contents page + in class exercise- model making
assessement 1 + esquisse 1 - fill + esquisse 2 - cut + esquisse 3 - cut & fill > modification of esquisse 3 + esquisse 4 - ramps on slope > modification of esquisse 4 + esquisse 5 - water retention & mounding
assessement 2 + refined design intervention + individual reflection
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esquisse 1 - fill To allow a commanding view for the Farnsworth house we created a steep slope by fill. the house overhangs and oversees the entire site. Also as the original location of the farnsworth floods, by elevating the platform for the house would prevent flooding from happening. vegetation planting will be on the slope in order to retain the soil and a plus for aesthetic purposes. in this esquisse, we learnt how to add contours to fill the site. the proposed contours have to be in continuous lines on a grading plan, while dotted lines represent existing contour lines. Although we managed to achieve what we wanted, we were a little ‘timid’ in terms of design.
fill
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precedents GRADING BY FILL - CREATING A PLATFORM To bring levels up to an acceptable grade
ECOLOGICALa sloping platform for vegetation to prevent erosion
FARNSWORTH HOUSE DURING FLOODING CONDITIONS As chosen site is near river, considerations were taken to prevent a similar situation where the house gets flooded with water during heavy rainfall periods.
COMMANDING VIEW To achieve something similar where the farnsworth would have a commanding view of the site. Gives a feeling that house is “suspended” in the air.
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fill
A A
site contour plan Not to Scale
fill
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section a-a Not to Scale
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fill
model photos
fill
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model photos
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fill
esquisse 2 - cut in this esquisse, cutting the soil of the slope and building terraced walls to prevent soil erosion which also acts as a planter for plantation and it acts like a backdrop for the house. Aesthetically, it looks nice to have a huge planter wall as a backdrop, however, the cut was too much. In terms of the environment, such huge cut is wastage and thus, not good in terms of sustainability. we should consider cutting less to accomodate our design, however we did now know how to approach this as the height difference was 12m which is hard to deal with.
cut
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precedents
CUTTING GRADES TO CREATE TERRACES Terraces were cut through grading like planter boxes to grow vegetation on it.
CUTTING GRADES TO CREATE TERRACES Terraces were cut through grading like planter boxes to
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cut
site contour plan not to scale
cut
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section a - a not to scale
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cut
model photos
cut
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model photos
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cut
esquisse 3 - cut & fill in this esquisse, we learnt that cut and fill is a great strategy to aim for a sustainable environment. in this cut and fill exercise, besides fulfilling an envionmental intent, we also focused on the experience for the users through the landscape. the transitions between an open space to the closed up tunnel and finally moving out from the tunnel to the house. this was our most daring design, we wanted to try something different, thus looked at digging underground and creating mounds. having to model this esquisse in 3ds max was a challenge since we only learnt this in wHowever, we managed to produce some simple renders in 3dsmax.
cut cut & fill
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CREATING INNOVATIVE CIRCULATION Cutting through the land for spatial exploration and unique views. Also creates a focal point when looking from afar
GRADING BY FILL - CREATING LANDFORMS To bring levels up to an acceptable grade for greater functionalties. Adopted idea of having house within lowest ground, Surrounded by hills and slopes
LAND CUT TO FIT HOUSE WITHIN Looking at unique cut of landforms instead of cutting a typical platform.
TUNNELS WITHIN SLOPES AND MOUNds Adopted the idea of creating tunels through mounts and slopes. However ours would be a ramp-tunnel.
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cut fill
&
site contour plan not to scale cut cut & fill
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perspective renders
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cut fill
&
SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE RENDER
cut cut & fill
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modification cut & fill
- esq 3
through this modification, an additional mound was included for a more dramatic landform in the landscape. this way, exisitng contours do not have to be modified too much. This was a better approach as it did not have much wastage.
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cut fill
&
site contour plan
cut cut & fill
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section a-a
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cut fill
&
esquisse 4 - grading Through this esquisse, we came to understand how the difference in slope percentages/ratios would determine the kind of activities that can take place. Areas which are less steep than others would usually cater to relaxing, lying, sitting, walking, all-purpose activity. However steeper ones such as slopes more than 30% are usually considered extreme for sporting activities or for spiritual enlightenment reasons. We adopted grading slopes between 9-30% for areas where we would like people to rest, relax and enjoy the site’s views. we also learnt that with grading, a platform is required at certain intervals. An interactive reflective pool was also included to attract people to those areas for social interaction to occur. we found diagrams useful to convey our ideas clearly in terms of usage of the different grading slopes.
GRADING
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CREATING INTERACTION To make maximum usage of the large piece of fairly flat land on our chosen site, we decided to create a space for interaction. We found this precedent very relevant, as a substitution for a point of interaction. Users can enjoy having a feel of water, as though they are able to play in the river, yet provides a safe environment by keeping them from playing in the actual river.
SURROUNDED BY GREENERY The Governor’s House in Melbourne similar to our fill project, positions the house on higher ground. It’s surrounding greenery has been designed to slowly reveal and hide the building as one approaches it. This creates a dramatic focal point.
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GRADING
USAGE DIAGRAMS
SURROUNDED BY GREENERY
GRADING TO ALLOW MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS
GRADING
INTERACTIVE SHALLOW POOL
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OVERALL USAGE OF SITE
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GRADING
A
A
site contour plan not to scale
GRADING
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SECTION A-A THROUGH SITE WITH EXCESS PATH not to scale
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GRADING
modification - esq 4 GRADING Previously, we had the interactive reflective pool, however it has been removed as we would like to focus more on grading itself. Sections were taken across the several few different grading slopes that was adopted on our site. they now show the activities that could possibly take place at specific areas. This method was more effective in showing the use of differing slopes.
GRADING
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B
A
C
A
B
C PLAN PROPOSAL not to scale
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GRADING
SECTION A-A not to scale
GRADING
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SECTION B-B not to scale
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GRADING
SECTION C-C not to scale
GRADING
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esquisse 5 - water retention & mounding We learnt that water retention is essential for residential sites as they help to prevent flooding and downstream erosion. Additionally, they aid in improving the quality of water in nearby water bodies. having our site situated along a river, this was necessary. if water is not drained properly, it will have an underground water table which will cause differential movement in the soils. With our design, to ensure that we did not waste the retention pond area, we decided to make it accessible to people. Thus, it was designed to have a wire mesh placed over the pond, allowing both water and people to use the space. to add a little fun into our project, a giraffe was added that functions as a water meter, indicating water levels. additionally the intention was for it to educate users on how the retention pond works. in case of overflow, an overflow tank exists.
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WATER
WATER
CREATING LANDFORMS Acts as a resting, viewing platform and directing water flow into the retention pool
SOCIAL INTERATION SPACES & WATER RETENTION AREA Roombeek the Brook- allows social activities and resting places for people to relax and enjoy around the water body.
DEALING WITH FLOODING Acts as a resting, viewing platform, When it floods they will be covered up. During months with less rainfall, they will be available for resting areas.
CIRCULATION Our main circulation is visioned to be big for more activities to take place. For e.g. stolling, cycling, roller blading
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AS EASY AS ABC! (our three steps to approach this) ACTIVE
Creating landforms which increase the opportunities of different types of activities to happen
BEAUTIFUL
Beautifying our environment with flora & giving the users the best views
CLEAN
Ensure that the water on site is clean, properly drained and safe to use, play
waterflow diagram
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WATER
A
A Prosped plan not to scale
WATER
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section aa not to scale
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WATER
perspective
WATER
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refined design intervention We chose one to develop on for our final project and that was esquisse 3- cut & fill. it was the most daring and interesting project out of all 5 esquisses and we believed it would be good to spend more time on it to produce a better outcome. several improvements were introduced to the design, where users would definitely get to experience being in an enclosed space which slowly opens up before being within an entirely enclosed space once again. the tunnel has been changed to carve into the landscape rather than being entirely underground. the semi-circular shape also did play a part in doing so. instead of creating a huge mound that covers the entire farnsworth house, it has been sloped to slowly reveal the house as one approaches the site as well. this change also does not block the entire view of the farnsworth house. thus, more thought was put into the refined design, making sure it fit well into the site as a whole rather than individual pieces being added on together. 40 pei kwek + ruth Ng = site tectonics folio
refined
design process diagrams
1. original contour
2. MOUNd, PLATFORM & RECTANGULAR TUNNEL
refined
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design process diagrams
3. DECREASE MOUND SIZE, LESS STEEP SLOPE & CIRCULAR DUNNEL
4. ADDITIONAL MOUND TO CREATE EXPERIENCE SIMILAR TO PRECEDENT BELOW (open and enclosed)
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refined
NOT TO SCALE
refined
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NOT TO SCALE
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refined
RENDERED GRADING PLANS
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refined
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PERSPECTIVE FROM HIGHER GROUNDS
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refined
PERSPECTIVE FROM LOWER GROUNDS
refined
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FARNSWORTH HOUSE HIDDEN BY HILLS, AS ONE WALKS THROUGH, THE HOUSE IS SLOWLY REVEALED
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refined
entering first tunnel that opens up towards a turn
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refined
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SECTION A-A NOT TO SCALE
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refined
SECTION B-B NOT TO SCALE
refined
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SECTION DETAIL A1- RETAINING WALL NOT TO SCALE
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refined
SECTION DETAIL A2 - TUNNEL NOT TO SCALE
refined
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THIRD YEAR|LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
ruth’s reflection
Through this whole course, as a third year landscape architecture major student, site tectonics to me, is a great landscape technical foundation. Understanding the site landforms are essential for designing spaces and planning. Without the knowledge of site landforms, spaces will not be able to put into good use through its maximum potential. Designing a landscape is not just about the aesthetics but also considering the environmental impacts of the design. As designers, it is our responsibility to be able to sustain our environment in the best way. Drafting grading plans, section elevations and technical details enable us to go beyond designing. We understand the levels of our site, the materials used, the construction procedure of our design elements so as to be able to acknowledge that our design is not just conceptual. Lastly, working with an Architecture major student provides me with a broader perspective on how the architecture and the landscape can coexist in the best way possible.
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reflection
THIRD YEAR| ARCHITECTURE
pei’s reflection
Being my first non-architecture studio, at the begining i did not know what to expect or what was expected of me, thankfully, we were told to work in groups with people from different majors. I feel that working with a landscape architecture student, has opened up my thinking towards considering the landscape, rather than ignoring the fact that the site architects work on are never flat. we managed to exchange differing views and ideas of how to treat the designing of the site each week, although we did have several conflicting ideas, we managed to solve them through further research and discussion. i am sure in the working world landscape architects and architects would have to work with one another someway or another and it was good to be able to experience this in site tectonics. The subject helped me to understand landforms better, knowing how a grading and contour plan should be drawn. it also taught me to consider how i could fit a building and ramps within the site as a whole, rather than having two separate pieces being added together without consideration. not only did i learn more about landscape, my rendering has improved due to the 3ds max class and help from david. i now understand how to work around with contours better and it will be a useful tool for me.
reflection
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the end. THANKS TO NANO & DAVID FOR ALL THE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK AND GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER. it has helped us improve on our work, allowing us to understand the real objectives of the course.
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