Assignment 3 - Gallery Modular

The SANAA Zollverein Design School focuses strong on the concept of a grid design while also playing with the viewer’s perception of scale. By having a large unorganised grid of windows it doesn’t allow the viewer the ability to establish sizes of area or heights of floors which draws back on its impact on the local setting. Similarly BIG’s design the Wall in Taipei City also uses similar concepts in that it has a grid design and at first look it appears to be quite a regular grid but to increase their building floor space they have wrapped the building along a curved path. The Wall in Taipei City also has a strong concept of a porous scale with the large openings allowing light and atmosphere to pass through reducing the perception the viewer has of the size and impact of the building. I have therefore decided to follow these two concepts of the grid design and the use of this porous scale theme to design an art gallery. The art gallery follows the cube and irregular window layout to reduce the sense of scale achieved as well as establishing itself along a path that weaves through the local setting leaving it with a minimal impact.

Renders:

Videos:

Link to Interactive PDF with embeded model download:

http://www.gamefront.com/files/22477463/z3420053_AndersHuxtable_InteractivePoster.zip

Assignment 3 - Update

 This is the direction I am taking with this assignment I plan on designing an art gallery with two main exhibition spaces. The two concepts being the grid designed which is followed through the size of each cube and also the windows which will be added to each face, the other concept is trying to make quite a solid building as 'porous' as possible by having gaps between walls and large window opeinings etc to allow light and environments to pass through. 

Similarly to the Wall in Taipei by BIG Architects as you walk through the gallery you will follow a path created by the building footprint as well as the interior allocation of spaces with the grid concept in mind.

Continuing with the fllowing of a path the building will wrap over the landscape in the cryengine environment which is suggested in this photo with the changing floor levels.

Project2 - Week 8

The building I studied for Project 1 was SANAA’s Gifu Apartment Block where I follow the two themes of a Light Controlled Design that has a reduced impact on the local environment as well as following a Grid structure and layout throughout the building.For Project 2 my new SANAA building is the Zollverein School of Management and Design as well as a new architect’s building that will be BIG Architect’s Wall Taipei City Wall which is an apartment building.

Some of the themes and programmes that as evident in these two new buildings can be seen in the Project 1 building and some new ones have been introduced:

Light Controlled Design

This is evident in Zollverein School of Management and Design with the many windows and openings that are randomly located throughout the building allowing light to travel through and helping with reducing its impact on the local environment. This can also be discussed with the use of a plain white finish on the concrete walls as they are not imposing and not necessarily attention grabbing. BIG’s Wall also displays this concept with the building continually having almost a checkerboard look to it allowing many openings in it. By allowing light and vision to pass through people don’t see the building as big and imposing as it may actually be.

Sense of Scale

Within the Zollverein School building through the use of randomly sized and placed windows anyone viewing from the exterior has trouble gaining a sense of scale of the building as they are unable to find where floor levels start and begin and therefore the building is able to invoke a certain aspect of curiosity. The Taipei Wall apartment building also uses this concept with their build by looking at it you get the sense that it is much smaller than what it really is but as you come closer and see people living in it you gain a sense of how big it really is when you are able to gather a sense of scale from these people.

Use of Grid through Design

The use of the grid system can also be explored through both these buildings the Zollverein School uses this ununiformed grid to confuse the viewer in relation to the scale of the building. But by keeping to this structured concept it achieves this grid concept where the aim is achieved. BIG’s Taipei Wall use the grid layout in their checkerboard looking building as they originally wanted to reduce the impact on the local land space so they used this concept to build upwards and then by following the grid format they were able to create a light, non-imposing building that also plays with the viewer’s sense of scale.

For Project 2 I have decided to design a residential house that is inspired by the two concepts of Light Controlled Design as well as this Sense of Scale that is seen evident in the two above buildings. This will be a house that will be both functional as well as a mark on design and concepts. My concept Designs are as follows:

A cube orientated design where by using the grid system and stacking them to reduce the impact on the local land they also create undercover outdoor areas which are both private and protected.

Through the use of the randomly placed and scaled windows and openings on the façades viewers find it difficult to read and understand the size and program of the building.

Project 2 - Comparative Visual Analysis

For Project 2 I have SANAA's Zollverein School Management and Design in Essen, Germany as well as BIG Architect's "Wall" Taipei City Wall.

In the Following images SANAA's Zollverein School is on the right hand side and BIG's Apartment Wall is on the left hand side:

Name: Punctured

Introduction:

The apartment building in Gifu designed by SANAA Architects tested the boundaries to original concepts throughout apartment designers. Their mission was to create a building which would not impose on the local environment through a light controlled designed with lots of openness to it. By designing the building with terraces and balconies that go from one side through to the other face allows light to pass through creating the feeling that the building isn’t big and imposing on the local environment. Another one of their concepts was to develop a systematic grid structure where various aspects of apartments all fitted to this single sized module. By then varying the layouts and floor plans of each apartment they were able to have many variations that would suit each prospective family to live in. This also ensured that they steered away from the systematic and structured look of many apartments buildings and were able to develop a more interesting and varying façade. Through this use of the grid with different styled apartments placed throughout developed a lot of suspicion from local eyes as they were never quite able to decide where each apartment started and finished. 

A3 Poster Composition:

2 Progress Iterations of Model:

Electronic Submission:

http://www.mediafire.com/?15fgf7z985ltfee

Animation

in case the embed code doesnt work here is the link:
http://youtu.be/-rgYsmYnhcM

Assignment 1 Electronic Submission

Here is the link to Electronic Submission Folder download from mediafire.com.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wuujwr67ivocxud