In Progress Roof Project

For my roof project, I was primarily inspired by Pino's system and through that began to cut and accordion-fold strips of matt-board. Once I had several strips of matt-board accordion-folded, I arranged them in a way I found aesthetically interesting and that also formed a unique area through which to frame the courtyard's trees. Here is what I have so far!

Final Wall Model

My final wall model was still based of the rule of thirds. It moves from a direct translation of that proportion on the left with the wall of opaque glass, clear glass, and cement. That is, each piece of material sits on a grid based on thirds--I divided the 30' wall in 10' segments and then further divided it into thirds and so on and those dimensions defined how the different materials intersected and how the different materials were individually shaped. This simple design then fed into the cube interaction on the far right as a manifestation of idea of simple to complex. I also played with the idea of skeletal versus mass in this area as shown by the skeletal structure of the interior habitable space and the solid flipped cube that houses the zen view.

I really wanted to emphasize the journey so I expanded the idea I had going on in the paper model. I made it more ordered by setting an exact progression and framing each "square" in an pattern.

With all the interesting angles I had going on, I had plenty of opportunities to play with light. I was especially pleased with the way the passage way turned out. I really liked the mix of light yielded by the chipboard, acetate, and tracing paper. I felt that it really conveyed the idea of a journey as the passage itself starts at 8', goes to 10' in a sitting area, and ends at 8' at the entrance of the community center.

I realize that this was a very complex model given the first project and given the assignment but I feel it accurately portrayed, in a way paper could never have done, my idea.

...And the add-the-picture icon on this interface seems to refuse to work still. Any ideas? It has been doing this for quite some time...

My Final Wall

Hey guys, I apologize for the late posting of my in-progress wall, I had quite some complications in acquiring a camera, surprisingly. The first picture is one of the first models I brought to class. Confusing and chaotic, I was surprised that I stayed--somewhat--in this initial design. I was really focused on the relationship of skeletal versus mass as well as the idea of staggering. Staggering was a more subtle theme I tried to introduce. The initial idea of habitable space, which was not quite clear in this model, was to create different layers of space within the wall. That is, I had stairs on the back of the right hand side of the wall which led to what was hopefully two/three (probably two) platforms embedded in the wall for visitors to sit and take in the view. And, I had tried to plan these platforms such that the second/third one (above the doorway that cut off the left hand side corner) would be totally exposed to both the community center and the outside world. Of course, with the actual size of the wall, this was an impossible and thinking back on it, a little ludicrous.

The wall was divided in the rule of thirds, popular in any basic photography class. I used this proportion because I wanted to create a unique zen view by using my (then) triangles' meeting points as some kind of angled window.

However, over the course of the assignment, I scrapped idea of the triangles. I went ahead to build a 1/4" scale of a wall out of paper. Well, it was more of a model of what my favorite part of a wall would be. And that was the journey. I built this skeletal hallway of 8' and 10' squares gradually increasing in height until the sitting space then decreasing back to normal until the community center. This really helped me to play with my ideas since I soon got fed up with lopsided, weird 3D shapes on paper.

Hmmm...the blog does not seem to want to let me post my hard earned pictures. I promise they will be up soon since it took so long to take them.

Final Model

In my final model I played with the idea of mass vs skeletal by having the frame poke out from the corner of the model. This also served as a zen view. I decided to make the frame's scale different from the model scale because I figured the easiest way to build a frame would be in 5x5 ft sections. Since the corner that is cut out is 9x9, the frame appears a little asymmetrical--which is something I liked.

I had open slits in the plan of the inside wall so that light would shine into the intruding squares. On the outside wall the squares extrude out rather than intrude in, making shadows and lighting a big part of both the inner wall and the outer wall.

I used layering to make the model interesting since the walls were already so thick, and also in order to create a habitable space.

The pattern that kept re-0ccurring in my model is that idea of the 2 rectangles with one rectangle below. I brought this into the habitable space to create windows and a place to sit in. I used the theme of the 9x7 rectangles to create a bookshelf in the habitable space.

As you can tell, my original model and final model are very different-I was really pleased with the outcome!

Wall Assignment - Final Model

Attached above are an interior and exterior picture of my 1/4" final model for the wall assignment. In this model, I used the repetition of triangular forms to create a unique aesthetic that I find far more striking than my initial study model. I think my additions allowed me to move past a simple planar wall to a complex wall with much more vibrance and depth. The right side of my wall still bares resemblance to my earlier models in the sense that it makes use of a proportional grid to provide changing glimpses of the trees and forms within the community center.

The layout of my wall design focuses on satisfying the program requirements as set out by the client. I used different materials for windows and skylights in order to provide a mix of both transparent and translucent. Also, I tried to place windows accordingly, so that the habitable area wouldn't be too bright from light exposure. Next, I used the positioning of elements within my wall to guide circulation into the building. This allowed for entrance into the building to be a slow journey that might build anticipation for the trees within. The layout also guides people to the diving board shaped, tree overlook (zen view) and the habitable area, where bookshelves and seating benches are located. Although I state that the overlook is my main zen view, I wanted the the combination of window placement and triangular forms to offer unique views from many angles.

Overall, I am pleased with the progression I made from my study models to my final model. I now recognize the value of 3D modeling, as opposed to simple 2D sketching. My playful use of triangles and the final appearance of my model resulted directly from modeling. I feel like my modeling abilities have room for improvement, but this was definitely a good starting point for the class and I look forward to later assignments.

Final Wall Model

This is my final wall model. To give both a sense of unity and interest to the wall, I used repetition of vertical lines, whether it be the skeletal structure or the extruding vertical strips on the wall. To make the repetition more interesting, I used variation of the width of the vertical elements (the width and spacing of the skeletal structures made of balsa wood in the model are half that of the vertical columns on the wall). Additive and subtractive elements are apparent in the glass windows. The glass windows are arranged in an ascending order, and the window at the bottom juts out of the building, allowing people to walk out a bit further from the building itself and enjoy the view outside. This is part of the habitable space, the area on the raised platform, which serves as a cozy nook for visitors to sit down, relax, and read. The middle window pane is positioned in the same plane as the walls, and the uppermost window juts into the building. The windows' gradation in terms of height and depth invite visitors to slow down their pace and appreciate this variation in the architecture.




The entrance to the community center is located on the far right when facing the wall. Upon entering, the visitor is directed by the wooden skeletal structures to travel diagonally towards the cluster of trees in the middle. Among the cluster of trees is a pattern on the floor, distinct from the rest of surrounding area, which catches the visitor's attention. The visitor looks around, curious about whether this change in flooring signifies anything, and a small window at the top of the wall catches his/her eye. This is the zen view. The visitor can look up and catch glimpses of the trees outside and the sunlight that filters in through the opening makes interesting patterns on the floor. At the same time, visitors walking toward the building can catch glimpses of the trees within the building when they look up through the window.



The visitor now sees the habitable space, which is on a raised platform on the side of the wall with the additive/subtractive windows. The upper part of the bottom window is translucent and filters the amount of sunlight that enters. There is a ledge that juts out from the bottom window's structure, which people can sit on. Around the windows are benches and a bookcase. The habitable space is partitioned off by a thick wall with a glass pattern on the upper half, through which you can see the windows behind it. The glass panel uses a shape that fits with the theme of the windows, and this use of layering intrigues the visitor to enter and explore the habitable space. On the side of the partition facing the habitable space, there is a screen door that can be swung open to create a greater sense of privacy in the habitable space and shield its users from the eyes of casual passersby.

Final Wall Post

So for my final project, I sort of stuck with a symmetrical proportion. Horizontally this was 3-2-3-4-3-2-3 and the vertical grid was 3-6-3-1.5-3-9-4.5. The idea with the vertical proportion was to add variation to it, so the left 9-4.5 is 1.5 of the right end of the grid. The Zen view in this wall occurs as one is entering the community centers. the panels sticking out of the walls block the view of the tree branches in the area near the entrance of the wall. As one walks in, there is a gap between the two innermost panels in the entrance that allow a view of the trees through a clear window section.
The habitable space is located on the right side of the wall. The area was not to be abundant in light, so there were two horizontal window panels consisting of both transparent and translucent windows, the small translucent window in the bottom panel can be moved to change light setting at close proximity. Another cool feature is that light also comes from the sides which is less expected.

Subtractive was probably the most used method and is predominantly used. Adding could be seen by the triangular mass sections that stick into the courtyard between the tower and the entrance. I also tried to use mass vs skeletal with a skeletal tower contrasted with a massive wall next to it, and an interplay of massive and skeletal in the door way and right part with walls with a series of layers horizontal wooden panels. The extra manipulation that i attempted was layering. This however was done up to down instead of in depth. The wall on the right is made with layered members instead of a straight panel. The right side of the wall has a layer consisting of an interchange between mass and wood from top to bottom. These panels also work as bookshelves in the inside of the building, and the top panels become a sort of canopy for the habitable area.