3 minute read
ARCT3001 Architecture Studio 4
ARCT3001 Architecture Studio 4 Unit and Studio Coordinator: Lara Camilla Pinho ‘How will we live together?’
FYNN TURLEY
The ritual of bathing is revered within Japan – for both humans and animals alike. With an abundance of geothermal hot springs, wild animals like the Japanese Macaque have become dependent on these baths for warmth, community, and mating. This project proposes a shared hot spring for co-living between a family of six and snow monkeys to encourage interaction, observation, and flourishing between the two species through a shared love for bathing.
The project sits along the Yokoyu River in Yamanouchi, a municipality in the Nagano prefecture of Japan. Although widely recognised for its natural hot springs and skiresorts, one of its most remarkable attractions is the Jigukudani Monkey Park, shortly upstream from the chosen site, where Japanese Macaques can be found relaxing in these heated bodies of water.
The design approach splits the project into three volumes: the house, the engawa, and the baths. All of which take the form of elongated rectangles, which serves as a gesture that correlates to the river that runs parallel to the project. The long form results in a proposal that deals with topographical level changes in order to define spaces of privacy and pleasure.
Image: Axonometric projection.
ARCT3001 Architecture Studio 4 Unit Coordinator: Lara Camilla Pinho Studio Coordinator: Steven Thick ‘Re-engaging with Orani’
CARINA VAN DEN BERG
Orani is the birthplace of the renowned modern sculptor, Costantino Nivola. He worked with sand-cast concrete to create abstract artwork of human figures. He is remembered by a mural on the town chapel and a museum dedicated to his work, though the town is otherwise barren with little tourism or industry. The museum is located at the foot of the hill opposite the town, with its white walls, arched windows, and terracotta tile roof. Here, my proposal extends from an existing retaining wall into a footpath that begins the procession toward the studio. This leads you down past the semi-private residences and under a canopy of trees until you arrive at the geometric and programmatic centre point. To your left is a great, stepped curve that falls gracefully down to meet you, only interrupted by a tower that connects each level of the public program, each extending outward at three metre intervals. They branch off and define new spaces with their own geometry, contradicting expectations as you move through, but always referring back to an ever-changing perspective of the curve.
Passing through the visitors’ centre, the curve then continues past the main path, embracing and retaining the function space and the sculpture court. However, you are drawn back onto the main path by a large retaining wall that guides you down toward the sculpture studio. The studio extrudes from the sunken ground and is hugged by the wall yet stands alone in its purity. Suddenly, you are focused solely on the studio and its tall, narrow entry. After squeezing through this threshold, you are left in awe of the perfect curved wall that is emphasised by a seemingly weightless concrete dome overhead. The light dances along the curve throughout the day, revealing different parts of the studio, from the sinks to the storage room to the cement mixers. Here, in pure tranquillity, you learn to sculpt like the great Costantino Nivola.
Image: Site plan and site section.
