Overall, I found this series of projects to be quite challenging, going from out first group design project then taking that key idea on individually. I am very happy with how my design turned out, I had been struggling a lot in the last few weeks to come up with a design that I really liked, but I believe I have achieved this now.
DAB510 - Bronte McMahon
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Week 15 - Presentation and Reflection
I spent the remainder of this week producing the last drawings that I needed for my presentation and creating my panel and power point. The images below are my panel for the presentation and the slides from my presentation.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Week 14 – The Final Design and Presentation Preparation
My progression from last week in terms of the design has not
been huge, as I have only changed the layout of the exterior walls to create a
more organic shape. I have still got the same spaces in the same positions, the
kid’s obstacle course on the left and the social and interactive areas on the
right. I have also taken the time to define some of the smaller elements of my
design. Such as the learning space for the older kids, which will be learning
through the shapes of the seating and the root arches, will also has free
access to wifi and the Brisbane City Council eLibrary. I have also polished the
entry point, which opens up to a café area with an information desk for
patrons, which can be seen in the Ground Floor Plan below.
Ground Floor Plan |
I have also made some
slight variations to my First Floor Plan, by incorporating a staff office and
storage space upstairs as well as an open walkway which snakes between the
rooms on the first floor. This represents the multilevel interaction that
happens within the various ecosystems of the mangrove roots. I have also added
an outdoor balcony area off the computer room, to be used as a relaxation area
to sit in the sun and take in the River views. This can be seen in the First
Floor Plan below.
First Floor Plan |
In making my floor plans more organic, I also changed the
layout and sizes of the steel arches, to make them look more natural and
random. Instead of tightly hugging the building like in my previous designs,
the arches span over and under, in and around each other with the building been
created by the shapes of the spaces underneath. Instead of the arches following
the buildings shape, the building is created by the arches shape. The roof
plan, which shows this layout, can be seen below.
Roof Plan |
In terms of site placement, I have also greatly improved my
site plan since the last project. I have drawn the site map (which can be seen
below) in which I will Photoshop the roof plan to the appropriate scale. I have
placed the building on the same site as my Folie and Project 2, which is on the
water front, just next to the second boat shed. The building will be along the
bikeway for easy of entrance and also for safety, so people do not have to
stray far from the main thru fare to access the building. With the buildings
placement on the river’s edge and the library been designed for children, I ensured
that all of the entry and outdoor spaces were fenced to ensure there is no
issues with the children encountering the water.
Site Plan |
My next step in creating my presentation documentation was
to build my model. I thought with the organic form of the building, that it
would be faster and more accurate if I was to construct my model and then
complete the drawings using it as a reference point. I began my construction by
taking a copy of my roof plan and gluing it to the base. I then cut wire to the
appropriate lengths and stuck it into the correct positions. This way, I could
construct all of the arches to see how the basic form resembles what I wanted
before adding the exterior cladding; the photo below shows the steel arches.
I am very happy with how my model turned out and I think it
will be very useful when continuing with my drawings. Between now and next
week, I will be producing the rest of the drawings which include elevations,
sections, a hero shot and perspectives. The final panel and powerpoint jpegs will
be uploaded next week for my week 15 entry.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Week 13 – Creating a Solid Floor Plan
Since last week, I have continued with the same idea for the
form of the building, but have continued to evolve the floor plan and spatial
layout. Last week, my design consisted of pod like shapes liked together by the
arches. In this plan, I have created a more open, free flowing shape that is
reflective of the Brisbane River shape which can be seen in the Ground Floor
Plan below.
Ground Floor Plan |
In terms of the different spaces for different age groups, I
have decided not to prescribe the spaces to certain age groups, but instead
create spaces that certain age groups would enjoy and be comfortable in, but
not restrict them to these areas. In the floor plan above, the area on the left
is a children’s obstacle course created by the different kinds of mangrove roots,
which can be seen below. The kids of any age, will be able to crawl and clamber
over the roots, having fun whilst also learning about the structure of the
mangrove filtration system, its roots.
The area on the right hand side of the library is dedicated
for the older children and consists of a variety of seating options to be used
for group social and education meetings. There is a booth which runs along the
wall in a curvaceous form, similar to the Brisbane River and also the mangrove
root column seating from the last project, both of which can be seen below.
As with my other designs, the upper floors have been set
aside for quieter and more private areas. The First Floor Plan below shows the
two areas that make up the upper floor plan, the computer room and kid’s
reading room. The rest of the floor is an open void to allow the ground floor
to be a large double height area to allow maximum viewing of the root arches. The
reading and computer rooms only have half walls, to allow the users to look out
over the void.
First Floor Plan |
I had considered the style of desk used in the computer room
and thought that a curved surface could separate off individual working space
areas. This would also create a ripple shape around the top of the building
which would resemble the water lapping at the mangrove roots. This idea can be
seen below.
In terms of the arches and how the exterior of the building
would look, the following sketches depict the layout of the steel arches and a
rough idea of how it will look in perspective.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Week 12 - A New Direction in the Design Process
From last week, I decided to take a different approach to
how I was looking at the mangrove roots, because my previous tactics had not
been creating what I wanted. So instead of trying to create forms that
replicated the shape of the roots, I decided to look at the spaces created by
the roots. I began by going over my previous research and looking at the shapes
of the roots and the spaces that are created within them. My favourite shapes
were the roots the arched over one another to create layers of shapes and
spaces. I have done a quick sketch below to show this.
So I decided that my structure would be made from a series
of overlapping arches that would create spaces within them. I did some research
to find some examples of how the structure could look, both from the interior
and exterior. I found this image below of an atrium area in Toronto which has
intricate arches and a glass roof, so when the sun is overheads, the shadows
created by the arches are projected down into the interior. I really liked this
design because if I used a similar approach, then it could look like the sun
shining down through the mangrove roots.
Arches, Toronto (Wikipedia, 2008) |
In terms of exterior, I really wanted the root structures to
be seen from the outside, so that the building resembles a mass of mangrove
roots. A structure that reminds me of this is the Birds Nest Stadium, which can
be seen below. The metal structure also becomes the feature at night time, as
the backlighting accentuates the shapes.
Birds Nest Stadium (Randal, 2011) |
I began the next stage of the design process by taking my initial
bubble diagram and drawing on the rough placement of arches, which can be seen
below.
The shape would be created by a series of pods with a random
placement of arches, similar to the randomness in the mangrove root systems. To
take the idea from plan form to the third dimension, I used the roof plan to
create an elevation, which can be seen below.
From this view, the mangrove inspiration can easily be
recognised, as the root structures twist and overlap one another. My next step
was to create some rough floor plans, which can be seen below. I decided to
keep the two levels, to have public and private areas. In my previous designs,
each age group had specific areas from them, but I have decided that I will
design spaces aimed at certain age groups, but they have no obligation to stick
to these groups. The insets and notes on each plan details some of my ideas for
the spaces, which I have taken from my initial design and also exemplar
research.
Ground Floor Plan |
First Floor Plan |
In terms of how the arched spaces work across the levels, I have
decided that there will be a lot of voids, to create a layer of views and
filtered lighting as you walk through the spaces. Hopefully this will create a
realistic effect of how it feels inside mangrove roots. The section below shows
an example of the voids.
Material wise, I wanted to use a semitransparent material
that is strung between root structures. This will create a skin across the
building that will allow light to filter through and create shadows where the
steel root structures are. I have not fully resolved this yet, but will do so
when finalising the plans and details. The sketches of these ideas can be seen
below.
Resources:
Randall, Eric. 2011. “Birds nest Stadium” Accessed May 22nd,
2012. http://therandomfact.com/chinese-designer-of-iconic-birds-nest-olympic-stadium-arrested-in-government-crackdown/222426/
Wikipedia. 2008. “Ärches, Toronto” Accessed May 22nd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arches_Toronto.jpg
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Week 11 – Continuation Design Refinement
This week has been a continuation from last week’s post,
where I have been working through the concepts and ideas discussed last week
and have produced a set of drawings. I had another idea that will largely
influence the layout of the building, one which incorporates the views concept
from out original folie. I have decided that I could possibly use the prescribed
views to define each age group, by having each age group area orientated toward
a certain area. The following diagram shows how I plan on achieving this.
Each age group will have two levels for public and private
spaces, both of which are orientated towards the prescribed view (Story Bridge,
across the river and the Cliffs). I played with a few options of how the separated
sections could look by using different shapes to create the levels, which can
be seen below.
Using these theories, I began to produce a floor plan, which
can be seen below. The bottom floor layout is reflective of the shape of a tree
trunk. The almost circular shape is then complimented by a radial layout of
spaces, which is similar to the rings of a trees trunk. I have kept all of the
public spaces on this level, with the entry, information area, café and outdoor
learning and play areas. The central column of the building houses the elevator
and a set of stairs that wind their way around the buildings core. The building
itself is situated right on the Brisbane River, where the mangroves would
naturally grow. This ground floor plan can be seen below.
Ground Floor Plan |
The first floor houses the public areas for each age group. These spaces can be used for group activities, planned events or just general social areas. Whilst I have not prescribed an age group to each view, there is a view of the cliffs, the Story Bridge and the river bank. The first floor plan can be seen below.
First Floor Plan |
The second floor houses the private areas for the various
age groups. These spaces can be used for quite reading and reflection, computer
areas or meeting areas for the older children. Each age group will have two
spaces on this level, to coincide with the mangrove root theory of the continuous
separation. Again, the age group areas will be orientated to their designated view.
The second floor plan can be seen below.
Second Floor Plan |
The building itself will have a shape that is reflective of
the city structure, very angular and cubish. The shapes will be stacked on top
of one another and supported with poles that reflect the shape of the mangrove
roots. A rough elevation can be seen below.
Elevation from Brisbane River |
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Week 10 - Redesigning
After the presentation last week, the next step in the
design process for this assignment is to extend from our last design. The feedback
I received was that the concept of the mangroves was not clear in the
architecture, only in the interior design qualities. I decided to further
research and analyse the form of the mangrove to find some inspiration for the
building shape and layout.
The image shows a small mangrove tree growing in the water.
I noticed with a lot of the different species of mangroves, that they are very
bottom heavy, in the sense that besides the leaves and trunk, their main
feature is the twisting root system.
Mangrove Image (Reef Ball Foundation Inc, 2007)
|
The only problem with this idea is that to achieve this
concept in the building, the idea of the mangrove would have to be inverted, so
that users enter the building at the singular section (ie the trunk) and as
they move further up into the building, they reach the smaller areas (ie the
roots).
The other idea I got from researching the mangrove form was
how the mangrove roots entangle within themselves to create smaller spaces,
which can be seen below. In my original design, I had split the age groups into
6-12 and 13-18 years old. After some consideration, I decided to add another
age bracket into this and have a 10-14 yrs old area. Using the theory of the mangrove
roots, as well as dividing each age group, I will split the spaces again to
create public and provide areas within each age group to ensure each child gets
the most of the library.
I will continue to work on these ideas next week to try and
create a rough set of plans to present for feedback for next week.
Sources:
Nick Garbutt. n.d. “Tangled Mangrove Roots, Borneo” Accessed
May 7th, 2012. http://www.nickgarbutt.com/photo-galleries/borneo-and-se-asia/highlights?OBJECTID=6BE4DBA0-FC1B-11DD-BF780030487DBF75&page=5
Reef Ball Foundation Inc. 2007. “Mangroves” Accessed May 7th, 2012. http://www.mangrovesolutions.com/whyimportant.php
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Week 9 – Final Presentation
After finalizing my design which can be seen in last week’s
blog post, I began to draw up the final plans and some perspectives. Because of
the diagramming theme, I thought the best materials to use were black fine liner
pens which would ensure that any details would be easy to define and
understand. My final design did not vary from last week’s entry which made the
final drawings a lot easier. Using PowerPoint as the presentation method was
very easy and a lot faster to set up than a typical panel. Saying this though,
it was difficult to fit the drawing onto the page as well as any text or
borders because of the large drawings and smaller page size.
Below are the jpegs of my PowerPoint slides.
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