Presentation - Week 15

Here is my layout design for the A1 poster that is to be displayed during the digital presentation:


Here is how i have designed the layout for my digital presentation:













This brings me to the end of this unit. I feel i have learnt more in this unit than any other design subject. Working with the module really opened my eyes up to the other types of design methods out there.

Thanks Ryan, wicked tutorials.

Project 3 Development - Week 14

It is time to start my final drawings. In this process i normally decide to alter and add extra diagrams to better explain my ideas. Here are only my new drawings with improved line weights and labeling techniques:

Project 3 Development - Week 13 b

What is going on with my facade??? As it interacts with people when they walk near it does this mean that when there are no people present the facade will be closed and 'dead'.

This is not how i want the facade to be seen, i want it to be lively, become a feature and create enjoyment and attraction to the people walking past. Yes, the facade has the ability to respond to the movement of people but it also has a programed choreography.

I imaging the facade to become a type of sclupture that will make people stop and watch the moving building and its moving facade as a type of movie or artwork.Here are some concept sketches:



Here is a draft of a detail of the facade:

Project 3 Development - Week 13

The module and its construction was brought up in today's class. How does my module piece together and whats it made of?

I have been experimenting with different types of drawing techniques, as well as different types of joints and materials. Here are some initial ideas:




Finding that this will need many nuts and bolts i think it is justifiable to propose that my design can be welded. It can be an assembly of welded RHS and the other parts could 'slide/clip' into place around the steel frame:


One material that caught my attention is TPR, Thermo Poly Rock - http://www.affresol.com/non-timber-framed-low-cost-housing.asp

Project 3 Development - Week 12 b

This week i have been looking into what i would like my site to become. I would like to turn the area into a parkland making it a space where people can 'escape' from the city:


Perhaps i could try to express this in my site plan?...here is an undeveloped sketch:


The site is in a great place to 'escape' considering the surrounding areas are so densely built up and that the site acts as a thoroughfare connecting some main areas such as New Farm to the CBD and Fortitude Valley. Here are some diagrammatic images of the sites context:


What are some interesting ways to show how i could be attracting people from the surrounding suburbs.... maybe something like this:

Project 3 Development - Week 12

I also have noticed that i need to design toilets and change rooms. I think that this will take up an entire section of my building so i need to design them so they do not disrupt the flow of circulation through my room modules. Here is a sketch showing my ideas:


Now that i have a repeatable circulation module and designed the change room section its time to produce a floor plan so i can begin to work on the other images such as sections and elevations. Here is the floor plan:

Project 3 Development - Week 11 b

This week i have been focusing mainly on ways to improve the circulation throughout my building, both vertically and horizontally. Currently my stairs system works on the same principles as 'collapsible attic stairs' this is useful in that it means a fixed staircase will never be left unused and in the way, as you can tuck it up into the ceiling.



However it defeats the purpose of having a repeatable module. To do this i would need to make more modules, for the assignment i would like to keep the 'custom' modules to a minimum.

If i could design a stairs system that did not intrude on the room module then it would make the construction process much simpler. Here is an idea that i think has the potential to work:


This would be an aditional module simply for circulation purposes, it would be attached to the room modules on the inside of the circle. This still uses the 'trap door' charachteristic of attic stairs - it has a slideable roofing and flooring section to alow movement from level to level. The beinfits of this module is that it keeps the stairs out of the way, provides aditional circulation passages and could become a feature along the walls of my design.

Project 3 Development - Week 11

One point raised, perhaps the most important, is that i need to explain more clearly my concept and how it is integrated into my design.

The fitness centres design has been based on the concept “interaction”. The design has been influenced by the interaction between a sunflower and the sun. A sunflower is constantly re-orientating its flower to ensure its face captures the maximum amount of solar rays. This provides the plant with the energy that it needs to grow, and flourish.

Like the sunflower the fitness centre can move, re-orientating itself to suit changes in the external environment. It will respond to changes in sun angle, wind, temperature, noise, and rain. It changes its form to best suit the real time conditions, providing the people within the building with conditions for the best quality of living.

Here are some digramatic images showing how my building could respond in a similar fashion to a sunflower in the sense that it orientates and reshapes itself to suit the external conditions:

Project 2 revisal - Week 10 b

Here are some images that could be further developed:

In my sections and elevations i need to use cross hatching to show the ground being cut and also use a thicker line weight for the ground line:


Labeling would be handy for explaining images such as this:


When showing a site plan its not an aerial view so only show the ground - there is no need to show the bridge (it only disrupts the site plan). This is also a good area in the presentation to explain its relationship to the surroundings 'context':


It is good to show possibilities but when showing these you should also explain why these are useful:


This perspective looks rather flat, adding water color or even just line weights would help to add more depth and feel to the image:

Project 2 revisal - Week 10

As last week was presentation week it seemed appropriate to use this weeks tutorial for "revisal". What could change about project 2? What are its strengths and weaknesses??

After discussing with the tutor and fellow students i had a list of some obvious alterations that could better the design.

For the next project its not a matter of producing more images but using what i already have and 'fine tuning' them. I need to:

- better communicate my concept and show how it is integrated into the design
- redesign the circulation system ie the stairs proposal
- learn to use line weights to my benefit, to help show more depth in my drawings
- add labeling to some images
- speak of the surroundings ie the greater context of the surrounding city
- research further into material for the module and its construction techniques
- further develop the facade
- possibly look into how my pool could also be modular

Building Presentation - Week 9b

I decided i would like to do my presentation in a PDF file. I think it will be much more effective as when using slides from PowerPoint you can find yourself talking about images that are not on the current slide, its hard to get a reference from other drawings when needed. The PDF will give me the opportunity to slide between drawings and images, hopefully giving people a better understanding of my proposal. This is my final layout for project 2:

Building Development - Week 9

This week i have spent my time finalising my ideas and drawings. Focusing on the criteria i have attempted to cover the design concept, context, tectonic, function, contribution, and theme related issue - the module.

Here are my developed drawings and images (including photos of a good copy model):

Building Development - Mid Semester Break

Finally, it is time to begin the drawings! Firstly i needed to work out a floor plan:

During the design of this i had to constantly think about what rooms would be sitting on top of other rooms and i came to the conclusion that i needed a model. Here are a few snap shots of my model: (Thoughts on how the stairs system would interlock are the black marks)







Here is only a small number of the possible arrangements:






The stair system was quite hard for me to figure out. I needed to think of a way to make my floor plan adjustable and flexible. Here was some initial ideas about a trap door system that i refined for my presentation:



Having a developed floor plan and a stairs system made it possible for me to then play with the form in section. I decided to focus on 2 contrasting arrangements to show the diversity of the proposal. Here are 2 drawings in development:


Now that i had figured out the basics of my design i thought i should start fine tuning some of the details, such as how the rooms would move and lift... i was able to come up with a system of rails and hydraulic jacks. Here are some drawings in development:



Even though my building has this ability to move and interact with the sun, wind, rain etc i feel that it is lacking in its ability to interact with people. This prompt me to think about how my building could respond to a persons movements through out and around it. I eventually realised that its circular form could be utilised on its facade! the facade could somehow move as people move. I explored this idea and came up with an idea that the face of the building could be a 'dynamic facade'. Here are some concept sketches: