Final Submission

Here is a zip file containing:

-The interactive PDF (Requires Flash).

-The print-version PDF.

-The third presentation method (Must be opened with Quicktime Player).

-A list of references.

Download it here.

Week 12

My collection of 360 panoramas:

A rendering of my current model:

Draft Text:

It’s fairly clear that this is a one-sided house. The street-facing side of the house is incredibly bland and featureless, betraying nothing of the intricacies within and beyond.

The back side of the house is much more exposed and implies a design based around the view this face commands. Unfortunately, the location of the house has not been determined, so what the view is actually comprised of, remains to be seen.

Julia W. Robinson: “The distinctive arrangement [of house-plans] seem to reflect three distinct spatial categories and territorial types, public-linking to the outside world, private .relating to community activities within the residence, and intimate activities linked to the individual.”.

The Lubbering Residence is abnormal in that it shuns the public type all together, giving a more intense focus on the private, as evidenced by the communal, exterior spaces at the back of the house, as well as the intimate, with the featureless blocks of space and darkly tinted windows providing an intense level of privacy without sacrificing the architectures aesthetic appeal.

The architecture itself also has an aspect of privacy within itself, presenting a bland facade to the outside world, while providing a well-developed sense of finesse to those who gain access to the building.

There is a connection between the privacy/publicity in the library and the contrast between old and new. The old aspects of the building, namely the books and the bookshelves, give the feeling of intimacy, while the newer elements, such as the furniture and the wall rendering, give an exposed and disconnected feeling.

The juxtaposition between the bamboo shoots, as well as the vines, and the modern architectural style of the building, avoids the problem of the building feeling completely cold and featureless. It also demonstrates the power of nature over the most static and immovable of objects.

There are various levels of privacy throughout the building, from the intimate, almost claustrophobic, areas between bookshelves, to small, group-oriented reading areas, to the public courtyard and the balcony. The movement between these spaces is the driving force of this building, turning what was originally a rather dull, modern house, into a dynamic set of spaces which give the originally static building an interactive aspect. Users of the structure can find a level of publicity which they are comfortable with and tailor their usage of the building to their needs and desires.

The wall surrounding the courtyard plays a pivotal role in defining the experience of the buildings users. It combines with the balcony to give a complete sense of enclosure during the initial stages of entry to the building, it then creates a much more public space in which the user can observe the majority of the building, as well as the violation of that spaces boundaries by the bamboo plant.

Once inside the building, the wall becomes an area to be viewed and looked down on, while still maintaining a reasonable level of privacy. This gives the users an impression of dominance and power, which aids in maintaining a seperation of the various spaces within the building.

Plan, Section and Elevation

Plan:

Elevation:

Cross-Section:

Week 11

A small test render for my QTVR panorama's.

An updated draft layout with more continuity, mainly between the first two pages.

My near-finalized model:

Week 11 Independent

I have chosen to use QTVR's as my third method of presentation. A QTVR is a Quicktime Virtual Reality. It involves making a 360-degree panorama and turning into a sphere or a cube, so that the viewer can be placed in the middle and look around. They can also be linked up using 'hotspots' which mean you can have a virtual tour of a building or location. Some examples of QTVR's can be seen here: http://www.fullscreenqtvr.com/

I have chosen this technology because I think it allows the viewer to experience the feel of a space, especially the level of privacy or exposure, and because it makes something which is both interactive but still gives me a large amount of control over how they experience the building.

Draft Layout:

Week 10

Montage:

Week 10 Independent

The Opus City by Drewes+Strenge is another fine example of the subversion of the modern architectur style through the use of materials and the importance of location. This building, like the Lubbering Residence, has a distinct emphasis placed on the view, with the forms of the building designed so as not to interfere or distract from these views. The street-facing side of this house, as with many of their buildings, is almost excessively blocky and betrays little of the content, or even the general shape, of the house.

The purpose of this disconnection from public perception seems to be to completely seperate the residents public activities, such as work, shopping, etc, from their private activities. This is reflected not just in the structure of the house, but also in the materials. The public face presents low-grade concrete and rusted steel plates, while the interior and back-facing views consist of high-quality white render and wooden boards.

The building is presented as an industrial extrusion of a biological system, crisp lines and rough materials suggest efficiency and accuracy, contrasting with the flowing green surroundings and the wildness of the trees at the back fence.

The building itself appears as a block punctuated with unnecessary details; excessively thin windows, useless extrusions of concrete, cantilevered platforms which hover a few centimeters above a potential support, these details allow a closer inspection to reveal that the apparent industrialism has been lampshaded through the addition of aesthetic, subtle imbalances in the apparently systematic form of the structure.

Reference:

- http://www.competitionline.com/de/projekte/45073

- Drewes + Strenge: Opus City residence, Herzebrock, Germany 2003, GA houses, 76, pp. 80-[95], Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, EBSCOhost, viewed 25 September 2011.