REFINE - Drawing & Designing

The refine project requires a section of the DDI building to be built at the required scale of 1:20. this kept me sketching and thinking over the weeks break (holiday) and wk11. This is the refined or more detailed sketches of earlier ones that evolved into this. It is quite a close idea to what I plan to produce.

The changes proposed in this section as opposed to this part in the DDI project, sees a cantilevered curtain walling that is offset further away about a meter in the proposed refine section where people will be able to walk around and experience the great view that this south wall can offer... with the benefits of non-direct light unlike west or north. As the DDI project did not allow for people to walk around as it was placed lightly against the wall to so called "frame" the historical south wall of the former Denneys Lacelles building.

I have planned the required individual parts for this assignment and have started to cut parts of certain materials for the project thus far.

The section consists of a concrete waffle slab for space for services with reinforced columns about 400x400mm wide, with double glazed intricately designed windows. I will retain the historical south wall that is approximately 450mm wide and try to replicate is elegantly. the roof will consist of my steel and timber truss system, covered by weather proofed timber and alluminium materials alike.

BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION

BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION:

After exploring a number of options and seriously considering two alternative proposals for the ‘Refine’ project, I have settled on a section through a sliver of the Health & Well-Being Center’s 4-lane swimming pool (Option B – Previous Blog-Post). At a scale of 1:20 it is 1200mm long, 300mm wide, and approximately 650mm tall.

The substructure section (pictured) will provide the mass to stabilize the superstructure which is in-situ exposed finish concrete with particular areas bush-hammered for an even, but roughened finish. The roof is a steel truss with a clerestory for day-lighting the space and for illuminating the building’s exterior at night with the glow of the lit swimming pool below. Integrated into the roof there is also a solar hot-water system to heat the pool. The envelope system for the external walls is integrated with the structure. Additionally it has laminated veneer lumber (LVL) details around the window bays, un-treated timber screens and sunshades, and black powder-coated aluminum commercial window systems. The windows are double-glazed and heat absorbing. These primary building materials have been selected because of their ability to handle the humid and chlorinated indoor air of the pool and the windy and salty air of the exterior waterfront area.

Interval - Book Display Lamp

The lamp was conceived as the inverse of the principles behind the structure of the library itself. Where in the library the random order of the exo-frame was used to 'bind' the cubic form of the main structure, in the lamp this idea was reversed - the random order of the framework became internalised and the whole was 'bound' on the outside by an invisible rectilinear form. In keeping with the principle of hierarchy within the design of the library, the only elements to break this rule were the few short curved pieces, behaving in a similar way as the bender 'broke through' and disturbed the pure cube of the library.

My initial ambition was to use 4 light bulbs and 12 layers of 960x240mm MDF (making use of almost an entire 1200x2400mm sheet) but after consulting with Des and Shane in the workshop and discovering the limitations of the router to make the fine and precise shapes I was after, and the cost of cutting out so much on the laser cutter, I decided to scale back quite a bit.

What I ended up with was still 12 layers thick, but the outer dimensions of each layer was based on what the laser cutter could handle (a 600x400mm sheet), meaning I could fit two shapes to each sheet. This cutting back in the amount of material used also meant I had enough left over to make the overhanging 'ceiling' to hang the whole thing off. The number of light bulbs used was also cut back to two.

I had hoped in the beginning that it would in fact be a reading lamp (further tightening the link with the library), but as I wasn't entirely sure what quality of light would come out of the thing, and suspected that the effect it would create would be distracting to a reader, I decided it would be for the display of a featured book within the library. The lamp would be located close to a wall to enhance this shadow effect. The underside 'cutouts' would be retained however, in order for the majority of downward shining light to be unobstructed by the framework and freely light a book placed underneath it.

The overhanging 'ceiling' structure was only made in order to hang the lamp from a display board within the gallery space at uni. In reality the lamp would be hung from a more permanent horizontal surface such as a low ceiling or bulkhead or within a large bookshelf or open display cabinet.

Refine

My selection for REFINE

When looking at a a space within the Auditorium/Conference Centre to select for REFINE - I wanted something that explored as much as possible within 100 cubic metre boundary. The left side of the building has a curved wall that envelopes the corridor, servicing this side of the auditorium. The ground floor of this space has a curved corridor that shows technician booth space and its door and entry points for ground floor seating. The next layer has ground floor, first floor & second floor seating. Balcony seating is another space within the model on first & seconfd floors.

Lighting is variable within the auditorium space but the corridor I plan to include some natural lighting from the roof design. Materials are to be shown through the model...I am still wondering whether I could actually build the space in physical model format. I feel the process and end results would be a lot more rewarding. But I question the ability for accurate sun studies and lighting for a physical model. How do you light one space and darken another connection space in a sectional model.

My Refine Section

The following images show the section of the building that I will be "refining" for our next project. It focuses on the connection between the two buildings on the ground floor and will be exploring the effectiveness of the voided walking space and its connection to the floors above and the facades that enclose it. The section will be an exploration of the solid and void concept of my design and whether it works effectively in the 3D realm.

I will be making a physical model of this area for the project which I feel will be a better way to see and understand the space.

In the section, the building comprises of 3 floors, an outside bar, a set of glazed walls and transom connections, the path surface and ceiling finishes, balcony detail and dorm room wall construction and 2nd floor terrace floor details. It also cuts through a section of the ground floor roof.

Through this section I will endevour to show materiality and its effects on the space.

Interval working drawings

The images show the working drawings and how I used the 1200X2400 mdf piece efficiently. Nuff said.