echoing. Nature changes the external form, creating a relationship between nature and the architecture. Â The flow of the lush grass and trees and the delicacy in the unravelled geodesic dome, contrasts with the modular, monolithic structures. The design recognises a presence of both the landscape and the architecture and there is a balance between strength and translucency.
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REFLECTION Before Studio Earth, I thought that architecture only existed in the design of buildings. When designing buildings, I was taking inspiration only from buildings. Throughout this studio I have learnt that design inspiration taken from abstract ideas, such as artworks, is more valuable. I have learnt that architecture is art. I began with quite a narrow mind in design thinking but now I have the tools to think differently and to take different approaches to design tasks. Through experimentation throughout the semester, I have learnt and developed my model making skills immensely. I have moved from restricting myself to balsa wood, toothpicks and foam core, to being highly experimental in the use of materials. I have experimented with expanding foam filler, concrete, floral foam, mesh, and have learnt how to solder wire. I have realised how different materials can help achieve different textures and forms that wouldn’t otherwise have been achieved. I believe I still have a way to go in developing my drafting and drawing skills to represent my design and successfully convey it to an audience. The initial drawings for my final design were in a sketchy, humanistic style that wasn’t in line with my concept. I developed these into computer drawings which I think improves the representation of my design with clean lines and geometric shapes. I think that my final model is strong and successful due to my improvement in model making skills and ambitions. I see direction for my future learning past Studio Earth. I believe that I can still develop my design thinking in applying abstract ideas to real life situations. I intend to work on thinking about how abstract designs can be experienced and designed to suit real situations and fit necessary practical elements. The next step is to learn how to think about spaces being used and experienced by people. Studio Earth has been highly valuable in pushing my design thinking beyond its previous boundaries to places of great ambition.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Arch Daily 2011, Hemeroscopium House / Ensamble Studio, viewed 16 March 2016, <http://www.archdaily.com/16598/ hemeroscopium-house-ensamble-studio>. Buckminster Fuller 1954, Geodesic Dome, photograph, Whitney Wood, viewed 9 April 2016, <http://www.decoist. com/2014-01-21/modern-geodesic-dome-homes/>. Ensamble Studio 2008, Hemeroscopium House, photograph, Arch Daily, viewed 16 March 2016, <http://www.archdaily. com/16598/hemeroscopium-house-ensamble-studio>. Pablo Palazuelo 1955, Solitudes, canvas painting, Alchetron, viewed 23 March 2016, <http://alchetron.com/ loginGuest?displayName=Pablo-Palazuelo&module=T&id=1 040170&userId=5ea55fe45c52ae00aba045a480e9762c&acc ordionTabId=1&fromSearch=N&visibility=WORLD>.
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