What to do and not to do when I design
The Courtyard House MingShum Lo
Chelsea College of Art & Design 2010 - 2011
Index Introduction DO observe the existing problem DO consider the surrounding environment and activities DO reference and study architect master’s work DO criticize myself DON’T do concept or shape DON’T start design from the negative level DON’T design from the external DO consider the relationship with the existing building DO draw in a different way DO discover the design language DO travel around Design Brief Conclusion
Introduction I am going to explain what I have learnt to DO and not to do in my design development.
DO observe the existing problem The courtyard space is too open and surrounded by hundreds of windows. Privacy is an important concern for me as this space will be a living space. Luckily, some of the window design won't let people look down easily. You need to get closer to the wall so as to see more to the ground. But for the ground level – outside the banqueting hall, they have a direct view to the courtyard area. The direction of the window for the new architecture should be considered.
DO
consider the surrounding environment and
activities There is no doubt that the design of the existing canteen is not good enough, which is typical for an art and design school. We deserve something better than that. There is also not much green, open space around the area – one in the middle of the college and nother one next to the Tate Britain. Students enjoy to stay outside to eat, chat, smoke, drink and sun bath if it is a sunny day. The idea about having a green public open space in the courtyard is coming to my mind. A special program and zoning should be made to redefine the design brief – not just a private accommodation for a student any more.
House O
DO reference and study architect master’s work About the pavilion in Barcelona by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the important strategies of his design is not to put the sculpture in the middle of the space so that the layout will not be limited. But what is so witty is that the sculpture can still be seen from many different angles. House O is an accommodation building designed by Jun Igarashi Architects. The building is combined with many different sized boxes. Each of them carries on different activities. The size of each box reflects the needs of space for the specific activity and the related activities/boxes are attached together. The architecture actually reflects the relationship among all of the activities that carry on in an accommodation building. I start testing the proportion and location of different areas especially the cafe area and the private living area. If I put the cafe (public space) near to the road, people can enjoy the open view to the Tate Britain and also easier to be access from the road side. If I put the cafe (public space) close to the existing building and create an opening, the connection between the new and old building will be better but the view of the cafe will be limited.
DO criticize myself DON’T do concept or shape The louver shaped ceiling system / “To see but not to be seen” design proposal doesn’t work because of the following reasons: Construction – I cannot be sure about how the curve louver ceiling structure can be constructed, I believe that it is not a difficult structure or form, but I just don’t have enough knowledge to support myself. People can easily challenge my design from this perspective. Budget –budget is a meaningless concern for a student project. But what I should consider is the value of having an expensive sculptural formed architecture. Is it worth to spend a lot on that? But How about Bilbao Guggenheim museum? The cost is extremely expensive, it’s worth it because this “Sculpture” lets the whole city be reborn in terms of economy and tourism. The student accommodation / courtyard can be a pavilion of chelsea college of art and design. It exhibits itself, just like the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies. That can be a reason to spend a bit more than just having an accommodation space. Concept – The louver shaped ceiling system is a kind of concept which let the project stop growing. Concept can only be a solution for a single problem. It always looks good but generates more problems at the same time. A good design scheme / architecture should be able to solve more than the existing problem.
DON’T start design from the negative level If I start my design from the negative level, I can only reach zero. If I start my design from zero, I can probably reach to a higher level. My first design approach is about problem solving which is the method I have been worked on for my past few years as a interior designer. First define the problem and then solve it in an interesting way. There is nothing wrong with this design approach but as a student who is studying design, to only solve the existing problem is not enough. I should not restrict myself but to explore more different possibilities on the design solution. I can start with what I am interested in. In this courtyard project, I am interested in the interweaving of public and private space relationships and the activities happen there – owner party at the night time while other students can gather at the day time. The space should be suitable for a multi-purpose use. It is also important to have good spacial quality.
DON’T design from the external Try to design from inside not outside. I decide to have a large area of external space where the Henry Moore sculpture will sit with the gathering students during the day time. In the middle, between the most private area and the external public space will be a semi-public internal space which could be used by students during the day while my client can use it at night time.
DO
consider the relationship with the existing
building According to the different mounting levels of the surrounding windows which allow me to create a taller volume of space at the back part of the courtyard. The level difference also creates a gap which allow more light shine into the space. I also decide not to touch the existing walls because they are quite old and deserve to be kept that way. “If you want to be recognized for designing a good or even great building, forget about what you want the building to be; instead ask, “What does the building want to be?” A design problem has to be addressed on its own terms: the needs of the client, the nature of the site, the realities of the building program, and many others. These factors point toward an inherent order that must be acknowledged before self-expression can enter the design process.” - Page 86, 101 things I Learned in Architecture School, Matthew Frederick, 2007
DO draw in a different way I believe that the way people think is more important than the skill or technique they use to design. But drawings can really help, they let you know if your idea is good or not. But don’t use only one kind of method. A design should be tested by different kind of drawing from different angle. They can speak and sometime even give you further ideas. These two drawings represent the day and night time activities within the courtyard’s open space. It gives people a picture about how dynamic the space can be, also it gives me confidence.
DO discover the design language Design language is ideas, strategy, scheme, which is open ended and does not generate other problems. It also grows gradually. No one can have the design language at the beginning because things need to be discovered through drawing, research and questioning. Once I have the design language, I can setup questions or rules for framing up my design direction. Every single decision I make should be able to pass through the questions or rules so as to strengthen the design and also the design language itself. What is the relationship between the public and private area? What should the entrance look like? How public space flows to the private space? What will the activities be in different areas? Where should the private area be located? Is there any connection between the existing building and the new building? How to encourage students to come to the space? ‌...
DO travel around During the Christmas holiday. I take the chance traveling around Europe – Italy, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. I love Italy most where I feel I know nothing about architecture, art, history & Catholicism. Roma & Firenze are not a big city in terms of area, but in art and architectural background, I believe they are hugely important to the rest of the world. They are all beautiful – details, scale, color, light & shadow, materials and proportion as well. They are all the same kind of architecture to me – a kind of respect to their highest, god or king. I have only seen one contemporary style architecture in there – Ara Pacis Museum by Richard Meier which sits in the middle of Roma and next to a lot of Churches and traditional architecture. The Museum is somehow related to its neighborhood in terms of the spacial volume, material and color. Both churches and the museum space are vertical and tall but the museum has a larger area of window which enables more nature light to go into the space. That is not only due to the better glass manufacturing technology now; I believe it also represents the openness era of architecture and society. I do wonder what those churches will look like if the tempered / laminated glass existed 500 years ago. Material of the Ara Pacis Museum is related to the surrounding architecture too – the rough surfaced stone vertical wall seems to echo with the exciting old church while the rest of the museum is in white paint or clear glass finishes. The architect provides a lot of space for the public it is like a junction between the existing old Roma and the contemporary museum.
Rietveld Schrรถder House Upper Floor Plan
OPEN
CLOSE
(...Continuous) “Beauty is due more to harmonious relationships among the elements of a composition than to the elements themselves� - Page 51, 101 things I Learned in Architecture School, Matthew Frederick, 2007
And the harmonious between the new and old buildings also compose the beauty of that area. Netherlands is one of the important countries for innovative architecture. A lot of new developments are undergoing now which is worth a visit. But more inspirational is the important architects from the last century, such as Gerrit Rietveld. Rietveld SchrĂśder House was built in 1924, and it became a museum in 1985. Gerrit Rietveld wanted to explore open plan. With the help of the reinforced concrete, thick wall and column are not necessary anymore. I believe what he built is one of the earliest flexible spacial systems in architecture history. He applied the movable panel between each room and throughout the whole level. I am amazed with his very deep and detailed consideration. When the tour guide moved the panel from the enclosed plan to the open plan, I was speechless.
Design Brief Let the courtyard be a public space beyond the private accommodation building. Let the courtyard be part of the Chelsea College, not just a building. It is a neighborhood, a place where students can come and stay during the day. The client could enjoy the entire space at night. The building will connect the ground level and lower ground. Stepping up or down will be the entrance which is subtle but irresistible. Henry Moore will locate at the corner where easy to see from many angles even from the direction of the Tate Britain. The roof top will also connect with the banqueting hall’s corridor and guests can access for a view or some fresh air.
Conclusion It seems that I am learning how to walk again in this project. Even though I have several years of experience in the interior design industry, I only possessed technical skills. I am glad there are so many different ways of design I can learn about. I can see things from a different perspective. I hope I can never use the word “concept� for my design process again.