DOME
SS13 | Mario Cucinella
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DIGITAL FABRICATION REVOLUTION
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Emerging Technologies
DOME
DOME For this project we started looking for inspiration in desert architecture, throughout various geographic locations, not just specific to the Jordan Valley. The typology of the dome was one particular form that frequented this type of architecture. A form of shelter and recluse. Thus, the form chosen to be worked with and adapted for the design of the Women’s Centre. Beginning with the singular dome, each function within the programme was ‘given’ a dome. These were then arranged and orientated appropriately to the site and to their function, with small details such as long moulded earth benches and ‘sails’ of earth connecting the domes. The design then started to become too ‘village like’ and we changed direction. We looked to larger forms and ways to incorporate the domes into a greater design, rather than them being functions in themselves. We arrived at two options, one being to keep the domes ‘separate’ but change the space between each, where some would intersect or create small openings and entrances. The second was to work with one large solid dome and ‘excavate’ it with smaller domes to create space within; experimenting with positive and negative space. The latter is what we chose to continue with and is the key principle in our design for the Women’s Centre.
Simone Appolloni Simone Born Jillian Stevenson
Located in the Jordan Valley, the Women’s Centre will provide shelter and a welcoming space for Palestinian women to gather and discuss important issues. The Domes skin has been specifically designed to optimise climatic conditions within. The openings follow the shape of the dome, which is moulded to the solar radiation analysis, changing in density in specific areas. During the summer, the angle of the sun and the angle of the openings means that very little direct sunlight penetrates through the exterior dome, creating a comfortable interior with dispersed natural light. In winter, the sun enters more directly through some of the openings and creates more warmth. Throughout the entire design, solutions such as these have been found to optimize the space within the centre, for a comfortable and welcoming environment.
SS13 | Mario Cucinella
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DIGITAL FABRICATION REVOLUTION
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Emerging Technologies
DOME
SS13 | Mario Cucinella
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