Animations and Inspiring Images ARCH1101 EXP1 2014 - Final Submission

Source of inspiration for above ground Heston Blumenthal kitchen, restaurant and patio space which was themed 'Cosmic'.

Source of inspiration for below ground level featuring Steinway and Sons' workshop and exhibition space which was themed 'Serenade'.

Section sketch for final design, themed 'Cosmic-Serenade'.

Final Submission: ARCH1101 EXP1 2014

Northern elevation. Cosmic-inspired dome encases Heston Blumenthal's kitchen on the western side, constructed from compressed, smoothly textured concrete. The satellite-like perforated steel roof held up by titanium supports shelters an outdoor patio on the eastern side which gives a view of the surrounding forest. The piano-inspired curvature of the main walls is encased in porous stone.

Eastern elevation. The cosmic-inspired staircase leading to the kitchens and patio is exposed with blue-tinted glass to maximise views of the forest sunrise. 

Northern section elevation. Serenade-inspired theme clearly visible in lower level where Steinway & Sons' workshop is situated complete with an elevator to transport pianos to the exhibition space on the ground floor. The rustic oak floorboards imitate the role of wood inside a hollow instrument, such as a piano, to provide better acoustics for the open-plan design. Small cobblestones set into granite line the walls along which the lower glass staircases are mounted.

36 Custom Textures

BELOW GROUND TEXTURES
Top row from left to right: amorphous, compressed, cracked, honeycombed.
Second row from left to right: porous, rough, concentric.
Third row from left to right: solid, stratified, granular, tarnished.
Bottom row from left to right: splintered, flaky, patchy.

LEVEL GROUND TEXTURES
Top row from left to right: corrugated, criss-crossed.
Second row from left to right: geometric, magnetic.
Third row from left to right: metallic, weaved.
Fourth row from left to right: symmetrical, veiny.

ABOVE GROUND TEXTURES
Top row from left to right: raised, translucent, barked.
Second row from left to right: tensile, fragile, perforated, feathery.
Third row from left to right: protruding, reflective, voided.
Bottom row from left to right: contoured, ribbed, meshy, converging.

Design Proposal 2: EXP 1 ARCH1101

Three textures added to the below (cracked), surface (magnetic) and above ground (converging) levels.

Front elevation.

Perforated mesh applied to the undulating roof.

Section of elevation showing each product of the two clients to scale; the pianos of Steinway & Sons in the basement workshop and dishes of Heston Blumenthal in the kitchen.

Inspiration Clip for Final Design: Stairs and Materiality.

HESTON BLUMENTHAL: THE STAIR, PART TWO.

STEINWAY & SONS: THE STAIR, PART ONE.

18 Sections

HESTON BLUMENTHAL AND STEINWAY & SONS: Design Proposal for Workshop and Exhibition Space

The design I have chosen from my 18 sketches to bring to fruition in SketchUp Make is on the bottom half of the page. It incorporates the use of cones, both upright and inverted. 

Above ground: Serenade

Below ground: Orbit

Each space, including the two workshops and the exhibition level, is round and revolves about a central stairwell. I chose a spiral staircase built into the granite cone which orbits about the section's axis of symmetry, very much like sand in the bottom of an hourglass as it makes a minute whirlpool. 

The exhibition space is decked out with lavish floorboards and a thick glass viewing platform where incoming displays can be seen as they are brought up from the workshop below. A complete circumnavigation of the internal stairwell brings the visitor to the slightly inclined ramp with glass barricades which leads up to the storeroom on the top level.

Above ground, the design is widened at the top to mimic a gramophone or the bell of a musical instrument releasing sound into the surroundings.

Three Clients.

HESTON BLUMENTHAL

Noun - Saturn
Adjective - Cosmic
Verb - Orbit

STEINWAY & SONS

Noun - Ornament
Adjective -  Classical
Verb - Serenade

REVIVIAL CYCLES

Noun - Machine
Adjective - Mechanical
Verb - Rev

Three Inspiring Images

This bridge designed by my Engineering Design group in early 2013 is one of my prize creations. It is an arch and cable-stay bridge made predominantly from cardboard. What I love most about its design is the symmetry we were able to achieve with the arch which appears solid but is actually hollow, deeming the string supports holding up the keystone of the arch necessary. This design incorporates curves below the road and straight lines above the road for geometric variation.

The Great Wall of China embodies all human feats that have ever been made in the field of architecture and construction. It undulates beautifully over such a lush landscape in the warmer months and such an unforgiving landscape in the wintertime, dotted here and there by monolithic guardhouses. The shear incline of its slopes allows it to uniquely capture light in its rustic stone walls, making it such an impressive structure with broad history.

I visited Beijing late in 2013, one of the prime reasons being to experience the city's archicture; in particular, the Bird's Nest. Experiencing it's sheer mass is nothing like viewing it in a photograph; the stadium's unorthodox widening around the top leans over the insignificant crowds who circumnavigate it from below.