SHARON LAM - ARCH1390: September 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

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.

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/

Grid layouts 3xA1 poster

Model Renders

Interior

Exterior

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Group model and research

Group Members: Tiffany Lau, Lillian Hoang, Sharon Lam

Initial model of Vitra Design Museum

Preliminary Research

The Vitra Design Museum designed by Frank Owen Gehry began from the furniture producer, Rolf Felbaum’s wish to document the roots and history of his craft. And thus following his wish, he commissioned Frank Gehry to design The Vitra Design Museum, which in contrast to other museums, where furniture design is only one subject among many; it focuses principally upon its historical and future developments.

Under the guidance of Alexander von Vegesack, the museum was completed and opened to the public in 1989.
The museum design houses qualities of a sculpted building with its steady swirl of white forms as the exterior combined with a powerful interlocking interior. Assembled by distinct volumes of random patterns - spirals, wedges, cubes, crosses and so on, it creates a harmonious structure as a whole, for they interlock by enclosing every shape of the museum together; staircases, vaulted galleries and ceilings. These dynamic shapes allow the museum to have boundless energy all around, from exterior to interior. In addition, the museum’s sleek design creates a prestigious image of enterprise with its technical superiority - a style which has been used by Frank Gehry throughout his designs.

Above: The cubist assemblage of interlocking forms demonstrated in Frank Gehry's Vitra Design Museum.

Cruciform glazed openings from the structures of the building, such as the central roof on the second floor, provide the museum with extensive natural illumination. The use of white plaster also added to the building's vibrance as well as the titanium finishes. This limitation in the choice of materials evoked the "Balancing Tools" rules.

Above: Displays of interior furniture of both special and permanent exhibitions within the building, shows how everything flows together.

Above: The curve structure effectively wrapping and enclosing the staircase inside the building.

The sleek design creates a prestigious image of enterprise with its technical superiority. The museum is not dependent on the Vitra Company as it covers its own budgets through exhibitions and publications of themes of furniture design as the museum hold one of the largest collections of modern furniture designs. It's one of his successful overseas projects which helped him gain international recognition.

Above: The curve structure effectively wrapping and enclosing the staircase inside the building.
The museum is not dependent on the Vitra Company as it covers its own budgets through exhibitions and publications of themes of furniture design as the museum hold one of the largest collections of modern furniture designs. It's one of his successful overseas projects which helped him gain international recognition.
References
- Museum Architecture, Justin Henderson, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1998.
- Frank Gehry Vitra Design Museum by Olivier Boissiere and Matrtin Filler
- http://www.design-museum.de/vitra/architektur/index.php?sid=0156492183380fbab3ebd24c3f5943f9&language=en

Individual case study - Walt Disney Concert Hall

Preliminary Research

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall, new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is designed to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world, providing both visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience. Through the vision and generosity of Lillian Disney, the Disney family, and many other individual and corporate donors, the city enjoys one of the finest concert halls in the world, as well as an internationally recognized architectural landmark.

From the stainless steel curves of its striking exterior to the state-of-the-art acoustics of the hardwood-paneled main auditorium, the 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra. In 1988, renowned architect Frank Gehry was selected to design the complex, whose final shape he unveiled in 1991. Construction on the Concert Hall began in November 1999.

The concert hall finished construction during spring of 2003 but there happened to be reflection problems of the building. The Founders Room and Children's Amphitheater were designed with highly polished mirror-like panels, which casted reflections and the concave shape of it amplified sunlight causing specific room temperatures to rise and complaints of residents. This was later fixed in 2005 by sanding the panels to stop strong reflections.

References:
http://www.laphil.com/about/wdch_overview.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall

Images:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lightmatter_disneyhall5.jpg
http://www.laphil.com/about/wdch_overview.cfm
http://www.arcspace.com/architects/gehry/disney2/