Fluid Thoughts To Actions Reflections

During this session, I felt that my drawing style has changed. Although I haven't entirely lost my previous ways of sketching, I feel that when I sketch buildings and ideas, I prefer to use my new way of sketching. At first, I wasn't very comfortable with this way of drawing, it felt like as if i was scribbling all over the place, but now those scribbles are actually begining to make sense as I begin to be able to control them. I always had problems to draw straight vertical lines for instance, so every now and then I would turn the paper or my body, but my new way of drawing simply eliminates the need to draw straight lines all together. Everything is literally made out of little scribbles that go in all directions. It is a very fast way of drawing that eliminates a lot of high detail hand and eye co-ordination issues, and is very suitable for grasping fast ideas that pass through my mind when I design. When i use this method of drawing, my hand moves so fast, It was characterised by my collaborative partner as "parkinson's disease".

An example of this would be the Anzac bridge in which I had sketched. In regards to my old ways of sketching, I tend to only reserve it for very fine details and accurate sketches of human faces for instance.

In conclusion, the course under its tight time constraints forced me to discover new methods of expressing ideas, methods that I would not normally pursue, but are now quite comvienient to use in a variety of circumstances.

Architectural Communications

Fluid Thoughts to Actions

Week 1 task

Week 2 - Research

Cultural Background of Utzon
The cultural background of Copenhagen architect Jorn Utzon in some aspects can be revealed through his many significant works. His style is presented through his iconic monumental civic buildings. His complex inspirations are significantly influenced by Alvar Aalto’s sculptural quality and Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic structures.
Aalto whom was a major influence to Utzon was a master in form and planning. His ideas largely focused on details that relate a building intuitively and successfully to its occupants. Aalto was significant because a synthesis of rational with intuitive design principles allowed him to utilized several aspects of different design movements and prefabricate Finnish architecture during his time.
Frank Lloyd Wright was the other major influence to Utzon largely because of his new concepts of interior space in architecture. He refuted the use of enclose space to define an area, but instead uses screening techniques and subtle chances in ceiling elevation to redefine and allow a definition for a particular space.
Utzon’s design formula consisted not only traditional retrospective design methods, but also incorporates art that portrays his forms into poetic inventions and exhibits thoughtful function, structural integrity and sculptural harmony.
Upon these rubrics of his design formulas, Utzon had one other significant element in his design, that is, the manipulation of light. Because the climate in Sydney allows a large surface exposure of sunlight, this allows Utzon to utilize opaque Arabian-alike tiles to craft the roof top of the opera house. Utzon also maps the sun path and allows light penetration through glass panels during times of low sun angles.

Previous designs
Bagsvaerd Church
Utzon interplays all three of this day lighting themes in the Bagsvared Church. These three themes include:
· Understanding that reflected or diffused light is usually preferable to a directed view of a light source.
· Sensitivity to the sun’s daily and annual paths though the sky with reference to particular places.
· Realization that light receiving devices could be made into inhabitable spaces.
The structure itself is virtually windowless and the occupant confronts the opaque enclosing walls, yet one is astonished by the interior spaces suffused with illumination.
The sun travels low in the Scandinavian sky and hence often causes a glare issue. Utzon designs to occupant ergonomics via allowing light to enter through sky light and refractive and reflective diffusion via building surfaces. This prevents all direct sunlight from reaching our eyes and causing glare.
The “happy to walk” corridors are elongated and nearly every room in the church is surrounded by two light sources and an illuminated corridor and courtyard.
The Bagsvarerd church represented not only a technical, but also a psychological breakthrough in 20th century architecture.

Kuwait National Assembly
During 1970 – 1983, the Kuwait National Assembly was created. This time, Utzon was highly concerned with the relationship between man and nature as he comments that “The dangerously strong sunshine in Kuwait makes it necessary to protect yourself in the shade – the shade is vital for your existence...”

From the buildings southeast entry to its shaded square on the northwest, the architect creates a softened version of the harsh exterior climate for human inhabitancies.
The interesting thing about this design is that it consisted of conflicting elements in which defends against natures harsh climatic conditions yet concurs with Utzon’s notions of fabric forms and curved models.

Conclusion
For Jorn Utzon, light has been the most significant link between nature and architecture. Although there are other influences too, but nevertheless the intense use and manipulation of light is emphasised in every one of his building. It is both evident and apparent that utzon sees light as a form of human existence. Hence he conceives daylight as a function of architecture.

Bibliography
· http://erez.louispoulsen.com/erez4/erez?cmd=get&src=lplbilleder/PDF%20for%20Web/US/NYT%20582%20-%20AIA_CES.pdf&width=2000&height=2000&tmp=None&quality=85&redirect=0&format=pdf
· http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Church_at_Bagsvaerd.html
· http://www.e-architect.co.uk/architects/jorn_utzon.htm
· http://www.e-architect.co.uk/copenhagen/bagsvaerd_kirke_utzon.htm
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/plindberg/sets/72332/

Week 3 - Opera House Excursion (2 Sketch)

Home Work

Week 4 - Paired Group Work and Collaboration

Part 1 - communicating through phone and msn

Part 2 - Simultaneously Drawing on same work

Part 3 - A4 Synchronized Continuation

Motion Picture

Synopsis: EXP 3 Real Time Captures

If we exam both clients, both clients exhibit substantial power in the world. One exhibits an element near weightlessness and the other near virtual, both are ultra light and communicate very little momentum in terms of movements. It is this notion of a balance weigher that inspired me in the overall layout of my final design. The bridge from the original map is like the weighter, whereas the design need to illustrate the difference in balance of the clients power.

The Retractable Lift

Zhang Yin's Space (This is where Your Player Starts When You Play the Game)

I made the player start here because it illustrates how information such as historical record was first stored through paper, hence chronologically the player begins at Zhang Yin's space first.

[ATTENTION - MAKE SURE YOU STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GRID]
Note the Lifts may collide into you at times, I tried to mathematically calculate it, as well as through trial and error, but as i came to realise, because the distances all vary, as time progresses, its possible collisional encounter varies too. Just because you don't get hit by a white paper ball the first time, doesn't mean it won't happen when you jump on the ride again 3 minutes later.

The Concept Behind

The reason why I made the space long in distance and included so many elevators is largely due to clients occupational characteristics. Zhang Yin's powerful character is fundamentally shaped through the recycling of paper, over the years, this paper shredding process has fluctuated her life experience. Sometimes the process of getting somewhere in life can be more meaningful than the destination itself. Rather than applying textures, I wanted to fully utilize the capibilities of the texture, although the process was tedious, it served a critical purpose. Because security is an important aspect for financially powerful characters like Zhang Yin, by taking textures into the next stage I was able to use Japanese inspired shoji texture design to explicitly define a protected space, making the experience controlled and contained. In this space, there is limited freedom, instead, the lift also acts as a security mechanism to enforce control and power.

The reason why I didn't incoporate windows is largely to prevent her space from seeing Steve Jobs' Space, this is to reinforce the power relationship in chronological order. Because the basis of Zhang Yin's power can be traced back to a few centuries ago, hence her space pre-exists Steve Job's Space. This illustrates the possibility of her being unaware of future, how intergrated technology are begining to take over the utility of paper in storing information and data.

Meeting space at the retracting table

The reason why I made the table a retractable mover is because both clients products give me a sense of compactness, hence i made the table retractable. The table consists of a glass surface and a seperate water mover in which illustrates the fluidity of information in which connects Zhang Yin and Steve Jobs. This depicts the power to store information from paper to virtual technology.

Steve Jobs' Tunnel

This tunnel basically serves two purpose, one is to connect his space to his lift, second is to extend the travel distance so that the occupant can experience the architecture. To get into this tunnel you need to use the microchip-weblike looking elevator and wait for it to drop down to the tunnel gates.

Perspective from Steve Job's space towards Zhang Yin's tunnel.

Steve Jobs' Space

Inspired by Japanese Architect Toyo Ito's comment from a television documentary, he describes the difference between the western concept of space and the japanese notion of space. From the Japanese perspecitve, they believe that westerners view space like a hole cut out a rock, whereas the Toyo Ito refers to space as a meaning, a mechansim for something to communicate and make sense. He uses the example that between ever word we say, there are pauses, empty spaces, nothingness. In my design for Steve Jobs, I chose to incorporate this space to illustrate the sense of virtual power in which seemingly definable, but its boundaries are blurred and the structure remains unenclosed.

Steve Jobs' Tunnel Interior

Progress Shot

Half way through my assignment, I discovered the need to take photo's of my progress in google sketch up, this is because by explaining tips and tricks through words is far difficult to understand. In particular, these shots show how I constructed the curves in which Steve Jobs' space exhibits.



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Note my use of tape measure in google sketch up, this is a tool in which pin points everything to snap perfectly, it may be tedious, but may prevent you from going insane later down the track.

This is when i seperate the design into different components so that I can import meshes with different textures from Google Sketchup into UT 2004.

This is essentially the core of creating unique curved shapes. Yes, there are other ways to create cool shapes with small amountes of smooth curves via intersection methods, however, to me, that is simply striking a optimal balance between your true imagination and personal convenience. It changes the outcome of what you originally had in mind for the design. Hence, I insisted to created each curve manually using the arc tool, until you are satisfied with the gradient and connection of every point.

Rescaling and drawing the construction lines...

Using the follow me tool...

Just like construction in reality, I used mouldes to create idential shapes intersections. To create these moulds, i combine them into components, this way when I intersect, I can still remove the mould.

This is an example from Zhang Yin's space, I uploaded this image to illustrate how important the tape measure tool is, prior to EXP 3, I never used it because I always held the shift button and at the most draw lines. The downside is that these lines will appear and interfere with your model as you work, where as the tape measure tool is easy to remove because it projects into the horizon where you can easily erase out with the eraser tool.

Images of the Drafts

Steve Jobs' Space Draft 1

Zhang Yin Draft 4

Zhang Yin Draft 3

Zhang Yin Draft 2

Zhang Yin Draft 1

Steve Jobs Draft 3

Steve Jobs Draft 2

Meeting Space Draft (includes lift and table)