Project #2 - Final Abstractions

The Detail and the Whole - Windows, Views and Intersections: 
This study looked at the detail of the windows and the way in which they are constructed and frame particular views. I created a series of 'windows' which are each slightly different and when placed together create different intersections of views. Even when placed in the same order, the act of moving them closer or further away from one another changes what can be seen through the holes.

 Structure - Balance, Gravity and Drama: 
What initially caught my eye about the structure was the way it seemed to defy gravity, almost seeming as though it should fall. I took this idea and created a series of whimsical images playing with the idea of gravity and what we perceive as real. They represent the way in which the top floor appears to float, or be suspended by something which seems unable to support it.

 Vertical Circulation - Division, Intersection and Interaction:
I chose to map the way in which the locations of different stairs/elevators relates to the people who live in the house and how spaces are used. It can be seen that the lower section there are areas which intersect such as the entryway, however there is still a fair amount of separation, while in on the middle floor the colours are quite 'muddied' as the interaction of each group intersects one another. The upper floor on the other hand, containing the bedrooms, is quite distinctly separated. This in turn shows how the modes of vertical movement relates to the use of spaces and the level of privacy.

Project #2 - Study 3: Vertical Circulation

I was interested in mapping the vertical movement throughout the house based on the type and status of the person. It appeared that the stair on the far left was for the mother, the elevator for the father, the middle stair for the guest and the far spiral staircase for the children. Looking at this, I tried to analyse how this reflected the spaces and rooms in the house and their usage.

Father

Mother

Children

Project #2 - Study 2: Structure

The main aspect of the structure that caught my interest was the drama created by the upper block which almost appears as if it's floating. This idea of playing with our understanding of gravity and preconceptions of how structures should work was something I wanted to explore further.

The boxes show the way in which you can play up or play down the drama of the structure depending on the way in which they are stacked. It seems more logical to place the lighter, clearer boxes on the top, however Koolhaas chose to subvert this and place the most solid box on top of the almost invisible glass layer.

I also made a few of the main structural elements of the house, however I felt that it was a rather weak abstraction.

Project #2 - Study 1: Detail and the Whole

Detail and the Whole - Windows

1. Drawings of views

This drawing includes the correct location of all windows in the house, and from watching 'Koolhaas Houselife', also select views which can be found when looking through particular windows. Although this is a fairly literal interpretation of the windows and the house, I feel it has an important link to how the detail of the way in which the window is constructed affects the views of the garden and landscape.

2. Graphic representation of views through windows

What I found particularly interesting about the windows was the way in which although from the exterior, the windows all look the same, from inside there is a great variation. While some windows view straight outwards, others point directly downwards, or taper, creating a range of different viewing experiences. The sections where the views are most concentrated link to particular places in the house, such as the elevator and front area of the childrens bedroom.

3. Model of Windows

These models follow on from my previous abstractions as it emphasises the hierarchy of viewing. This idea that although the windows are different shapes and run in different directions, there is still an intersection of views when looking from certain angles. Looking from inbetween and different directions changes what one sees.

Note: Following further development of these abstractions, better images and displays will be presented.

Project #1 Submission

Maison Bordeaux - Rem Koolhaas

Initially when you look at the building from a distance, there is a distinct sense of horizontal blocks stacked on top of one another which also incidentally emphasises the juxtaposition between light and heavy. However as you enter the house, the unique elevator leads you to focus more on the vertical. As the elevator moves up through the house, its function changes and as a result the architecture changes. The machine becomes the heart of the house. I've highlighted the vertical movement within the house in my plans and sections to contrast the heavy horizontal forms of the exterior. I quite liked the play between light and heavy as well, with the cave-like lower level, a floating yet massive top floor and then an almost invisible glass level in the middle which ironically houses the most important parts of the building.

A few photos of our group model:

Lecture #3 - Maison Bordeaux

Rem Koolhaas's Maison Bordeaux:

Designed around a very specific way of living - Koolhaas's response very architectural.

3 Houses - stacked on top of one another

Lowest - cave-like carved into landscape - most intimate life

Upstairs - divided into smaller 'houses' for children and the couple

Middle - most important yet also the most 'invisible', half inside and half outside

Light vs. Heavy - while the top floor appears to almost float, it definitely has a strong sense of being massive and heavy - contrast of materials

The machine is the heart of the house.

Elevator - creates a free section - function depends on the location of the elevator - changes meaning as it moves, in turn changing the architecture of the house.

Windows - although seeming almost random, located based on the activities within the house as well as the different people - seating height, children's height, adult height.

Dynamic Counterpoint - unusual sense of balance - looks immaterial but other aspects are deliberately heavy.

Lecture #2 - Villa Mairea

A few interesting things which were mentioned in the lecture about Alvar Aalto's Villa Mairea:

PATTERNS - spatial, material, form - not just a single pattern throughout the house, but a combination focussing on the connection between them

"internal structural scheme is the outcome of a methodical development of flexibility"

Inclusive Architecture - success depends on the extent to which the architecture accommodates the full scope of human and ecological circumstances

Flexible Order - the generation and coordination of many formal differences

The Ridge Structure - acknowledgement of the ridge - the land is level along and across the ridge, establishing a primary platform for inhabitation

Anchor - various structures such as the fireplace, stairs and chimney anchor the structure into the landscape

Excavation. Level. Elevation

A platform between the earth and the sky meeting at the ridge, connecting the interior and exterior.

Maison Bordeaux - Rem Koolhaas

"Contrary to what you might expect, I do not want a simple house. I want a complicated house because it will determine my world." - the client.

Idiosyncratic - The house isn't just another residence, it is a unique house for a specific person with a particular need.

The Elevator - Rather than building a house on a single floor to accommodate someone with a disability, Koolhaas decided to build an elevator which became the heart of the house.

The platform becomes a part of each room as it moves vertically throughout the house while also being an extension of the client. Interestingly, he has more access to the house with only the platform being able to reach the cellar and bookshelves which span the height of the residence.

Juxtaposition - The cavern-like basement built into the earth for the more intimate parts of the house. The glass living room open to the outside landscape. The perforated concrete box containing the bedrooms.

Balance - there is an interesting eccentricity to the balance of the house with one of the supports, the spiral stair case, being off centre but having a steel beam on the roof to counterbalance.

Sources:

http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com.au/2005/06/maison-bordeaux-by-rem-koolhaas.html

http://www.archdaily.com/104724/ad-classics-maison-bordeaux-oma/

http://www.1kindesign.com/2011/04/19/maison-a-bordeaux/

Lecture #1 - Villa Savoye

Just a few quick notes:

The house is a machine - but it needs a poetic emotion.

Juxtaposition.

The 5 Points of a New Architecture:

1. PILOTIS - raised building, permeable ground plane

2. ROOF GARDEN - recovering and elevating land that has been built upon

3. FREE PLAN - freeing distribution and forms from load bearing structures

4. HORIZONTAL WINDOW - light and outlook

5. FREE FACADE - boundary between inside and outside away from load bearing structure

The earth surface is how we connect with each other - but raising the floor, living between the earth and the sky.

ARCHITECTURAL PROMENADE - the arrival. Move up a ramp or spiral stair, with light increasing as you move upwards.

Paths of movement - there is an underlying spatial pattern - difference between horizontal and vertical movement.

Places of movement vs. places you move into.

The house as a container. Horizontal windows create continuity of walls that hold you in. Horizontal surfaces throughout to hold various objects.