Digital Design - Module 01 Semester 1, 2018 Sophia Miriam Harrison 914382 Junhan + Studio 13
Week One
Reading: Zeara Polo, A. 2010. Between Ideas and Matters.
According to Zeara-Polo, the diagram does not play a representational role in the design process but provides an organisational and can have a performative quality depending on how it is deployed. Explain how Diagram is different from Signs and Symbols? (100 words Maximum)
The diagram differs to signs and symbols due to the fact that it is not purely representational but rather a more abstract medium that is determined on demonstrating and/or exploring ideas and processes. A diagram can be used to show constructive or technical aspects to a building/structure but it can also be used to investigate the mood or nuance in the overall concept of the piece. In this way it is a significantly more complex and effective path when exploring, experiencing and displaying an idea.
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Week One
Precedent Analysis
Clockwise From Left: Elevations, Plan, Linework, Reference Image
I begun with the floor plan and extracted the ‘wall’ positions by drawing simple lines (seen in 2nd image). This allowed me to lift each ‘wall’ from the given elevation plans and place them on top of the floor plan. By doing this I was able to construct the overall shape of the pavilion. After completing the linework (seen in the 3rd image), I extruded the ‘walls’ to give depth to the model (seen in the 1st image). I used the reference image (seen in the 4th image) to help with the construction of the ‘ceilings’, which proved difficult to decipher from the floor plan alone.
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Week Two
Reading: Hertzberger H. 2005. The in-between and The Habitable Space Between Things, from Lessons for Students in Architecture.
Herzberger discusses how design should not be extreme in its functionality. Use your precedent study to explain how the pavilion allows for an appropriation of use. (100 words Maximum)
A Pavilion, by definition, is an ‘in-between’ space. The pavilions constructed annually by the Serpentine Gallery are designed for social and artistic interaction but are also spaces for respite and relaxation for the visitor - thus allowing for appropriation by nature. The origami-like geometry of Libeskind’s Serpentine Pavilion ‘Eighteen Turns’ not only supports this environment but encourages it. The structure exists as neither an inside nor outside space where the visitor can seek shelter whilst also existing in the folding landscape of the outdoors. In this way, ‘Eighteen Turns’ is reactionary to its surrounds and supports appropriation through diversity and multi-use within and outside its borders.
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Week Two Isometric
Libeskind Serpentine Pavilion ‘Eighteen Turns’. In my isometric, I chose to focus on the north facing elevation in order to attempt to capture the nuances of the geometry of the structure. The emphasis of the detail lies in the variety of heights and ‘levels’ to the structure. Through investigating the circulation of the space, I found it to be full of possibilities and encouraging of movement and exploration. This can also be said about the threshold. The transitory nature of the structure and its existence between inside and out reveal it to be entirely a threshold of its own. Conceptually, as described by the Serpentine Gallery former director Julia Peyton-Jones, it is a “travelling exhibition”. Eighteen Turns is a space for communal activity but also communal peace. It offers a simple yet complex space of hospitable respite and interaction.
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Week Two
Diagrams
Thresholds
Circulations
My exploration of thresholds led me to consider the space in terms of its three distinct areas; the floor space, the boundaries created by the ‘walls’ and the shelter provided by the diagonal ‘ceilings’. One is never inside nor outside when engolfed by this structure.
Visitors were able to enter and exit from multiple locations on every side of the pavilion. Therefore, the circulative space was immense and encompassing. The central diagram displays the space most inhabited when inside the structure.
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Appendix Process
Clockwise from Top Left: Plan, Elevations and Section. These images were the given images for the Libeskind Serpentine Pavilion. They were crucial in beginning the structure in Rhino and also with scaling and orientating the Pavilion later on.
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Appendix Process
Reference Images These images helped me to understand the overall geometry and appearance of the inside and outside of the structure.
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Appendix Process
Beginning the Task These two images show my design process. I began by misunderstanding the task and tracing directly from the elevation plans. This meant my ‘wall’s were 2-Dimensional and incorrect. The second image shows an improvement. I traced the ‘walls’ from the floor plan and extruded them vertically to get a sense of the shape of the structure.
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