I'm not going to go into depth about what my project is about, but instead show you how I'm going about designing it. I'm currently in the middle of Comprehensive Studio, where my studio partner (Nithin... yes that Nithin) and I basically have to design a community centre from start to finish.
We started with some really general ideas and presented them through sketch models.
Embedding into site landscape
Programmatic plugs that literally plug in
(Nithin's) Cantilever out over the landscape
My second, more developed version of embedding
Basically a lot of ideas were shot down. But we did get the green light on one of our favourite ideas which was to create a completely flexible space that would give its users the freedom to manipulate the space with movable walls and such. From here Nithin and I split up the work, where I worked on the building and the programming and Nithin worked on the landscape.
This is where I went to model everything in computer programs. I've been bouncing back and forth between CAD and Rhino and even a little bit of Revit later on, and I think I've finally had enough of computer programs for now. Here's the progression from mid-Feb.
Level 0 Floor Plan
Level 1 Floor Plan
Reflected Ceiling Plan
Rhino 3D Iterative Models
Final 3D Model for Mid Review (Without the Roof)
And then I got back together with Nithin to put our ideas back together to see if everything still works. And it does more or less. Here's the sketch model we presented for mid-review.
South Facade
Aerial View Looking North
West Facade
My Crappy Attempt at Rendering the Interior with Bad Material Mapping
My Better Attempt at Rendering the Exterior with Good Environment Mapping
My programmatic layout wasn't well received, but our Miesian influence definitely showed through with a little of Tadao Ando and that seemed to excite the crits. I really wanted to design a simple building, where walls would extend out into the landscape and frame the spaces especially when we also spent equal amount of time designing the landscape around the community centre. And to create an interesting space within the rectangular, I thought we could put a little Arthur Erickson "stramp" feature that leads the users from level 1 to level 0. I think the crits liked it... just not where I put it...
Now I'm a little stuck. The rectangular building is so hard to deal with because I don't want to put any programs in it to intrude on the purity of the space. But I had to... and this is the result as of today.
Level 0 Plan
Level 1 Plan
Massing Iterations
What I Settled On
I can't use computer programs to visualize the space anymore... My brain goes blank when I stare at the grey background of CAD and Rhino. And I started using Revit, but that was just another headache in itself from trying to remember what I learned last Summer at Stantec. So I started to make mini models to begin to understand what kind of spaces I've been designing. The models are at 1:50.
Section of North Facade and into Interior Balcony with Windows Closed (Skate Change Area)
Section of North Facade with Windows Open
Another View from the Interior Out
Gantry System that Might Be Considered for Enabling Movable Walls
(I'm so proud of myself because I didn't use any glue for this model and it has wheels!)
Gantry System with Wall Moving Around
Gantry System without Wall
And this is where I left the project today. I really enjoyed the physical models and that will probably be my approach from here on out. We have a 1:20 detail model to present for the next pin-up, so might as well start now. Besides, my model making skills have always been better than my graphic representing skills, so instead of plans and sections maybe I'll make plan models and section models!
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