JEREMIASZ SIECZKO (ARCH1390)

Saturday, October 9, 2010

SIMPLIFYING THE VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM AND AVOIDING BOOLEAN PROBLEMS

I quickly learned that the 3ds Max proboolean operation cannot compute a lot of geometry at the same time. It has no trouble computing multiple simple shapes like rectangular prisms but begins to struggle when you start adding other non-standard primitive geometry. After trying to import the initial high geometry model of the Vitra I began to see the strange results that occur when complex boolean operations are executed. My first resolution to this was to model a much simpler version of the Vitra that excluded all internal geometry from the model and import the whole model into 3ds. However this did not resolve the issue as the geometry of the Vitra as a whole model was still too complex for the boolean operation to execute with intended results.

My next attempt to result this issue was to breakup the geometry of the Vitra into distinct separate models that were NOT unified in any way straight in Max to avoid any import issues. I used the previous Vitra simplified model of the Vitra as a guide.

Friday, October 8, 2010

WEEK 11: DRAFT DESIGN FOR THREE A1 POSTERS

ABOVE - Draft Poster Design One A

ABOVE - Draft Poster Design One B

ABOVE - Draft Poster Design Two

WEEK 11: TEN TEXTURES

For my re-visioning of the Vitra Design Museum I am considering form/structure & transformation/simplification of these. The re-visioning draws on concerns of sustainability & efficiency. I have used these concerns to influence material choice. While the layered transformation of the form/structure of the Vitra is heavily commenting on possibility of efficiency in buildings; the materiality will more directly comment on the sustainable usage of materials through the contrast and comparison of traditional and new construction materials. I have chosen to use concrete to be a dominant material in the re-visioning as it isn't considered the most environmentally friendly material but is so important to modern construction techniques that it cannot be merely ignored. The usage of concrete is intended to foster questioning in the observer about the impact of excessive usage of this material purely for aesthetics sake and whether more environmentally friendly alternatives can be utilised. The choice of a bright orange plastic for the negative imprints is meant to be symbolic is two respects: 1) Symbolising the new age materials which take advantage of new technologies. 2) Be representative of the changing form/structure of the building and the energy that is being consumed in the process, like hot magma occurring from shifting tectonic plates.

Concrete Floor

Concrete Aged

Architectural Concrete

Plain Concrete

Rough Concrete

Orange Plastic

WEEK 10: RE-VISIONING THE VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM (CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT)

The Vitra Design Museum is post-modernist deconstructionism. Deconstructivism is associated with ideas of fragmentation, non-rectilinear forms, manipulated ideas of internal structure versus external structure, and a sense of simulated unpredictability & controlled chaos. My intent is to question the form of the Vitra Design Museum and the associated ideas of manipulated structure through progressive contrast. The complex form/structure of the Museum will transform into a simple block structure. This transformation will occur through the progressive expansion of the original building as various elements of it expand & morph to eventually become one structure.

As the structure expands it will progressively transform into a simple cube.

The process will be documented through number of layers (six specifically) composed of both solid & negative spaces which will allow for the progressive contrast of changing structure to be analysed in augmented reality. Ironically the process I have chosen to document the simplification of the structure adds further structural excess to the building; an intended contradiction that will further emphasise the questioning of form & structure. By questioning the essence of the Vitra Design Museum I hope to challenge both designers & architects alike to consider the role they play in reducing excess & unnecessary design elements. I'd like the observer to be challenged and ask-

Where do idea of efficiency & effectiveness sit in the design process?
How valuable is aesthetic when compared with notions of efficient structure?
Can aesthetic value & efficiency be merged into one?
How does the notion of sustainable construction/design incorporate into all this?

WEEK 11: MORE ON THE WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL (ARCHITECTURAL CASE STUDY CONTINUED)

Hand drawn sketch

Physical Model

Computer Analysis of panels

Axonometric

Section

Plan

Construction Detail

WEEK 10: ANOTHER FRANK GEHRY BUILDING (ARCHITECTURAL CASE STUDY)

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Frank Gehry was selected to design the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 1988 and completed the design of the building three years later in 1991. The building has been praised for both its unique architectural form & impressive acoustics when compared to the Hall’s predecessor, hr Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Construction of the concert hall began in 1999 and was completed in early 2003. It was officially opened on the 23^rd October, 2003 and is estimated to have cost $274 million to construct. Much of this money ($100 million) was donated by the Disney family as a tribute to Walt Disney’s devotion to the arts and to the city of Los Angeles, given presence to the Hall’s name. The structure of the building is intend to be separated into smaller segments as to allow it to "speak a different [architectural] language" than the surround architectures. The shapes of the Hall have been derived from sailing and the forms created by sails in the wind. The exterior of the structure is covered in stainless steel panels which due to excessive reflection problems have had to be sanded in some areas. The building is considered to be a Post-Modernist style known as Deconstructivism which is associated with ideas of fragmentation, non-rectilinear forms, manipulated ideas of internal structure versus external structure, and a sense of simulated unpredictability & controlled chaos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall

http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/wdch-overview.cfm

http://wn.com/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall

INTERESTING AUGMENTED REALITY REPRESENTATION

WEEK 10: RE-VISIONING THE VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM, IDEAS & NOTIONS (CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT)

NOTION A

Deconstructivism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Deconstructivism in architecture, also called deconstruction, is a development of postmodern architecture that began in the late 1980s. It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure’s surface or skin, non-rectilinear shapes which serve to distort and dislocate some of the elements of architecture, such as structure and envelope. The finished visual appearance of buildings that exhibit the many deconstructivist “styles” is characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos.

Originally, some of the architects known as Deconstructivists were influenced by the ideas of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Practitioners of deconstructivism were also influenced by the formal experimentation and geometric imbalances of Russian constructivism. There are additional references in deconstructivism to 20th-century movements: the modernism/postmodernism interplay, expressionism, cubism, minimalism and contemporary art. The attempt in deconstructivism throughout is to move architecture away from what its practitioners see as the constricting ‘rules’ of modernism such as “form follows function,” “purity of form,” and “truth to materials.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deconstructivism

NOTION B

The idea of concealing a truth within - LAVAs UTS "outer skin"concept

NOTION C

Extending sculptural quality, adding a further comment on what is being said - Auto Défense by Stephane Malka

http://www.dailytonic.com/auto-defense-by-stephane-malka-fr/

NOTION D

The raw purpose of buildings isto perform a certain task, like to house large amounts of people in a restricted space. Hak Nam, Hong Kong's slum city.

http://www.architonic.com/ntsht/-harmonious-anarchy-revisiting-hak-nam-hong-kong-s-slum-city/7000463

http://www.greggirard.com/

NOTION E

Deconstructivism can be excessive and un-necessary. Basic construction can be as simple as concrete, earth, and hay.

http://www.dailytonic.com/%E2%80%9Cla-trufa%E2%80%9D-by-anton-garcia-abril-ensamble-studio-es/

NOTION F

Architectural Form can be simply defined. Spaces Etc./An Exercise in Utility by Ron GiladArtist: Ron Gilad

http://www.spacesetc.com/

NOTION G

Excessive structure is unnecessary and essentially contributes nothing to the structural integrity of a building. Ignoring aesthetics, structural excess should in theory be removed to increase efficiency.

INTERPRETATION & UNDERSTANDING

My intention is to comment on the structurally unnecessarily manipulated ideas of structure in the Vitra Design Museum by simplifying its form. I intend to document this process of simplification in an expanding structure that will build upon the Vitra Design Museum. As the structure expands it will progressively transform into a simple cube. Ironically this process of simplifying the structure by adding additional structure to the building will further add to its structural excess, an intended contradiction to further emphasise the comment I am making. The transformation will develop through a series of layers of space and structure which will allow for the analysis of the process in augmented reality. This layering can be likened to the humble babushka dolls, the internal structure is progressively transformed into the larger exterior structure. In addition to the transformation of scale I intend to add another dimension to this by also transforming the form and allowing viewers to observe the process in the various 'voids' that exist between the shells of the progressing structure.