FINAL SUBMISSION

FULL VIEW of interactive layout


Images of final interactive PDF




Interactive PDF LINK

FULL VIEW of print layout


Images of final print PDF




Print PDF LINK

REFERENCES

Tables used in model were taken from:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ec587f7879575de529cc3e5ff518065b&prevstart=96 then modified by myself.

Chairs used in model were taken from:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=863278541f2d3b6f8f6954a9f606d84e&prevstart=180

Rocks used in model were taken from:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=545b8bf178127673146def56c5fc9b3a&prevstart=0

Information on Vitra Design Museum and Walt Disney Concert Hall; referenced in previous posts in detail.

Final Interactive PDF Animations

Peer Reviews

Second Final Draft + Draft Text [Extended]

2nd Draft LINK

DRAFT TEXT [ EXTENDED ]

A well known museum which focuses on the display of furniture and interior design, Frank Gehry’s Vitra Design Museum is a work of art itself. By using it as a starting point for this project, the aim was to further develop this building’s best features and to create another style which can reflect on a new and innovative idea. That is, allowing the museum to become a more relaxing place by creating a sense of tranquillity as well as minimising the visual impact of the building.

Shifting the original environment to a rock garden, both the museum and its location reflect on their compositional qualities for they give a strong visual impact to their viewers. A place where design is highly valued, it needed a surrounding which was equally as valuable to bring out the significance of design. These rock gardens are highly praised and respected in places like Japan for they are not only visually pleasing, they are also a mean for psychological benefits. It calms the mind by bringing out the tranquillity of the surrounding using natural stones and vegetation. By creating this atmosphere, visitors will have a better sensation when admiring the works inside the Vitra Design Museum.

The original museum had minimal windows and looked more confined. In order to further develop the idea of calmness, the re-envision idea for the museum itself was to make it appear visually “lighter”, minimising stress to the eye. To do this, the first task was to subtract different parts of the building accordingly, allowing it to look not as packed. Installing glass facades around the museum also created a much lighter feeling because of the additional transparency.

In terms of material, changing the timber roof to a warm brown colour was a starting point for it gives a more comfortable atmosphere. Simple concrete was used for the interior floor and blue tinted glass for the facades so it could lightly give the museum a bit of colour. The choice of the blue tinted glass also came from a psychological viewpoint for this colour is often described as “peaceful” and “tranquil” and is also associated with feelings of calmness and serenity. This worked well with the stone garden environment as part of the re-envision.

Inspired by Frank Gehry’s ‘Walt Disney Concert Hall’, how the manipulation of interior undulating curves accommodates sound reflections for musical performances, a slight change to the Vitra Museum was considered to accommodate visitors. The new approach was to transform half of the front entrance section of the original Vitra Design Museum into a mini café where people could sit down and relax before or after exploring the place. The initial curve was lowered down to make a flat transparent ceiling and the triangular block was pushed further away so that the whole area won’t look overly crowded and will not disrupt visitor circulation within the museum. This mini café area gives its visitors an opportunity to enjoy the rock gardens outside, not just the interior displays alone.

2nd Draft for FINAL 3xA1 Posters

PDF Link

First Draft for FINAL 3xA1 Posters

Draft text for posters

A well known museum which focuses on the display of furniture and interior design, Frank Gehry’s Vitra Design Museum is a work of art itself. By using it as a starting point for this project, my aim was to further develop this building’s best features and to create another style which can reflect on my own ideas.

Shifting the original environment to a rock garden, both the museum and its location reflect on their compositional qualities for they give a strong visual impact to their viewers. A place where design is highly valued, it needed a surrounding which is equally as valuable to bring out the significance of design. These rock gardens are highly praised and respected in places like Japan for they are not only visually pleasing, they are also a mean for psychological benefits. It calms the mind by bringing out the tranquillity of the surrounding using natural stones and vegetation. By creating this atmosphere, visitors will have a better sensation when admiring the works inside the Vitra Design Museum.

In order to further develop the idea of calmness, my re-envision idea for the museum itself was to make it look visually “lighter”, minimising stress to the eye. To do this, my first task was to subtract different parts of the building accordingly, allowing it to look not as crowded. Installing glass facades around the museum also created a much lighter feeling because of the additional transparency.

In terms of material, I changed the timber roof to a warm brown colour for it gives a more comfortable atmosphere. Simple concrete was used for the interior floor and blue tinted glass for the facades so it could lightly give the museum a bit of colour. The choice of the blue tinted glass also came from a psychological viewpoint for this colour is often described as “peaceful” and “tranquil” and is also associated with feelings of calmness and serenity. This worked well with the stone garden environment as part of the re-envision.

Detailed Research on chosen case study

The Walt Disney Concert Hall was to create a world class concert hall with great acoustics and this project was successfully completed in 2003 designed by Frank Gehry. It engages audiences with the greatest ideas in music as well as the architecture itself. It has become one of the most astonishing building ever built in Los Angeles.

Frank Gehry's competition winning design for Walt Disney Concert Hall.

One of Gehry's plan sketch for concert hall site

Coloured drawings of the Grand Avenue

One significant objective of Walt Disney Concert Hall was to effectively make the area more appealing and liven it up. So Gehry did a lot of drawings exploring the site's interaction at night times to fully visualise the downtown, where many community celebrations take place along with the built Concert Hall for the whole area originally had a "weak" brand image as a city.

"Downtown has to make itself more physically appealing - beyond the first blush of enthusiasm - in order to reach the second and third levels of residential growth. There is a friction generated by the needs of the ingredient and homeless Downtown and the emerging residential community there. Catalytic projects like Disney Hall have to be seen in that context." - Zev Yaroslavsky

The Concert Hall is a place for great concert performances which can contain adequate sound reflections. Gehry accomplished these by experimenting with shapes and curves [as seen in his many expressive sketches] for the exterior construction and the bowed strips which sailed across the concert hall ceilings, providing maximised sound reflection.

Experimental models Gehry used to explore the many possibilities of the exterior wrappers along with expressive sketch.

Top: Orchestra Level PLAN.
Bottom: Garden Level PLAN.

Top left to right: Axonometric drawing of the Concert Hall Interior. Cutaway drawing of the Concert Hall Interior.
Bottom: Final Model of Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Top: Model with metal exterior.
Bottom: CATIA computer drawing of the steel structural frame.

Top: Model [Early 1992].
Middle: Working of models.
Bottom: One tenth scale model prepared for acoustical testing.

Construction of the Concert Hall began in November 1999 and structural framework was completed within 19 months. The interior of the auditorium proved to be one of the world's greatest not only because of its aesthetic qualities but also the impressive sound reflectional function.

The exterior was also a challenge for Frank Gehry wanted to avoid the look of a church organ. Models were made to explore possible designs as well as making one-tenth scale models which were used for acoustical testings. With the help of CATIA [Computer-Aided Three dimensional Interactive Application], it allowed him to abstract forms of any scale and was able to compose walls of curved planes. Therefore, the chosen material for the exterior forms of the Concert Hall was steel because it could produce unlimited numbers of compound curves.

The building had to look brilliant during both day and night times. So it was decided that rigid, three sixteenths inch thick plates were to be used for they were wire-brushed in multiple directions "to achieve a luster that would eliminate glare but remain luminous at night".

Reference
Symphony: Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall, Harry N Abrams, New York, 2003

Individual re-envision models

10 Textures for model

References
Timber, plaster, stone, 2nd & 3rd glass images - http://www.materia.nl/
1st glass image - http://www.cabe.org.uk/files/imagecache/csLarge/case-studies/node/6768/edit/forum-003.jpg

A3 Montage

Reference:
Top row first two images - http://horsesthink.com/?p=1502
Top row last two images - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjkmjk/sets/72157600173882428/
Others - previously referenced.

Re-envision Ideas

The Vitra Design Museum gives its visitors a bold and abstract feeling and the exterior construction itself may become heavy to the eye at times. Today, people stress over tiny things in this competitive society and can hardly find time to stop and have a break. Therefore, my main intention of the re-envision would be to transform the museum into a lighter piece of architecture so the original strong impression will not mentally overwhelm this stressful group of people.

Inspired by Philip Johnson's 'Glass House' and 3deluxe's 'The Leonardo Glass Cube", the main material would be glass or any sort of material with certain transparency to create the "light" idea and how it effectively blends in with its environment. Certain glass facades with tinted colour could add an extra touch to the design museum. I also intend to keep the white plaster for particular areas along with timber [inspired by Nicholas Tye's 'Studio Space'] for the material is natural and corresponds to my intention of a lighter appearance. I would like to relocate this building to something similar to famous Japanese stone gardens for they are well known for their tranquility, a space they created with only rocks and gravel which calms the mind.

Simple organic shapes in these stone gardens contribute to psychological benefits. Therefore, I intend to experiment with linear shapes or soft curve shapes like the stairs of the museum itself which Frank Gehry incorporated for the exterior re-envision.

Site examples:
Zen Garden in Ryoanji, Kyoto - simplicity

Architectural precedents:

Philip Johnson's Glass House - "The building is an essay in minimal structure, geometry, proportion, and the effects of transparency and reflection".

The Leonardo Glass Cube - the glass facades allowing the building to appear 'lighter' to the eye yet giving it colour at the same time.


Studio Space by Nicolas Tye Architects - The new studio, its materiality and simplicity which rests in the countryside

Materials

Glass facade - clear transparent effect of the Leonardo Glass Cube

Timber - a more natural, simple and light approach

Structural Details:




Simple lines/soft curves which calms the mind

Functions:
Psychological benefits

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_House
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glasshouse-philip-johnson.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RyoanJi-Dry_garden.jpg
http://www.phototravels.net/japan/photo-gallery/japanese-rock-gardens.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Japan/Japanese-Meditation-Zen-Garden-Kyoto/1525
http://www.e-architect.co.uk/germany/leonardo_bad_driburg.htm
http://coolboom.net/architecture/studio-space-by-nicolas-tye-architects/