Interior Design Unit 4 OMAR KHAN
The theme of this project is Truth, fantasy or fiction. These themes are very vague and can have many literal and symbolic meanings. I have started to look into what could theme could be implying and generated with starting points that I think could be possible topics to subject within the exam project.
definitions and interpretations Truth - ―Truth is that which conforms to
Fantasy - ―The faculty or activity of imagining
reality, fact, or actuality." The definition is open to interpretation and a wide variety of applications. What is reality ? What is fact ? What is actuality ? How does perception affect truth ? Fiction - ―literature in the form of prose, especially novels, that describes imaginary events and people.‖ Fiction is created through the imagination of its author; artist. The artist invents the story, characters, storyline, even the setting. A fictional work does not claim any truth, it immerses us in experiences that we may never have in real life and can very much relate to fantasy.
impossible or improbable things. ‖ Fantasy is the literature of the impossible‖ In a sense fantasy is strongly related to our imagination and what we perhaps want to perceive or wish to be realistic. It consists of surrealism and is often depicted in a positive manner.
KEY LOCATIONS RIVER THAMES
POTTERS FIELD PARK
THE SCOOP
MORE LONDON ESTATES
CITY HALL
Self made drawingPhotoshop & Free hand
LONDON BRIDGE
Brief The Scoop is an outdoor amphitheatre situated on the south side of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in London, located underneath City Hall, providing seating for approximately 800 people. Designed by Townshend Landscape Architects, it is a venue used during the summer to show films, musical performances and theatre. At the moment The Scoop is used as a performance venue, after hitting its heights in 2008 the venue has had a significant decline and after a consultation between City of London council and Boris Johnson, it has come to the conclusion a regeneration of this space is needed. Project Outline : The client has given the brief to regenerate a once popular site, it should be both be unique and have character which suitably evolve with the ever changing city.
The regenerating of landscapes are a popular desire, in cases where a space may have once been a prominent destination but however with the evolution of our society it has not stayed accustomed to the desires of its users and thus a redevelopment is needed. With the redevelopment of a space, the original values must be regarded as this holds the relationship between the space and its users. The Scoop is still an iconic landmark for many people and in this project I aim to obtain their relationship with the space despite this renovation.
Performance Respite
Meeting
Gathering
In this project, I have been asked by my client to create a unique space with character and have chosen to design a Pavilion. In the context of architecture, a pavilion has two primary meanings. It can refer to a freestanding structure sited a short distance from a main residence, or within a compound, typically whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. I will be ……………………….
Social
Tourism Viewing platform
PURPOSE
POTENTIAL USERS
CLIENT
Primary Research Visual Inspiration Space & Flight Science Museum As Part of my research I had taken it upon my self to collect some visual inspiration, therefore I had chosen to visit the Science Museum. During my visit I had seen various objects related to science. However it was my exploration in the Space and Flight area Where I was most intrigued and thus photographed several items.
Primary Research Sketched responses
In response to my images photographed in the science museum, I have crated a series of drawings in from which I have gained an understanding in the functionality and creativity in the design of each item. I would like to bear in mind these shapes and styles in the process of my design, as I feel it may benefit me in creating my structure.
Research Swoosh Pavilion
The Swoosh Pavilion was a project completed by Second and third year architecture students at the Architectural Association school in London as part of an annual project. The structure is located outside the Architectural Association in Bedford Square. It very much indicates the culture and teachings of the institution. For the students who conceive, design and construct the pavilion it‘s a phenomenological exercise, going from idea to design and finally realization. I chose to study this structure as part of my research, as I felt it was necessary to gain an understanding in a similar project to mine. I was drawn to the structure through its dynamic timber structure. The aesthetically forceful structure attracts attention, and distinguishes itself from a rather mundane environment. The swirling, 60m-wide pavilion wraps itself around a sturdy lamppost and skirts the pavement providing enclosure for Bedford Square‘s central green. It is made of 653 pieces of timber and consists of vertical curving columns — connected by hundreds of short beams — spiralling out from a central fulcrum. While the centre is dense and enclosed, the tails of the spiral taper out to become benches.
It seems interactive, and function able for various short term activities such as sitting, having lunch, meeting with someone. There is a consistent fluidity which makes the form intriguing, As for the form, fluidity was the driving factor. ―The main goal was to create a sense of flow the connection of the vertical grids create a sense of cohesion. Creativity is evident as the sun can illuminate itself through the lattice creates a shadow of the 2D pattern which can greatly influence a users relationship with the structure. Following my analysis of the structure I have drawn elevations and used Illustrator to create several of my own designs, initially I focused on a tessellating style which tapered. The initial design was similar to the swoosh pavilion in order understand how the form works and develops, later I varied the style creating a more symmetrical effect. This could work as exterior forms, or perhaps landscape architecture.
Elevation Drawings and Experimentation with the formation of the structure
Model
Initial idea based on primary photography of plane wings, Idea created as concept considering circulation of users
This is the first model I have created, and it has come from my research into the swoosh pavilion as well as some inspiration from the primary images I had taken at the Science museum, My initial consideration was the circulation of the users within the space. I had noticed how the wing of a plane had featured the alignment of lines and this motion seemed to exemplify what I was considering. I created an initial idea based on the photograph giving it a more architectural style. Then I had taken the created a varied, tessellating styled concept inspire by the swoosh pavilion. This concept was developed into a more polygonal from which I preferred and felt was better in regards to my design.
Crated a tessellating form similar to research of swoosh pavilion
Crated a polygonal design, consisting of triangles, parallelograms etc.
Current wave of circulation: Vigorous, Sharp
Preferred flow of movement: Gentle, curved
Possible plan view following analysis of current design
Alternative style Model
In this second model, I chose to go on a different path to my initial model. In this model I created a structure which is more enclosed and has this sense of enclosure provided by the exterior form. In contrast to the initial model, this is not as lengthy, the previous model felt like more of a walking path or tunnel like due to its extensive length. I feel like this structure is more surrounding to a central space which will be the performance space. The scale of this model needs to be larger and the space needs to accommodate people need to be able to view the performance. The style works well, as It looks quite articulate however due to the small scale it may be quite claustrophobic when filled with people.
Initial / Rough understanding of Floor Plan
Research
Robotically Fabricated Pavilion, Stuttgart
This pavilion is entirely robotically fabricated, from materials such as glass and carbon fiber composites and it experiments with what can be made possible in the future investigating the eventual corelation between bio-mimetic design strategies and new processes of robotic production. The composite construction is rooted in morphological principles of arthropods‘ exoskeletons. The fiber orientation, arrangement and associated layer thickness and stiffness gradients in the exoskeleton are inspired by that of a lobster hence its current given title. were carefully investigated and the high efficiency and functional variation of the cuticle is due to a specific combination of exo-skeletal form and fiber orientation.
Elevation – to understand basic style/shape of design
Alternative plan views/ potential ideas
Structural form for my own design
Continuing Carbon Fibre Pavilion Research After my initial research into robotically fabricated structures I chose to continue with my study in order to develop my understanding as well as inspiration for my own design. This pavilion designed as a robotically woven carbon-fibre structure based on the lightweight shell encasing the wings and abdomen of a beetle is the second structure revealed this week from the team of architects and engineers at the University of Stuttgart. The design is a success as it a unique architectural expression and spatial experience, it is also extremely lightweight and efficient in its use of resources. The stitching style is formed by a robotic winding method which was developed to fabricate each of the fibrous modules. I am particularly interested in the look of this so called ‗winding; style as it offers a great visual pleasure and integrity as well as its positive compromise with the use of resources. Winding forms created with Photoshop
Experiment Fabricating Structures
After researching robotically fabricated structures, I wanted to experiment with literally ‗Fabric‘ and therefore I had taken Weeding fabric and some nails with which I created the model above. As a concept this model is quite interesting, however I chose to disregard this Idea as I could not visualise in working the
Model After researching robotically fabricated structures, I wanted to experiment with literally ‗Fabric‘ and therefore I had taken Weeding fabric and some nails with which I created the model above. As a concept this model is quite interesting, however I chose to disregard this Idea as I could not visualise in working the way I need it to for my client. Also as it was my first time using this material, I was not fully able to create the ideas I could visualise in my head, I would now like experiment with an alternative material which displays similar form to the robotically fabricated structures. Perhaps something cagey, wire or mod mesh.
Artist Research I.M.Pei Louvre Pyramid
Ieoh Ming Pei was born in China in 1917. At age 17 he came to the United States to study architecture, and received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from MIT in 1940. Upon graduation he was awarded the Alpha Rho Chi Medal, the MIT Traveling Fellowship, and the AIA Gold Medal. His most charismatic work, though, was commissioned far from America. Twenty years ago, Pei unveiled two of his finest buildings: the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the underground lobbies of the Louvre in Paris capped with his famous pyramid. The tower is one of the most exciting and elegant of all recent skyscrapers. Intended as a symbol of the new, ultra-capitalist People's Republic, the building was a special one for the architect. His father had worked for the Bank of China long before it was taken into state control, while Pei, educated by Christian missionaries at Shanghai's St John's Middle School, had long sided with Chinese nationalists rather than Mao's communists. Shortly before the opening of the tower, Pei wrote a powerful editorial for the New York Times condemning the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, which he saw as a sign that the image China wanted to project to the world – partly through his cool, modern tower – was drastically out of step with the reality of life for the country's people. Yet the tower, with its beautifully expressed, zig-zagging steel frame, rises out of the density of Hong Kong with a confidence and elegance that places it above the brutal nature of politics. It was the island's tallest building when it opened in 1990, and it still ranks among the finest additions to the city, a majestic peak in an urban mountain range.
Sketches
Research
Denmark Pavilion, Shanghai Expo
For my second research study I have chosen to look into the Denmark Pavilion, Shanghai Expo. The pavilion is designed as a traffic loop created by the motion of city bikes and pedestrians tied in a knot. Over 300 free city bikes located upon the roofs cape, offer the visitors a chance to experience the Danish urban lifestyle which includes biking everywhere. The loops are connected in two places. Coming from the inside, the visitors can move out onto the roof, pick up a bike and re‐visit the exhibition by bike as the outdoor cycle path slips into the interior and runs along the entire exhibition before exiting onto the EXPO grounds. The sequence of events at the exhibition takes place between two parallel facades – the internal and external. The internal is closed and contains different functions of the pavilion. The width varies and is defined by the programs of the inner space. The pavilion‘s external façade is made of perforated steel. In the evening time, the façade becomes a sequenced instrument of interactive light illuminating the passers‐by which is a significant factor which can improve the visual pleasure and opinion of people viewing this and it is something I would consider to carry forward into my own design. .
Exploration Looping shapes & Forms Following my research into the Denmark Pavilion, I wanted to focus on the form of the structure. I was particularly impressed on its looping form which allows users to circulate around the spacious place whilst viewing a central space as they move. This particular concept intrigued me, and therefore I chose to explore this idea of looping shapes and forms. Using ArchiCAD I created several plans, I have selected four plans which I believe suit the style I look for as well as being compatible with my specification. Later I chose one plan to develop into a 3d model, and the developed this and created an elevation.
Initial ArchiCAD plans
Initial ArchiCAD 3D Models
Developed concept elevation
Experimenting with light
After discovering this element in the Denmark Pavilion, I felt the need to experiment with this and try it myself. Therefore I created this polygonal form purely for the purpose of understanding how to employ this design aesthetic. Once I created the form, I had carefully cut different shapes and sized sections from the material, through which I then allowed natural sunlight to flow through. The placement o the structure was key, as it determined the amount of light coming through and the technique actually working. Once I managed to position the structure and allow the natural sunlight to fully flow through I was able to visualise how this could work in my own design. It could be used primarily to illuminate the space inside for the users creating visually appealing mosaic like shapes to create an interactive atmosphere for the users. Or alternatively it can be used to almost ‗spotlight‘ the performance taking place and highlight it as a central figure to allow the viewers to focus and clearly view what is happening on stage. In order to ensure tis fully works, the amount of interior light must be minimal, preferably a dark space must be created.
Artist Research Enterprise-Architects Cloud Castle Concert Hall
Stage
Potential shapes for stage (plan views)
Potential shapes for stage (plan views) Rounded stage