Tuesday, 12 June 2012

PROCESS TO THE DEMARCATED BLOC

The evolution of the Demarcated Bloc, which translates from English to English as a designated area for sharing a common purpose, was guided by the overarching principle of pared-back simple geometries which facilitates learning as perfected by the Russian Constructivist Avant Garde artists and architects in the 1920s.

Floor plates were derived by isolating the circle and the rectangle, combining them and dissecting them to create a complex looking, but open arrangement of spaces


Subsequent floors followed suit, with attention paid to the adjacencies, stair placement, roof and footings as well as the lift shaft. 


Seen on a previous blog entry, this above image demonstrates the capabilities of computer aided design.  But my insistence on pursing Revit for modelling, rendering and exporting meant that I probably did not explore the possibilities of 3DS Max as far as I could have. I cannot question the experimentality that can be achieved though generative design, how I feel, that by creating shapes for the sack of creating shapes does not lend itself well to a considered floor plan and elevational output. 



The above form which was achieved by the floor plates in a previous blog entry, in all honesty surprised me.  The simplicity of the geometries when light and shadow bounced around them have created a seriously interesting form without the need to export to a more complex RAM eating computer program. Yes, the form is similar to that we experienced in the 1950s and 1960s, yet I believe that the Modern ethos of form follows function, has rung particularly true with this design process.  The white massing and dark glazing facilitates comparison, but I find that extraneous materiality and colour detract from what should be assessed - the design of the arrangement of spaces, its usability and impact of the site.


Detail is important.

Above is a sketch render of the individual student workstations which proliferate through the four levels of the building.  The base plate has wheels (and brakes) and the side panels can be constructed from opaque, translucent or coloured acrylic or ply and can be slid down to enable an environment more conducive to collaborative learning.  A mentality initiated in my group folly and by the Socialist Russians.  Once again streamline curves dominate - harsh lines on a flat packed product scream IKEA and offer no reflection to the flexibility and malleability of the design students mind.


I believe that a successful collaboration between the arts and architecture and its bedfellow CAD can be achieved.  I gave it a fair dinkum crack anyway.



Friday, 8 June 2012

FLOOR PLATES 2

ground floor plan


first floor plan



second floor plan


third floor plan


roof plan






Monday, 21 May 2012

FLOOR PLATES

ground floor

first floor
second floor
third floor


Tuesday, 1 May 2012

ELUCIDATORY AXIS

generative design does not tumble from the head as simply as the words fall from the mouth.  consideration into how to best manipulate the software is of paramount importance.  sometimes, when unsure, floundering, mouse clicking aimlessly, an idea can appear.  is it that different from the graphite which scratches the parchment?




inspiration can come from a number of sources.  as in the previous post, russian constructivist art and architecture ran parallels with the first folie design.  instead of taking this as a literal interpretation, the geometric qualities, strong axis and simple materiality was chosen as a parameter for which to continue with project 2.






attempts at conceptualising a seed of an idea in a three dimensional format can be successful or not.  but attempting is the first step.  below are some google 'sketch'ups which were generated through interpolating a 2d axis, which was considered from site analysis, into a three dimensional representation





this process was repeated over a number of different site analysis connections.  the below was chosen due to its simple form, defined access and manoeuvrability into a functional building.  

in order to turn this generative mass into a building requires the flexibility of possibility and the reverence to engage with limitations


the site

as the building will sit close to the edge of the cliff face, it is important that the structure still receives enough light, breeze and ventilation.  this is achieved through glazed curtain walls and operable screens.


the modular arrangement

shipping containers will transport all material to site.  this places a limitation on the width and breadth of chosen materials.  by prefabricating modular components and considering dimensions of room sizes, an efficient and effective design can be obtained.  this also enables incorporation of the Folie's tectonic structure - which utilised operable walls to control views and perspectives.


the deconstruction and reinterpretation

the form of the building was developed through the deconstruction of the google sketch up model.  this deconstruction involved ripping apart the individual components and reorganising them into a logical sequence that not only fulfilled the required functional requirements but also the square meterage restrictions.



the connection with the folie

the operable screens and internal partitions allow for both individual and group spaces.  this flexibility ensures a community orientated learning experience, whilst also providing the necessary individual spaces as required in the brief.


the result

as an accumulation of the above processes, the building has developed from a simple axial approach, derived from site analysis into a more complex form.






Tuesday, 17 April 2012

THE PROCESS BEGINS

brief__an extension to the school of design__design and exhibition spaces__100 x individual studio spaces

area__max 4 levels__500sqm footprint

location__howard smith wharves

constraints__construction parts are brought in__in shipping containers__so majority of construction is prefabricated

reference__programme for the first working group of constructivists_alexander rodchenko_1921
  1. In the ideological sphere__to prove theoretically and practically the incompatibility of aesthetic activity with the functions of intellectual and material production__the real participation of intellectual and material production as an equal element in the creation of [ __ ] culture
  2. in the practical sphere__to construct designs__to organise exhibitions
  3. in the agitational sphere__the group declares an uncompromising war on art__it asserts that the art of the past is unacceptable for the [ __ ] forms of constructivist structures

The ‘First Working Group of Constructivists’ emphasises the importance in the materiality of art – which provides insight, expression and reflection through ‘application’, the inherent ‘properties’ and the ‘significance’ of the material in said installation (Rodchenko, A. et al. 1922. p342). In conjunction with the material itself, the art must also incorporate such formal qualities as “time, space, volume, plane, colour,
line and light”, (Rodchenko, A. et al. 1922. p342).





russian suprematism__fundamentally distinct geometric forms__square and circle

signify new beginning__new order__forms in movement and through time

shifting axis__multiple perspective





el lissitzky_Wolkenbügel (cloud-iron)__1942

a comparison with_revealation__2012





Rodchenko, A. and V. Stepanova, "Programme of the First Working Group of
Constructivists" in Harrison, Charles and Wood, Paul,Art in theory, 1900-2000 : an
anthology of changing ideas, Oxford, U.K: Blackwell, pp.341-343



Friday, 2 March 2012

What a Folly


William Gronow-Davis' 65ft Folly in his estate at 
Dorset (The Telegraph, 2009)







A folly (or folie) by various sourced definitions, could be described as a distinctive, functionally useless structure, built for aesthetics and to lend interest to a view (Dictionary.com, 2012, Harris, C.M. 2006).


Sharpe's Folly, alledgedly the oldest folly in Britain  
Built approximately 1720s (Rothbury The Village, 2012)

Historically, in the 18th and 19th centuries Europeans built these 'ornamental structures' based upon the classical architecture of Italy and Greece (Folly By Design, n.d). Although contemporary renditions do exist.  For example this folly below, by architects, BaumHauer was erected in 2010 in Southern Germany.

Originally designed as an outdoor pavilion, the owners 
instead went down the route of an 
"oversized abstract piece of furniture" (BaumHauer, nd)
























French architect, Tschumi, after winning a competition in 1983, revitalised the abandoned slaughterhouses of La Villiette into a folly wonderland.  The landscape was dotted with these "activators of space" which crossed the "circulation paths" of the parkland (Bure, G. 2008). 


A Tschumi Folie (Superstock, 2012)



Without a specific function or program, the objects, provide an aesthetic "signpost" highlighting journey specific walkways to and from the stations and along the canal (Bure, G. 2008).


A Tschumi Folie (RoryRory, 2003)


Inspired by post-structuralist theory, such as the works of Derrida, Tschumi, envisioned a series of architectural objects which embodied such terms as "disassociated", "disjoined" and "dislocated".  Seen primarily in the individual form, but also in the "superimposed points, lines and planes" of the grid-like layout of the design (Bure, G. 2008). 


Design Render (Bernard Tschumi Architects, nd)



The finished folies respond to the environment, taking cues from the existing landscape and employing conventional architectural techniques to make the most of light, shade and space (Bure, G. 2008). Tschumi bought the notion of the 18th century folly into the 20th through clever use of design conventions and response to the varied activities of those who meander, pause, play, rest and exercise in and around the folies of La Villette. 


References:

  • Baumhauer, n.d. 'Projekt: Folie'. sourced March 2, 2012 from http://www.baumhauer.com/?p=390.
  • Bernard Tschumi Architects, n.d. 'Parc de la Villette'. sourced March 12, 2012 from http://www.tschumi. com/projects/3/#.
  • Bure, G. 2008. Paris / La Villette. In. 'Bernard Tschumi'. ed. G. Bure, 47-73. Birkhäuser: Basel.
  • Dictionary.com, 2012. 'Folly'. sourced February 29, 2012 from http://dictionary.reference.com/ browse/folly
  • Flickriver, 2012, 'Bernard Tschumi - Park de la Villette 1987 - 91'. sourced March 2, 2012 from http://www.flickriver.com/photos/roryrory/2520835792/.
  • Folly By Design, n.d. 'What is a Folly?'. sourced March 2, 2012 from http://www.follybydesign.    com/what/full/index.php.
  • Harris, C.M. 2006. 'Dictionary of Architecture & Construction' 4th Ed. 430. New York: McGraw Hill.
  • Rothbury the Village, 2012. 'Sharpe's Folly'. sourced March 2, 2012 from http://www.rothbury .co.uk/around/duegar.htm.
  • The Telegraph, 2009, 'Millionaire builds 65ft folly on estate'. sourced March 2, 2012 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5777945/Millionaire-builds-65ft-folly-on-estate.html.
  • Superstock, 2012. 'Bernard Tschumi's Folies'. sourced March 2, 2012 from http://www.superstock .com/stock-photos-images/1566-0173815.