TRANSIENT CAVE
22
Movement and light. Enclosure and volume. Threshold and levels. Intimacy and interaction... Creating a space that interplays with natural forms and removes the viewer from the surrounding urban fabric. To me this creates a pavilion. In line with my design aspirations these concepts have been the basis for my exploration throughout the semester and have defined my final design “Transient Cave�. The name enhances the ironic interplay between the permanence of a cave and the impermanence of a pavilion structure. The dramatic interplay between the pavilion form and the landscape creates a seamless wave barely noticeable until you approach the site. The stairs down into the site narrow as you approach the entry to the interior volume forcing people to enter individually -curating the movement and creating an intimate personal interaction with the pavilion. The space then opens up - only interrupted by the low drooping form allowing for community interaction and engagement with the seminar or performance space. The open lattice structure allows for both minor glimpses out and in. Framing views. Highlighting natural elements of the surrounding park or the movements within the pavilion. This also allows with an interaction of from above and below allowing people to engage and appropriate the site in their own ways. The use of timber reflects the relationships to nature. It is also a feasible material to use is it can be steambended to form the curved shapes. This is reflected in the interior to create continuity and distorted the realities of the ground and roof planes. By contrast, concrete is used on the stairs to highlight a change in threshold and draw the viewers eyes down into the space.
23
DESIGN ITERATIONS
My first iteration was an exploration of fields and I could create an organic for that interplays both with the internal spaces and the surrounding landscape. While I liked the complexity of the shape and how segments drooped down into the space the transition of this design to a feasible fabricated model lost these qualities and in turn lost my overall desired design outcomes.
Moving away from fields into an exploration of geodesic curves I focused my design to create a cave like form. While I like the fish net quality of this form I felt it didn’t represent the sense of movement effectively. From the ground level the structure would appear plain and there isn’t an interesting interaction between the structure and interior volumes.
24
Through this form I placed a focus on how the 3-point arcs could exaggerate a sense of movement. Creating a sense of levels and an interesting interplay between the ground plain and lower interior space. This design did become the premise for my final surface, however, I did shift away from the gridshell design as the complex angles of the geodesic curves made it difficult to define the overlapping points for fabrication.
COMPUTATION PROCESS
Through my exploration of geodesic
By offsetting points from controlled
Perp frames enabled me to loft a
curves I explored how these curves would form arcs between 3 curves. By manipulating these curves parametric software enabled me to see direct updates of the resulting surface - leading me to my final design.
locations across the surface I was able to extrude singularly curved y-contours for fabrication.
rectangle beam that followed set curves along the surface. Then by constructing domains I was able to set the appropriate widths of each beam so that they would the reflection fabrication materials.
25
FABRICATION PROCESS
The fabrication process of involved various stages and the use of a variety of equipment. The laser cut file was prepared for 2mm thick white PVC. As PVC is a highly brittle material it is important to consider the thickness of the pieces as they become highly difficult to work with and are easily broken when trying to manipulate. To overcome this fragility I used a heat gun to melt the PVC strips so that they could be doubly curved and slot into the singularly curved structural frame. Secondly, working slowly was important so that the super glue could dry before moving on to the next strip. Finally, controlling the heat was vital in ensuring the structural frame was now melted or warped.
26
ISOMETRIC
M3 - Project Name
Timber Structure Detail 1:25
Movement from ground plan into lower interior, controlled by stair case Notches are created to form the primary structure in which horizontal members are bent
Holes in the structure allow light through into the interior space creating shadow patterns that alter throughout the day as well as create views out towards the sky and the moving traffic above
Claire Woodward - 915 504
Fluid shape creates a sense of movement and intergrates seemlessly with the surrounding landscape so the pavilion could easily go unnoticed
The edge peels up to create an enclosed space on the ground plane - allowing people to interact with the structure from above and underneath
Distinct threshold clearly directs movement into the lower level of the pavilion
Low drooping form playfully interacts with the lower space allowing people to interact with the structure and circumabluate around it
Curved interior walls mimic the curved pavilion structure
The stairs narrow at the base forcing people to enter individually and thus encouraging personal interaction with the site
Exploded Isometric 1:50 0
500
1500mm
27
28
29
30
31
DIGITAL DESIGN Semester 1, 2018
32