Reflection of Design Studio 3

Over the past semester, Design Studio 3 has provided me insight into the inner qualities of architecture, whereby architecture lies beyond the visually impulsive exterior, but also the embedded meaning and integrated use of architectonics that gives the interior a valuable definition. The collaborative use of interior partitioning such as the three styles of corridor and its corresponding circulation, along with the psychologically supportive architectonics in this course proved its potential beyond the applications of design. Nevertheless it provides an appreciation of architectural history and inspirational creativity.

Project 3

The Gallery

Contemporary Techno Art and Small Ornamental Sculpture

The three abstract of an art gallery lies in its ability to display, enlighten and nuture an environment ideal for the concepts of contemporary art.

My Study of the Guggenheim Muesum

Contemporary Art diverges significantly into various styles.
In particularly Techno Art or Contemporary Ornamental Jewellery is heavily reliant on material or technology to communicate meaning, rather than value.

Here are the examples of which includes the contemporary interpretation of Rene Lalique by Sussan Cohn.

Narrative

For thousands of years, light has been used as a form of service and source to facilitate life, but it wasn’t until the development of quantum physics was light for the first time seen as particles or substance.
It is this new ability to use light as a contemporary architectural material that shall inevitably encapsulate ideas of all sorts and life of all forms.

The narrative is particularly illustrated through the light mechanism, whereby light is used as a material to convey the illusion of staircases.

Site and Context Study [SITE 3]

• The property is set between a two story and three story building. The near by buildings overshadows a significant area of ground level.
• The front is non-orthogonal.
• The Pedestrian is covered by shop awning. Hence the facade must address two separate perspectives.
• Close distant view where the pedestrian cannot see the upper storey.

Drawings

Model

Facade

• More than just a skin, the facade is light weight mechanism designed to embrace the refracted light to reflect the actions in the interior.
• However due to the constraints of the awning, a vertical surface is disadvantaged at a close distance. My approach was largely inspired by Louis Kahn. The next best solution in place of the ground floor facade is the ceiling.

Courtyard

• The courtyard itself is made to communicate a sense of display, such forms are familiar in catwalks for instance. This allows both the architecture and the beholder participate in the action of the sculptural gallery.
• The courtyard tunes the atmosphere and emotion of the beholder through its repetition.
• This is initiated by the circular hedges along with the circular spot lights.
• This architectonic use of spot lights allows the beholders experience of contemporary artworks as unexpected, because when they move upstairs, there is a impulsive shift from receptiveness to originality and vastly different works of art.
• The courtyard with its minimal quantity of light and greenery is also able to camouflage the private living spaces from the highly exposed environment.

Ceiling

• Since the nearby building overshadows a large surface area of ground floor, I used the disadvantage as opportunity for the courtyard attraction.
• The sudden vacuum on ground level draws the pedestrian into an unescapable sequence of spot lights.
• Unlike the conventional spot lights, the light mechanism helix spiral has the ability to use light as a architectural material by creating illusions of staircases that are made from light itself. The light ray diffuses before it reaches the ground, making the beholder search for the stair case.

Architectonics

• Columns of light with levitating artificial sandstone. The notion of a force field to imprison the sculptural representation of insects, birds and plant work.
• The Staircase OpeningRemoves the sense of wall barrier.Embraces light, captures attention.
• The light MechanismFilters the light, distributing the refracted light into the gallery and excreting the unused beam as a spot light feature. This uses the light as a material to create illusions of stairs made from light.
• Hedge HeightMade to manipulate the beholders perspective. Lifting the angle of elevation.
• Bed roomThe height control of human ergonomics. 200mm for stepping, 400mm for crawling, 1000mm for climbing.

Model Construction Process