Sunday, 22 April 2012

How things change...

its amazing how a design develops so quickly!

from a central courtyard that acts as a fulcrum, we have established a new way of thinking that further incorporates the notion of 'inclusive architecture'

so we fiddled around with the idea of using a pneumatic lift to get from one space to another, much like koolhaas' bordeaux house. the lift itself becomes a centerpiece, and wouldn't be limited to simply just a transportation role. the lift becomes an ephemeral work of art, that moves between spaces, perhaps carrying planter boxes lined with shrubs, effectively creating a moving garden that would give spaces an ephemeral characteristic. with the drop of a lift, spaces and relationships are effectively transformed.

now that we have settled on our concept, we have developed a program for the house shown by the diagrams below.





essentially, the entry is on the 1st level of the house, where the kitchen, living space and roof terrace are house, their exact wherabouts is still yet to be fully determined, while the bedrooms, including the master bedroom and en-suites, as well as the studio sit on the ground floor.

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Design Development



4 very strong thinkers makes for an intense and interesting discussion come design time!

its this contrast in ideas that excites us, its the fusion of ideas that fuels us....

Our design development has been encouraging, each week we are coming up with newer, stronger ideas, that we are improving. Initially, we looked at the creation of a fulcrum space, a procession down the sloping site, into a central semi-enclosed courtyard space which becomes the hub for circulation. Two forms would flank this hub, limiting the circulation, assisting with the creation of an 'inclusive' design. The courtyard then became a stepped courtyard, which would be visible from the two forms which flanked it.
                             


                            



Wednesday, 28 March 2012

initial planning.

as a group we have devised potential site strategies in order to see how we could best approach the site, and take on the challenges it possesses. the gradient from one end of the site to the other is substantial, and creating a house that upholds the principles of tadao ando, as well as being all-inclusive for the client is a difficult task.

first we looked at an approach to the site..

how do we get from a to b?
how do we see our house from the streetscape?
this is where we have looked at the access as something that may flank the perimeter, however, the gradient is something coming into strong consideration at the moment.

small play on form and programme on the site, in the initial stages of design, it it all about the site, its relationship with material, form and function.
 again, a play on programme here is evident, we have been looking at stepped forms moulded together by the strong presence of a central internal courtyard.
a plethora of ideas...

Friday, 2 March 2012

re-creating ando's hand sketches.





attempting to re-create ando's delicate linework for eventual discussion with peers. 

inclusive architecture.

eliminating architectural exclusion via critical analysis of key 20th century buildings. we as a group have chosen koshino house by tadao ando.