Mid Semester Break

hi All,
hope all is going well. Just to recap on a few things from last week and also that you have them in your mind as you are working on your design over the next 2 weeks.

1. Keep a consistent architectural language for your building as it develops. this is one of the most important concepts in architecture and it is what makes good buildings. So it means that the devices or techniques you use that relate to plan, section and elevation are consistent in the building.
2. Understand the materials and types of structure you are using for the facade and how they work in combination with each other and other materials if you have them.
3. Integrate structure, this is critical. do not have 200mm thick concrete floor all through the building and each floor looks the same. the pool has depth so you must consider what happens below it!
4. Green space is lacking in most designs and needs to be properly integrated. dont just put it on the roof and think it is done. It must have a relationship to important parts of the building and be usable and accessible.
5. keep vertical circulation very simple and compact, there are too many designs with very long distances between lifts and stairs. that is not a good idea
6. keep the spatially dynamic experiences that most design have in the first half of the building going up into the residential. very few designs have any proper and decent thoughts around how the residential component is designed. This must be resolved by the time studio resumes.
7. Be imaginative with the spaces for the residential, I repeat again, it is not a conventional residential accommodation and so has flexibility in design and NO internal rooms!!! each residential unit needs to have access to a facade

Can everyone please send me a pdf of no more than 2MB max with progress drawings and some 3D images as i need to see there is progress.

task for Thursday

The information for what is required for this Thursday will be up on blackboard very shortly if not already up so please check the site. make sure you follow the instructions and understand exactly what is required.

I think everyone is working very well so keep it up and it will be a rewarding day. It is important to get to this stage with a final concept design and developed plans and drawings to really understand your scheme and then after this really be able to move it forward in a positive direction. Dont get caught up in small details but get the overall planning to work especially circulation and arrangement of spaces and program. be creative and free with your design and dont be scared to be innovative.

Importantly be sure to represent your building in context with other buildings around, this is very critical to the whole exercise and must be done without fail by everyone.

good luck

Massing/Concept models

To assist with the Studio this week and the tasks required the following outline will provide some clarity;

1. presenting at minimum 3 massing models depicting concept/ideas and the relationships that it creates between various parts of the program. The intention is to be exploratory and creative, the task is not just a collection of program in 3D placed together on the site to produce a random form. (below are example models by Herzog nad DeMeuron showing variations on a concpet that produces different spatial and formal outcomes)

2. present all the background working ideas, like sketches, study models, precedents. be sure to present plans and sections in sketch form but in sufficient detail that depict the spatial complexity and relationships of program in a spatial way, not just a bunch of lines. At the core of the building is the exciting spaces and the relationships they have with each other so the early massing models are looking into that and exploring possibilities and opportunities.


3. It is very important at this stage to use a level of imaginative thought that aims at bringing together the last 2-3 weeks of site studies, investigations, mapping and reading of place,site, context, city etc into the concept of a building. this is done in parallel with really getting deep into the program of the building and understanding each part very well in order that these spatial relationships may develop.

4. I encourage everyone to explore concepts, not just mass up the first one that comes into your head. Remember the process is about getting deeper not just staying at the surface and pushing yourself to a level where you are creating, as we discussed a level of "sophistication"

Studio Thursday 15th August

Hi Everyone

Welcome to the studio blog page, where we can all use it to post views, images, ideas, ask questions and participate allowing everyone to see and benefit. I intend to update and post stuff each week, usually reflections and thoughts about the immediate past studio and about upcoming studio as well as images, references etc for buildings I see that may be relevant and useful.
So feel free to use it, its your resources as well.

regarding this week, its intention is to bring in the context model that everyone has built and we have a working in studio session for the day looking at the building program and how it may be arranged and many other aspects, such as massing, circulation, urban response and so on.

I want everyone to participate and be involved, I think that small session we did last week about the notion of abstraction was a good thing and everyone had a go which is the main idea so that is encouraging and I would like you all to keep that level up, it actually how you get the most out of the studio.