MEDIATED REPRESENTATIONS
Project Premise:
The second project of the semester, entitled “Mediated Representations”, is designed to further expand your abilities in architectural thinking via architecture representation. “Mediated Representations” echoes to the contemporary condition of architectural representation, theory, and communication. With advent of AI and computer-aided design, the agency of the architect’s control is therefore mediated. Considering the orthographic drawings as a starting point, students are able to interrogate the representation of the project by exploring different conventions, conflating elements in iterative and mechanical ways and searching for alternative realities/narratives. The project initially further seeks to develop comfort in using orthographic space as a generative element to architectural ideas rather then as an afterthought; The orthographic space as the thinking space is just as important. To allow for architect’s agency development and an approach to architectural project that is not client driven. The project emphasizes experimentation with conventions, representation, fabrication, craft, aesthetic and formal language development and communication.
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PARTNER:
MONIQUE NESPOR
FLOOR PLAN & ARCHITECTURE STYLE STUDIES
ART NOUVEAU: VIENNA SECESSION
THE ARCHITECT OF THE VIENNA SECESSION BUILDING IS JOSEPH MARIA OLBRICH. THEY BUILDING TYPE IS AN EXHIBITION HALL, LOCATED IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA. THE BUILDING MATERIALS INCLUDE BRICK WITH IRON REINFORCEMENTS, THE SURFACE IS COVERED IN PLASTER AND WHITEWASHED. THE SAYING ON THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING READS “DER ZEIT IHRE KUNST/DER KUNST IHRE FREIHEIT” WHICH MEANS TO EVERY AGE ITS ART, EVERY ART ITS FREEDOM. iT EMPHASISES THE DESIRE TO FORM A REPRESENTATIVE ARTISTIC
LANGUAGE. THE VIENNA SECESSION WAS A GROUP OF ARTIST, ARCHITECTS, AND DESIGNERS THAT BROKE AWAY FROM THE MAIN ESTABLISHMENT OF VIENNESE ARTISTS TO FORM THEIR OWN GROUP
CHINESE: temple OF hEAVEN
THE ARCHITECT OF THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN IS THE MING EMPEROR SHIZONG. THE BUILDING IS A TAOIST TEMPLEA, SCARED PLACE WHERE EMPERORS OF THE MING DYNASTY AND QING DYNASTY HELD THE HEAVEN WORSHIP CEREMONIES. IT IS LOCATED IN BEIJING, CHINA. THE BUILDING MATERIALS INCLUDE BRICK, WOOD, AND WHITE MARBLE. IT IS CHINA’S LARGEST AND MOST REPRESENTATIVE EXISTING MASTERPIECE AMONG CHINA’S ANCIENT SACRIFICIAL BUILDINGS. THE HEAVEN SACRIFICE CEREMONY INCLUDES PRAYER FOR GRACES FROM HEAVEN AND FULL HARVENTS ON EARTH. THE BUILDINGS SHAPES INCLUDE CIRCLES AND SQUARES WHICH RELATES TO THE CHINESE BELIEF “HEAVEN IS ROUND, EARTH IS SQUARE”
THIS PROJECT HAS MADE ME THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE WAY I LOOK AT FLOOR PLANS. I CAN NOW RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCES IN HOW DIFFERENT STYLES DRAW PLANS. FOR EXAMPLE, HOW THICK THE POSHEING OF THE WALLS, HOW A TO SHOW ASCENDING AND DESCENDING, HOW COLUMNS OR WINDOWS CAN BE DRAWN, ETC. THE MAIN THEMES WE FOUND WAS SYMMETRY, HAVING A CENTER FOCAL POINT, ASCENDING AND DESCENDING, AND SQUARES VS. CIRCLES
FLOOR PLAN ITERATIONS
FIRST FLOOR PLAN ITERATION SKETCHES: I TOOK ELEMENTS I LIKED FROM EACH OF THE FLOOR PLANS. FOR EXAMPLE: HAVING A CENTER, USING CIRCLES AND SQUARES, HAVING A “CROSSING” PATTERN, COLUMNS, AND STAIRS. I COMBINED THESE RULES MAKING PATTERNS AND SHAPES.
FIRST ITERATION: I TOOK BOTH THE FLOOR PLANS AND COMBINED THEM. STARTING WITH THE TEMPLE IN THE CENTER AND THE VIENNA BUILDING CONNECTING ON THE SIDES. I USED THE POCHE THAT WAS USED ON EACH OF THE FLOOR PLANS. I WANTED TO CAPTURE THE “MAZE”EFFECT THAT THE TEMPLE CREATED, BY COMBINING THE BUILDINGS.
i WAS INTERESTED IN CIRCULATION PATHS OF MY FLOOR PLAN ITERATION DUE TO THE FACT THAT THESE FLOOR PLAN CREATED A MAZE LIKE STRUCTURE. i BUILT A FLOOR PLAN MODEL AND ROLLED A PAINT BALL THROUGH THE MAZE AND CREATED 16 STUDIES. I USED COLORS THAT WERE INSPIRED FROM ART NOUVEAU.
SECTION ITERATIONS
FIRST SECTION ITERATION SKETCHES: WE USED THE SAME BUILDINGS FROM THE PLAN PORTION OF THE PROJECT. I TOOK ELEMENTS I LIKED FROM EACH OF THE SECTIONS. . FOR EXAMPLE: HIERARCHY OF TRIANGLES, HORIZONTAL ELEMENTS LIKE COLUMNS, DOMES, AND SHAPES SUCH AS SQUARES AND CIRCLES.. I COMBINED THESE RULES MAKING PATTERNS AND SHAPES LIKE I DID FOR THE PLANS.
FIRST ITERATION: I TOOK BOTH SECTIONS AND COMBINED THEM. I WANTED TO FOLLOW THE RULES USING THE TEMPLE'S TRIANGLE ROOF, KEEPING CIRCLES AND SQUARES, HAVING COLUMNS, MAKING IT SYMMETRICAL, AND USING THE DIFFERENT LINE WEIGHTS THAT WERE USED IN EACH OF THE SECTIONS.
like THE FLOOR PLAN, i MADE A MODEL TO ROLL A PAINT BALL THROUGH TO STUDY THE CIRCULATION OF THE SECTION. THESE ARE MY 16 STUDIES.
3D MODELING
FOR THIS PORTION OF THE PROJECT, I TRACED MY PAINT SAMPLES FROM EACH PART, AND COMBINED THEM. I ALSO DID ONES SPECIFICALLY FROM THE PLAN AND SOME FROM THE SECTIONS. WHEN I TRACED THEM I GOT VERY DETAILED SHAPES, WHICH I THEN PUT TOGETHER. THE ELEMENTS I WANTED TO FOCUS THE MOST ON, Were Having A CENTER, BEING SYMMETRICAL, AND USING shapes such as SQUARES, TRIANGLES, AND CIRCULAR LOOKING FORMS. I ALSO WANTED TO INCLUDE PILLAR LOOKING OBJECTS AS WELL. I INCLUDED ALL THESE THEMES INTO MY EXPERIMENTS
​ THESE ARE THE TOP ISOMETRIC RENDERED VIEWS. I LIKED THE DETAIL IN THE PLAN SO I WANTED TO INCORPORATE THAT. I LIKED THE SHAPE I CREATED IN THE SECTION MODEL BECAUSE IT SHOWS CENTER. AS THE FOR THE HYBRID, WHEN CREATING MY NEW DESIGN I DECIDED TO FLIP THEM, AND HAVE THE PLAN BE ON THE INSIDE OF THE STRUCTURE. I ADDED A SQUARE TO INCORPORATE THE TEMPLE IDEA OF THE EARTH IS FLAT AND HEAVEN IS CIRCULAR. THE SHAPE FROM THE SECTION ALSO GIVES A CIRCULAR SHAPE TO THE STRUCTURE. HAVING THE PLAN IN THE CENTER GIVES THE FORM A FOCAL CENTER POINT WHICH IS SOMETHING I WAS FOCUSING ON. I DECIDED TO EXTRUDE THEM TO ADD VERTICALITY LIKE A PILLAR WOULD.
I REDID MY RHINO MODEL many TIMES DUE TO COMPLICATIONS. I SIMPLIFIED SOME ASPECTS LIKE THE SECTION, MAKE MORE PARTS MORE DETAILED LIKE THE PLAN. I EVENTUALLY HAD TO RESTART FROM SCRATCH AND RETRACE EVERYTHING AGAIN ON AUTOCAD. THIS IS my PROCESS WORK.
FOR THE FINAL I DECIDED TO EXTRUDE THE DIFFERENT PIECES TO DIFFERENT HEIGHTS TO ADD INTEREST, AND HIERARCHY. I ALSO ADDED MORE PIECES IN THE CENTER TO ACT AS A PILLAR STRUCTURE. I WENT WITH MATERIALS AND COLORS THAT REMINDED ME OF ART NOUVEAU AND THE VIENNA SECESSION BUILDING.
physical conceptual model
This is my physical conceptual model for this part of the project. It is laser cut from cardboard.
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final drawings
my partner and i finalized a building concept together. we focused on all the elements we used in the pervious parts to the project and combined our ideas into one. these are the final drawings.
presentation photos
