The Moving Elements

My two moving elements are the elevator and the rotating helix elevator shaft. The helix shaft modifies the observer's view of the folly as they descend towards it in the elevator. 

FINAL SUBMISSION EXP3

The bridge, from varying vantage points.

The folly, viewable from any point of the curved bridge.

The foyer of the School.

The computer labs.

The studio space.

The gallery space.

Gallery space from studio level.

The lecture theatre.

The library and student meeting space.

Library from stairwell.

Walkway to elevator shaft.

View from post-grad research rooms.

The elevator to the folly.

The folly on the valley floor.

Peer Evaluation

As a studio exercise, I evaluated the progress of Holly He and Layla Kia. My comments are included above.

Conceptual Planning: insight into the Design Process

The plan I chose to base the section of my Engineering School on was that of the Villa Mairea designed by Alvar Aalto. Out of every other plan presented in the lecture, this one seemed to fit best in the context of my landscape, since my School is perched atop a butte and requires an elevator shaft to the valley floor. I could also envision a very simplistic layout of the required spaces (eg. library, lecture theatre etc.) in this plan, which I have defined in the lower image.

After planning the use of space, it was time to put thought into my exterior. Due to the interesting curvature present in the plan, I decided to treat the required spaces as compartments that could slide into one another.  I concluded that much of the slanted sections of the facade should be made of glass to take full advantage of the striking desert views. This image of the Daum Space in South Korea invoked a response from me and gave me ideas for the resulting form of my School design.

A rough sketch collaborating all of my thoughts helped me work out how I would incorporate the bridge, the School, the moving elements, the folly and the valley into one dynamic, complementary design. I believed a curved and banked bridge  would better integrate with the undulation of the creviced landscape, along with the sinusoidal frame I added to the initial bridge design. The moving elements (the elevator and its' spiral helix shaft) would be of a similar form to the bridge and would lead to a flat platform on which the folly is located. The folly, visible from any angle on the curvilinear bridge, would be located on a shallow cliff overlooking the deep creviced valley floor.

The section through the foyer of my school maintains a similar shape to that of the Villa Mairea plan, with some variation. This section cut gives insight into the lecture theatre, workshop, gallery space, and studio space and offices (in ascending order as you rise through the left-hand side of the section.)

Link to Dropbox - Lumion Landscape

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5r5iacmmu2ln5rg/AAA-48Quz7h1eJOZQ0y_oHnFa

Link to SketchUp Model: 3D Warehouse

The Architectural Folly EXP3

My folly is inspired by the theory Consistency vs Creativity and follows on from my first draft of the bridge design, using recursive iterations. The folly features what appear to be six doorways in scale which turn a corner and twist and rise into pointlessness. This is to mirror the innovative design process of an engineering student at the school; it begins rationally and can rapidly turn into something complex. The 'doorways' anchoring the twisting frame to the ground represents a grounding force, reminding the students to stay grounded in their design process and to stay practical rather than develop ideas that are too unrealistic. Practicality is of huge importance in engineering which is why I have chosen to incorporate this into my design. 

36 Custom Textures EXP3

Initial ideas for bridging the valley...

The conceptual design of my bridge is also based on the theory Consistency vs Creativity, focusing in particular on the use of Recursive Iterations in architecture. I have put this into practice by repeating a simple rectangle with curved edges, rotating it at 5 degrees and slightly altering its scale each time. 

My source of inspiration for the bridge design comes from this bridge in Evry, France.

Recursive iterations in mathematics and coding: an inspirational form.

Initial ideas for a moving element...

My moving element is based on the theory I have chosen to capture in the design of the School - Consistency vs Creativity.   This image depicts what the corridors connecting each part of my School will look like.

The moving element consists of 3 small and 2 large rotating turbines with slanted blades. The larger and smaller set rotate in opposing directions (clockwise and anticlockwise) creating wind power intended to light up the School at night.

My source of inspiration for this comes from Michael Jantzen's Wind Tunnel Footbridge.

Two-Point Perspectives EXP3

Mash-Up of words from three feature articles.

THEORIES TOUCHED ON:

1. Cradle to grave

2. The effect of social hierarchy on the importance of building elements

3. Function over aesthetics

4. Maximising design potential by taking full advantage of aspect

REFERENCES

Benton Johnson and David Horos, "A New Way to Build Tall", civil + structural ENGINEER, April 2014.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, "At Long Last: A Concrete That's Nearly Maintenance-Free,  Newswise Inc., 9 April 2014.

T.R Witcher, "Denver Designs and Intermodal Powerhouse", Civil Engineering, 13 May 2014.

Australian Landscape: Lumion Environment

My source of inspiration for a valley is Mungo National Park in far western NSW. It's deep crevices have a very expressive light quality, casting deep shadows which exaggerate the contours of the landscape.

In the process of creating a similar landscape I encounter issues reproducing the linearity of the crevices. I decided to focus instead on contrasts in latitude which make the valley look more impressive from various vantage points. I envision my final School of Engineering spanning the towering buttes and perhaps even boring through them.