1. Three Relationships Throughout the semester, my entire studio were introduced three different themes, which are Point, Line and Plane, Mass and Frame and Infill in the first six weeks. During the process by working on sketches, drawings and model-making, we explored and revealed the concepts of tectonics, which created mass and space. Tectonics in architecture can be defined the art of construction. It is mainly based on the material properties and design of contructions, rather than focusing on the functions of architecture (Beim, 2004). In other words, it demonstrates how the architectural intent at a particular scale of the structure/building is expressed through the constructiona methodology as well as at a certain level of detail. With the elements of plane, mass and frame, we tend to consider and understnad how they relate and work together in order to form a creative force in architectural design and structural features as well as striving towards meaningful contents (Hartoonian, 1994).
1.1 Point/ Line/Plane
1.2 mass
1.3 infill and frame
Prostho Museum Research Centre - Kengo Kuma and Associates Source from https://www.japlusu.com/news/remarkable-japanese-timber-structures
1.1 Point, Line and Plane
" Everything starts from a dot." Ohne Title (Composition) Wassily Kandinsky 1923 India ink on paper mounted on cardboard
- Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)
1.11 Point, Line and Plane Research Point, line and plane are the basic building components of a structure. They create architectural form and composition.
POINT: A point is the foundation. It can indicate a position in space with no dimensions. It is either a starting or ending point. When many things point towards the same direction, it focuses on one point.
LINE: A series of points create a line or when joining two or more points together, a line forms. The line is a one-dimensional entity, which extends in two different directions. In architecture, columns are the vertical structural elements and beams are the horizontal ones, they are both formed by lines.
Airplane Hanger - Pier Luigi Nervi
Vitra Fire Station - Zaha Hadid
Pabelion de Espana en la Expo - Francisco Mangado
Barcelon Pavilion- Mies van der Rohe
Rietveld Schroder House- Gerrit Riveteld Calder Woodburn Area in Goulburn Valley Highway - BKK Architects
PLANE: A combination of vertical or horizontal lines forms a plane. It does not have to be solid form, it can create a three-dimensional volume or mass. These three primary elements are based on the transformation nature of geometry with the change of dimension. In architecture, a plane can act as wall, frame or shelter.
Melbourne Gateway on Tullamarine Freeway - Denton Corker Marshall Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre- Melbourne Park National Tennis Centre Larry Oitmanns
Seafarers Bridge
1.12 Point, Line and Plane Model Design Concept: For the first model that I submitted is a "grand piano" with three small triangular elements. However, after receiving my tutor's feedback, I decided to remake a new model. From the final model, I was inspired by Denton Corker Marshall's sculpture, which can be found in the Melbourne Gateway on Tullamarine Freeway. All the red linear elements are tilted in angles and pointed to the same direction. I made some sketches about points, lines and planes. It is made from foamboard and cardboard. It is interpreted by two set of linear elements. They are tilted in a certain angle. When one set of lines points to the same direction, the second set is directly opposite to that and they cross each other, and the intersections occurs. There is a point of intersection between two distinct lines. Cardboard as a planar surface exists between each intersection point of linear elements. This then creates an invisible intersection point concealed below the ground. Another point can be found where a set of lines extend from one endpoint in one direction.
Previous Point/Line/Plane Model
1.2 Mass 1.2 Mass "ARCHITECTURE IS THE MASTERLY, CORRECT, AND MAGNIFICENT PLAY OF MASSES BROUGHT TOGETHER IN LIGHT. OUR EYES ARE MADE TO SEE FORMS IN LIGHT: LIGHT SHADE REVEAL THESE FORMS"
Rafael Moneo’ s lesu Church in San Sebastian, Spain source from https://au.pinterest.com/pin/362047257513703700/
- LE CORBUSIER (1887- 1965)
1.21 Mass Research Mass in architecture is often referred as a filled solid volume that is impossible to pass through or its perceptual weight. The interior is suspended within the exterior shells of structure while drawing the light from outside to its interior space. The two main characteristics of density and gravity can convey a sense of mass through the architectural atmosphere.
Density People could able to feel a sense of mass through the material or spatial density, depends on the relationship of solid to void and the heaviness of the construction materials, such as stone and concrete. The feeling of density is contributed through our body, instead of our eyes. Density of structures does not mean that it is bulk in weight or lack of space. But more likely, with the collectively opacity and lack of scale.
Notre Dame de Haut - Le Corbusier
Ningbo Historic Museum - Wang Shu & Lu Wenyu
Clover House - MAD Architects
Yokohama House - Torafu Architects
Johnson Museum of Art - I.M. Pei
Gravity Normally, two objects in the universe have mass attract to each other with gravitational force. All buildings on the Earth are supporting its own weight by resisting the force of gravity, so that they do not collapse down on itself. It is significant to aware the resistance against gravity through detaching the structure from the ground. Also, through the condition of apparent weightlessness, the reading of solid mass can be clearly seen (Smitich & Warke, 2014).
Shrine of Remembrance - ARM Architects
Hamer Hall Federation Square - Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) Architects - Lab Architecture Studio
Victoria University Lecture Theatre Paul Morgan
The Spot (University of Melbourne) - METIER3 Architect
1.22 Mass Painting Design Concept: I was inspired by the bunker architecture. Bunker architecture is mainly designed for protection, protecting people and/or valued materials from the First and Second World Wars. The main countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe built bunkers to preserve their nation-state during the Cold War. The concealed concrete bunkers offer oblique architectural forms based on the massive elements through brutalism (Armitage, 2015). I also admired the structural form of a natural seashell. I expressed the aperture of seashell as the voids of the structure and its outer lip is the basement, which sits under the ground. Yet, the body of seashell is filled with the irregular forms of rocks, just like the cavern. The rocks experience the force of gravity that pulls them towards the centre of the Earth, this increases the sense of mass and gravity for the human to experience when he or she is standing in the middle of the structure. The painting is finished in watercolour. I applied a heavy dark colour (i.e. dark grey colour) to represent the impenetrable volume of the structure, and creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere while the void is represented by a light grey colour. It shows a combination of light and shadow that penetrates into the interior of the structure from the exterior through the small openings.
1.3 Frame and Infill "Space has always been the spiritual dimension of architecture. It is not the physical statement of the structure so much as what it contains that moves us"
Involution from Savannah College of Art and Design Photo from http://www.isomorphism-jeanjaminet.com/Involutionx
- Arthur Erickson (1924-2009)
1.31 Frame and Infill Research Frame and Infill are common terms that applied in the structural systems of buildings. Traditionally, unreindforced masonry wall claddings are used to add infill to the reinforced concrete frames with frame. The unreinforced infill walls are considered as th architectural elements instead of structural properties during the design process. This approach is designed to withstand earthquakes (Framed Infill Network, 2017). Eames House - Ray and Charles Eames Eames House by Ray and Charles Eames, is a typical example of frame and infill. A structural steel frame constructed with colourful infill glass panels generates enclosure and spatial divisions. The frame is the main structural elements, only exposed at the interior and supports the whole structure with overall ordering function, while The infill only upholds itself, but not the building (Flemmming, 1989). They play with the volume and spatial composition with lightweight framing systems.
Perth Arena - ARM Architects and Cameron Chisholm Nicol
The Gentler Strasse House - Otto Steidle and Doris And Ralph Thut
25 Green - Luciano Pia
Shakujii Apartment - Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa
Croatian Pavilion - 14 Leading Croatian Architects
Enough Space - Jauke van der Brink
Arts West Building - ARM Architects
MSD Building - John Wardle Architects
Glass Dome of Melbourne Central Shot Tower - ARM Architects
1.32 Frame and Infill Model and Axonometric Drawing Design Concept: After generating ideas and drawing sketches during the working session, here comes my frame and infill model. My model is made from Balsa Wood for the structural frame and cardbooard for the infill elements. The frame is composed of three separate units/bays. In each unit, it consists of one square and one rectangle which are in different sizes. For the First Unit: Top square places on top of a larger bottom rectangle. For the Second unit: Both rectangles are in same size For the Third Unit: is the reversed order of the first unit But the height of the units is gradually increased, like having a streamline shape, so that it can reduce the air resistance. For the infill elements: I create two platforms to form a space above the ground and they function as the bridges, connecting the units together. I cut through the centre of one of the platforms and place another one-fold cardboard into it, which creates another platform suspending to below. The triangle is a three-folded element, which acts as a shelter. The box is a four-folded element with two openings on the sides and play with volume and mass inside.
1.32 Frame and Infill Model and Axonometric Drawing
1.32 Frame and Infill Model and Axonometric Drawing Exploded Axonometric Drawing:
2.1 Herring Island Site Analysis
About Herring Island: Herring Island is located in Yarra River, which is 3km away ffrom the Melbourne CBD. It is the site of an environmental sculpture park, that features with naturally- made sculptures.The sculptures along the trail mainly made from wood, stone and earth, and reflect the unique setting of the island. People can access there by boats, they usually run from Como Landing .The artificial island is also surrounded by the main highways and industrial areas. Additionally, it contains native vegetation and wildlife on the island and provides natural habitats for the animals, especially birds. The gallery and grassy picnic area are opened freely to public, allow people to explore the exhibitions inside the gallery, enjoy and gather around in the picnic site. (Herring Island Park, 2017)
2.2 Something like A Pavilion Research In the history of architecture, Pavilion is a two-part structure that comprises curtains and roof, so as to protect the sovereign's standard for military function. The pavilion offers transparency and protection to the people. But in modern architecture, pavilion is defined as a subsidary building or a temporary sculpture, places viewers on the threshold of interior and exterior (Curtis,2008). Pavilions explores the layers of meanings and reveals to us where we are in our evolving consciousness of our relationship to architecture (Schaik, 2016).
M Pavilion 2016 - Studio Mumbai/ Bijoy Jain
The Cloud Pavilion - Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) Architects
Zero- carbon Building (ZCB) Bamboo Pavilion - Kristof Crolla
Pavilion at Sydney's SCAF Gallery -Vo Trong Nghia Architects
Hannover Pavilion for Expo 2000 - Thomas Herzog
M Pavilion - Amanda Levete
Yure Pavilion - Kengo Kuma
Temporary M Pavilion - Sean Godsell
Keast Park Community Pavilion - Jackson Clement Burrows Architects
2016 NGV Architecture Commission -M@Studio Architects
2.3 Conceptacle Model 'Conceptacle' defines as a contraction of 'receptacle for concepts', a word which an Australian Architect, Nigel Westbrook invented in the 1970s. From this Conceptacle model, it is the fundamental idea and concept which is generated through brainstormings and sketches. It is also the first step of design process before entering to the final project. Consider: a place where a small object can be viewed by only one person at a time, for maximum 5 minutes. I have to think about the relationship of three different zones, which are: 1) Below Ground 2) On Ground 3) Above Ground and they have to consist of the elements from the three previous exercises: 1) Point, Line and Plane 2) Mass 3) Frame and Infill Design Concept: For the Below Ground, I got the idea from the tall trees in the Herring Island. Therefore, I used the wooden sticks as the trees' branches and leaves. I reused the elements of cavern in the mass painting. The sticks are "pointing Downward" as they are pulling downward under the force of gravity, which conveys a sense of mass and creates a dynamic volume under the ground. On the ground, it is framed by a grid-like structure. The pattern of the grid is inspired by Piet's painting. All the vertical and horizontal linear elements are supported the whole frame. The structure is separated into different areas over two floors, people can access to the second floor via the rock climbing and find the secret. Rock climibing can also provide a good facility for the public to play around. People have to take the stairs after climbing up from the rock-climbing and enter to the secret observatory platform. The Secret is hidden inside a raised observatory platform that extends out from the frame. Above the Ground, the whole structure is covered by some tracing paper, which creates an opaque effect. So that, people from the outside are not able to look directly into the structure and find the secrets. Another raised woodmade platform is served for people to explore more about the herring island.
2.4 Design Development After receiving all the comments and feedback from the tutors and classmates, my conceptacle showed no connectness of the first three practices. Questions I have to re-consider: 1) How else could they be arranged? 2) How do they relate to each other? 3) Do they have to stack up? Since I did not have enough time to redo the conceptacle, I decided to examine thoroughly for the existing pavilions and more sketches before starting to do the final secret project.
1. Triangular elements
2. A sense of mass
3. Obsevatory Platform
- I reused the triangles from First Point/ Line/Plane Model as the main components of the Pavilion. I simply cut two sides of the original size triangles and offset it by creating a small triangle inside. I create an obtuse triangle with the base angles (i.e. 30 degree) are the same. I randomly put the triangles together to form a complex shape in order to create a geometry of chaotic dyynamics
- I reused the idea of cavern from my mass painting. WHen a human is placing inside the triangular pavilion, he or she will experience a sense of mass. Additionally, The execution of pavilion design evokes the feelings of mystery and excitement inside the pavilion.
- I reused the conceptual idea of frame and infill model, and further the work by making an observatory platform on top of the pavilion. It is the "Above the ground". Obviously, the frame is also in triangular layout, interlocking to each other and derives its strength from the inherent rigidity. The Platform is a triangular planar surface, functions as a observatory lookout for people to explore more about the Herring Island.
Design Ideas & Elements
Tectonics from Previous Point/Line/Plane Model
Plan of Raised Floor Panels (On Ground)
Secret: Rock Scuture
4. Triangular Raised floor slabs
5. OPaque and Mirror-faced surface in the inner triangles
- I reused the elements from the first point/line/plane model, the trianglar raised floor slabs act as the leading path for people to discover the secret, which is hidden in the basement level.
- At the top of pavilion, I decided to place the reflective surfaces in between the triangles, the idea of mirroring the surrounding environment creates a visual connection between pavilion and the natural landscape. For both sides of pavilion, non transparent frosted glass is used in between the triangles. This creates an opaque effect and casts shadows from the elements of pavilion and humans inside it.
6. Steel Frames of triangles Steel frame coated in copper looks similar to the woods behind and pavilion cannot be identified easily from the far distance
2.4 Inspiration from Existing Pavilions
Copagri Pavilion 'Love it' for Expo Milano 2015
Architect: Benedetta Tagliabue of EMBT Built in: 2015 Location: Milan, Italy The pavilion applied prefabricated folded triangles for the structural part, the triangles are equal in size and angles and they are built in wood , as a natural material. Also, triangles are erected as a 3-D grid. Source from Archisearch, 2017 https://www.archisearch.gr/photography/expo-2015-milano-copagri-pavilion-by-miralles-tagliabue-embt-photographed-by-marcela-grassi-amp-pygmalion-karatzas/
Treehouse pavilion
Architect: Scott Kyson Built in: 2015 Location: Milan, Italy The pavilion breaks with the tradition of architecture, applied modern naterials, which are smoke mirrors and charred timber to create a reflective and mirroring effect of the exterior. It also allows the structure to blend into its surrounding environments and creates an invisible playing hideaway for children. Source from Dezeen (2016) https://www.dezeen.com/2016/11/16/scott-kyson-treehouse-charred-timber-smoked-glass-gardenpavilion-london/
2.5 Final Design Drawings-
Herring Island: A Place for keeping secrets
Site Plan:
Definition of Secret: Something that is kept hidden by one or a few people. It is considered as a private space.
A place where a small object can be viewed by only one person at a time, for maximum of 5 min.
Sculptures of Herring Island:
1:500
Site Chosen for Placing Secret: - A specific corner located in the middle of Herring Island, near to the picnic area - Hidden and enclosed by the surrounding vegetation Location of Pavilion: - Tree shading has blocked direct sunlight entering into part of the structure (i.e. secret room), which creates a dark and mysterious depiction of atmosphere
2.5 Final Design Drawings-
Herring Island: A Place for keeping secrets
Plans:
Ground Floor Plan
Basement Floor Plan
1:100
Section:
1:100
2.5 Final Design Drawings-
Herring Island: A Place for keeping secrets
Elevations:
North Elevation
East Elevation
1:100
1:100
An opening for people to walk through the pavilion.
For internal layout, the pavilion is separated into different areas for store room, technical room, toilets and the secret room.
A small shelter is provided for family gatherings.
Secret room locates in the basement level. There is an opening allows people to get into the room. Viewer wll wonder how to access into the room and see the secret. Once it is opened, stairs will be provided for people to reach underneath and see the secret. But only allows 5 minutes for people to gaze. Secret is a small naturally-made sculpture, that relates to the other sculptures around the Herring Island
Final Presentation Model 1:50 Demonstrates the integrated design of pavilion
3. Reflection Design Studio Earth is a course that teaches me to complete a sequence of developing a design. Throughout the course, I have learned the concepts of tectonic studies and special compositions through the three model exercises, which are Point/Line/ Plane, Mass as well as Frame and Infill. And they are integrated and developed into the final design project. At the beginning, I was very confused in hand-crafting each physical model. Every time, I made one and presented it in the tutorial. However, I failed in different skills and had to redo my model. However, I never gave up catching up with the feedback from my tutor, Kate and learned the new model. Through this trial and error method, it helped me to reflect what was wrong in my submission and got it right again. Based on the experience gained from the previous three exercises, I finally understand how to develop more about the tectonic skills in the creation of design for real-world application, i.e. placing my own design pavilion into the site of Herring Island. The architecture-based research of the precedents submitted in every 2 weeks is also important for acquiring diverse skills and inspiring for my own work. Not only various sketches, I also used both physical and digital model to represent my final project. When doing the digital model, it was another challenge time. Lot of new digital skills were required to be applied in Photoshop and Sketchup that I had never used before. I kept on searching the techniques that I needed to apply, such as editing the image of my physical model into a real world and inserting the silhouette of humans into the architectural visualization. To conclude, this digital visualization displays how the interior’ s spatial atmosphere are constructed in and physical model demonstrates the scale and information of the structure to the environment.
Bibliography Armitage, J. (2015). Virilio for Architects. United Kingdom: Routledge. Barker, S. (2017). Welcome to Herring Island Park. Retrieved from http://www.herringisland. org/about.htm Beim, A. (2004). Tectonic Visions in Architecture. Copenhagen; The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture Publishers. Curtis, P. (2008). Patio and Pavilion: The Place of Sculpture in Modern Architecture. London: Flemming, U. (1989). Syntactic Structures in Architecture: Teaching Composition with Computer Assistance. CAAD futures digital proceedings. Retrieved from https://cumincad.architexturez. net/system/files/pdf/a672.content.pdf http://framedinfill.org/ Hartoonian, G. (1994). Ontology of Construction: On Nihilism of Technology in Theories of Modern Architecture. New York: Cambridge University Press. Ridinghouse. Schaik, L. (2016). On pavilions. Retrieved from http://architectureau.com/articles/on-pavilions/ Simitch, A. & Warke, V. (2014). The Language of Architecture: 26 Principles Every Architect Should Know. Gloucester, MA, United States: Rockport Publishers.