Semester reflections

Rizal Ambotang, Studio Earth Sem. 1 2014

Frame & In-fill (Source : JA+U)

 Initial confusion  What I understood early semester.  Shapes  Design

Point-to-line (Source : FRCLL)

 What I understood end of semester.  Structural; monolithic Vs flowing, gravity  Poetic composition ; symmetry vs. asymmetry,

logical compositional vs. abstract, rational vs. irrational design  Relationship with context

Mass (Source : Wikipedia)

 Point-line-plane is a basic architectural

vocabulary, commonly found in most buildings

 Easily adapted in design composition

 Composition of points, lines and plane

create forms and consequently space

 Can it be curve lines?  Discovered my own design vocabulary –

straight lines instead of flow-y lines

Lines that can be explained rationally  Structure that stands up visually  Classic beauty of reason versus confronting abstract 

 Easiest to understand  Manual drawing to represent my ideas  Most confronting experience to draw

confidently.

 Observations  Thick, bold tips vs. thin lines -> lack of

details, less confident vs details, reflect confidence  Charcoal drawing ; expressive but lack details  Learn manual rendering techniques –

hatching, section cuts, line thickness  Needed to work on my manual drawing skills – visual diary helps

 Most difficult to comprehend  More angular and rectilinear forms? And “in-

fill” for gaps

 Sou Fujimoto’s “House NA” resolved my

confusion

 Resulting form  Light and airy  Transparent vs opaque through infill.  Frame resolved the form and structure

Source : Atelier Deshaus

 Ideation  Idea generation, interpretation of brief  Guided by client brief, understanding the client wants  What is available in context

 Was an opportunity to learn new skills in model-making  Using timber, MDF  Require new tools, more expensive, resort to sourcing  Better control and accuracy of model making

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Bench saw

Radial arm saw

1.

Concept – sketches

2.

Concept – Sketch model  conceptacle

3.

Context – site visit, site analysis, site selection

3D modelling – Rhino and Sketch-up

4.

Orientation – sun and shadow , Revit ii. Orientation – Google Earth & Land Channel iii. Dimensioning iv. Design to context topology i.

5.

Model making – presentation model

6.

Presentation

 Some people can draw and some are

good with 3D modelling

 Should I maximize my strength? Do what I

do best..  Should I overcome my weakness? Work on my weakness and improve my skills.  Pros and cons  Manual rendering, in tune with the ideas,

time consuming but better understanding the concept of space, dimension.  3D is fast and visually accurate. Detached from size and forms.

Point-line-plane

Frame & infill Timber louvers with translucent infill for chamber of silence.

Mass syntax Design – monolithic, cut into the earth, upper ground & underground Materiality and structural – gabion maze and retaining wall and concrete flooring

Design – timber piles, freestanding timber louvers to lighten the massive structure Materiality and structural – timber piles as part of retaining wall

What did I take with me from the semester work  Tectonics are syntaxes to architectural language. Use tectonics to create form and

spaces.

 Ongoing discovery of my own design style and learning new things to broaden my

architectural design vocabulary.

 Manual and computer drawings are essential tools to communicate design  Learn to enjoy what I am doing….