For this experiment we were required to get inspired by our chosen designer (Nicolas Schuybroek) and try and replicate some of their style or concepts into our house design for 5 Wyargine St, Mosman. For me this task was not easy to accomplish but after conducting a lot of research I finally figured our that my chosen designer or client almost uses larger grids and planes to divide spaces which I also applied when designing my house.
We then had to take this design that we developed and put together a Development Application for submission to Mosman council. We had to refer to the DA check-list and ensure that our set of documentation included everything listed in the DA check-list. We had to pay extra attention to council guidelines found in the DCP and design accordingly.
Some of the most important guidelines that needed to be considered were the FSR, Setbacks, building heights and overshadowing.
I'm overall pleased with what I have produced for this experiment and believe that my exposure to Lumion has also enhanced my skills in presenting my designs in a more professional and efficient way to my clients which I can utilise in future projects.
Below I have attached the deliverables for this experiment.
DA Form
Electronic copies of files
Development Application
Statement of Environmental Effects
Notification Plans
Wednesday 13 November 2013
Thursday 17 October 2013
Progress Update
Last week I finalised my design brief and I was able to establish all the spaces that will be included in my proposed house as well as my design concept and inspiration that will influence my design. Throughout this
week I have been working on my design and I have established a double storey house that contains all the proposed spaces whilst also adhering to council guidelines and taking into consideration the sun orientation.
I'm satisfied with this design or at least the initial progress that I have made on it during the week and will continue to refine it in the upcoming days and finalise it to begin preparing the set of plans required for a development application submission.
Things to consider when finalising the design is the total area of the proposed building including garages and outdoor areas and also ensuring that all other council guidelines have meet satisfied such as the overall height of the building, Below I have attached my ground floor plan, first floor plan and a concept internal view looking down the corridor of the house on ground level upon entry to the dwelling.
The details of the building such as materials and other details will be discussed once the building has been finalised.
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| Proposed Ground Floor Plan |
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| Proposed First Floor Plan |
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| Internal view upon entry looking down the corridor towards the kitchen |
Friday 11 October 2013
My Final Brief
Design Concept
For this project, I aim to design a modern looking home that will be built using modern materials and techniques and that would mainly focus on open plan living and strong connections between the various spaces. Below I will discuss the spaces that will be included in my home design and will also discuss the characteristics of each space and justify my reasons to why I will be designing these spaces in the form that I'm proposing.
Building Form
The main form / shape of my building will be made up of vertical planes that will help define spaces with large openings to capture and frame the surrounding environment. The proposed design will also allow for lots of natural lighting and an open feel through the use of large windows, skylights and high ceilings. My design is inspired by the work that I have viewed by Nicolas Schuybroek who I selected as my chosen designer earlier in this semester.
Master Bedroom (35m2)
The master bedroom will also be adequately sized to fit a queen bed and also be large enough to contain a parent's retreat. The master bedroom will also contain a walk in robe and a large ensuite. My main focus with the master bedroom is to ensure that I have large openings to be able to invite some of the surrounding environment into the space but at the same time provide enough privacy.
Bedrooms x 3 (12m2 each)
The bedrooms in this house will each be reasonably sized to allow for a double bed and will also contain a large built in robe and a study nook. The arrangement and placement of these rooms will be mainly in one section of the home and best orientated based on the path of the sun around the proposed site.
Bathroom (8 m2) / Laundry (8m2)
These two spaces will be positioned around the bedrooms and will share a strong relationship. The reason to why I will be placing the bathroom and laundry side by side is to keep the building costs lower in terms of the plumbing. Also, the bathroom / laundry will mainly serve the 3 bedrooms as the master bedroom already contains an ensuite but the bathroom will also include a free standing shower and bath tub.
Study / Guest Bedroom (14m2)
A study room will be included in the design preferably in the front section of the house if it is a single storey and on the ground level if the design compliments a double storey house. This study will be accessible via a swing door rather than a wall opening to allow this room to be turned into a guest room if the client wishes to do so.
Studio / Workshop (20m2)
This area will act as a recreational space for the occupants to carry out art projects and allow the occupants to freely carry out their hobbies such as playing music and the like. One important factor to consider for this particular space is to ensure that adequate natural noise insulation is provided by separating this area from sleeping areas such as the bedrooms.
Formal Living (25m2)
The formal living will be a space that will be positioned upon the entry to the house that will be mainly used to entertain guests who the client would not want to take into the more private spaces in the house. The size of the formal living will be enough to allow for a comfortable seating arrangement and will include a fireplace.
Formal dining room (16m2)
The formal dining room will share a strong relationship to the formal living room in terms of location and orientation and it must also be of a reasonable size to allow for a large dining table.
Family / Kitchen / Dining (Great Room) (60m2)
These three spaces will be regarded as a single large space which I have also called a great room. My main focus with these spaces is to have an open plan living with limited partition walls to create a sociable experience for the client. In more detail, the person cooking the meals will be able to comfortably socialise with the person sitting down in the family area. the size of the great room will be generously designed to comfortably contain a family, kitchen and dining spaces. The kitchen will include a double wall oven, bowl sink, island benchtop with free standing range hood and a walk in pantry.
Play Area / Rumpus (25m2)
This space will most likely be an open space positioned near the 3 proposed bedrooms. The sole purpose of this space is to provide the children living in the home their own retreat area to carry out their own activities. The most important factor that I must consider is to ensure that the parents can still supervise the children in the play area whilst being in the great room.
Guest Wc (4m2)
A guest wc will be provided most likely sharing a strong relationship with the formal living and dining in terms of its positioning / location and orientation to primarily serve guests.
Double Garage (45m2)
The double garage will be large enough to comfortably store 2 cars and will also have an additional storage area that the client can utilise.
Private Open Space / Balconies & Porches (24m2)
Private open space such alfrescos / decks and balconies will be provided where possible whilst abiding by the floor space ratio allowable by council. A porch will also be provided upon the entry to the house to articulate the front facade of the house as per the council guidelines and allow the design of the house to have a grand entrance to add to the overall character of the proposed design.
Total building area = 312 m2 of 355.2 m2 or %87.83 of allowable building area out of 713 m2 site area.
For this project, I aim to design a modern looking home that will be built using modern materials and techniques and that would mainly focus on open plan living and strong connections between the various spaces. Below I will discuss the spaces that will be included in my home design and will also discuss the characteristics of each space and justify my reasons to why I will be designing these spaces in the form that I'm proposing.
Building Form
The main form / shape of my building will be made up of vertical planes that will help define spaces with large openings to capture and frame the surrounding environment. The proposed design will also allow for lots of natural lighting and an open feel through the use of large windows, skylights and high ceilings. My design is inspired by the work that I have viewed by Nicolas Schuybroek who I selected as my chosen designer earlier in this semester.
Master Bedroom (35m2)
The master bedroom will also be adequately sized to fit a queen bed and also be large enough to contain a parent's retreat. The master bedroom will also contain a walk in robe and a large ensuite. My main focus with the master bedroom is to ensure that I have large openings to be able to invite some of the surrounding environment into the space but at the same time provide enough privacy.
Bedrooms x 3 (12m2 each)
The bedrooms in this house will each be reasonably sized to allow for a double bed and will also contain a large built in robe and a study nook. The arrangement and placement of these rooms will be mainly in one section of the home and best orientated based on the path of the sun around the proposed site.
Bathroom (8 m2) / Laundry (8m2)
These two spaces will be positioned around the bedrooms and will share a strong relationship. The reason to why I will be placing the bathroom and laundry side by side is to keep the building costs lower in terms of the plumbing. Also, the bathroom / laundry will mainly serve the 3 bedrooms as the master bedroom already contains an ensuite but the bathroom will also include a free standing shower and bath tub.
Study / Guest Bedroom (14m2)
A study room will be included in the design preferably in the front section of the house if it is a single storey and on the ground level if the design compliments a double storey house. This study will be accessible via a swing door rather than a wall opening to allow this room to be turned into a guest room if the client wishes to do so.
Studio / Workshop (20m2)
This area will act as a recreational space for the occupants to carry out art projects and allow the occupants to freely carry out their hobbies such as playing music and the like. One important factor to consider for this particular space is to ensure that adequate natural noise insulation is provided by separating this area from sleeping areas such as the bedrooms.
Formal Living (25m2)
The formal living will be a space that will be positioned upon the entry to the house that will be mainly used to entertain guests who the client would not want to take into the more private spaces in the house. The size of the formal living will be enough to allow for a comfortable seating arrangement and will include a fireplace.
Formal dining room (16m2)
The formal dining room will share a strong relationship to the formal living room in terms of location and orientation and it must also be of a reasonable size to allow for a large dining table.
Family / Kitchen / Dining (Great Room) (60m2)
These three spaces will be regarded as a single large space which I have also called a great room. My main focus with these spaces is to have an open plan living with limited partition walls to create a sociable experience for the client. In more detail, the person cooking the meals will be able to comfortably socialise with the person sitting down in the family area. the size of the great room will be generously designed to comfortably contain a family, kitchen and dining spaces. The kitchen will include a double wall oven, bowl sink, island benchtop with free standing range hood and a walk in pantry.
Play Area / Rumpus (25m2)
This space will most likely be an open space positioned near the 3 proposed bedrooms. The sole purpose of this space is to provide the children living in the home their own retreat area to carry out their own activities. The most important factor that I must consider is to ensure that the parents can still supervise the children in the play area whilst being in the great room.
Guest Wc (4m2)
A guest wc will be provided most likely sharing a strong relationship with the formal living and dining in terms of its positioning / location and orientation to primarily serve guests.
Double Garage (45m2)
The double garage will be large enough to comfortably store 2 cars and will also have an additional storage area that the client can utilise.
Private Open Space / Balconies & Porches (24m2)
Private open space such alfrescos / decks and balconies will be provided where possible whilst abiding by the floor space ratio allowable by council. A porch will also be provided upon the entry to the house to articulate the front facade of the house as per the council guidelines and allow the design of the house to have a grand entrance to add to the overall character of the proposed design.
Total building area = 312 m2 of 355.2 m2 or %87.83 of allowable building area out of 713 m2 site area.
Stage 1
As part of the second experiment for this subject, we were required to complete the first stage by putting together a site analysis plan, analysing site surroundings and finally evaluating the relevant planning controls that apply to our project and formatting it into a chart.
For the site analysis, I used the survey plan that was given to us and began to add the relevant information that is needed to make up a site analysis plan. A site analysis plan is an important element in the design process because it evaluates in detail the surrounding elements associated with the proposed site but most importantly exposes the existing site conditions and restrictions if any. Below is my site analysis plan.
This particular site is located in Mosman and is elevated and retained by a stone wall from the street level by 1-2 metres. There is also an existing double storey dwelling on the site as well as a single underground garage at the front of the site and a timber shed at the rear. This particular block is 713 m2 in size with the longer sides facing north and west. There are existing services such as water, electricity and sewer lines servicing the site which also has intermediate easterly views towards Port Jackson which can be utilised in the proposed design.
The natural slope of the site is towards the front boundary with an approximate 1.67 m drop between the highest point and lowest point across 44.5 metres which is equivalent to a gradient of 1:26.65. This particular site also has existing vegetation which must be considered for the proposed dwelling and dealt with appropriately if any of the vegetation encroaches on to the proposed dwelling.
The proposed design must also take into account the neighbouring dwellings and abide by relevant overshadowing regulations. The minimum distance for the front, side and rear setbacks must be taken from the shorter side of the boundaries.
The second part of this stage required us to extract all the relevant controls of the Mosman council's DCP and lay it out in a chart. I have attached my extracted planning controls below.
For the site analysis, I used the survey plan that was given to us and began to add the relevant information that is needed to make up a site analysis plan. A site analysis plan is an important element in the design process because it evaluates in detail the surrounding elements associated with the proposed site but most importantly exposes the existing site conditions and restrictions if any. Below is my site analysis plan.
The natural slope of the site is towards the front boundary with an approximate 1.67 m drop between the highest point and lowest point across 44.5 metres which is equivalent to a gradient of 1:26.65. This particular site also has existing vegetation which must be considered for the proposed dwelling and dealt with appropriately if any of the vegetation encroaches on to the proposed dwelling.
The proposed design must also take into account the neighbouring dwellings and abide by relevant overshadowing regulations. The minimum distance for the front, side and rear setbacks must be taken from the shorter side of the boundaries.
The second part of this stage required us to extract all the relevant controls of the Mosman council's DCP and lay it out in a chart. I have attached my extracted planning controls below.
Thursday 19 September 2013
Week 7
Part One:
- Nicolas Schuybroek would certainly pay extra attention to the details that would go into a home ensuring that particular elements throughout the home are regarded with the highest standards possible.
- Nicolas's main focus when designing a home would also be the organisation of spaces and quality of materials used.
- Nicolas was born and raised in Brussels.
- Nicolas Schuybroek has been educated in English, French and Dutch speaking schools which have enabled him to work in these three languages.
- Nicolas attains a bachelor of Architecture degree from St Luc, Brussels and a masters degree in Architecture from McGill University in Montreal.
- In my personal opinion and when looking at the work of Nicolas Schuybroek, I instantly observe the clever use of space in his Architecture and how each internal space is so exquisitely detailed in terms or furniture, tone and form.
- I also believe that Schuybroek's Architectural work focuses on long vertical planes that one can argue are purposely used to confine a certain area or section in a home that Nicolas would want the user to purposely observe when interacting with the spaces.
- Schuybroek also tends to only use shades of white and grey as his colours of choice for wall paint to allow the furniture that is placed in that particular space to contrast and stand out and become the main focus.
- I think that if Nicolas Schuybroek was to approach me and seek my services in designing a home, he would strictly focus on the relationship and organisation of the various spaces, Architectural style and quality of materials.
Part Two:
For this project, I aim to design a modern looking home that will be built using modern materials and techniques and that would mainly focus on open plan living and strong connections between the various spaces. Below I will discuss the spaces that will be included in my home design and will also discuss the characteristics of each space and justify my reasons to why I will be designing these spaces in the form that I'm proposing.
Building Form
The main form / shape of my building will be made up of vertical planes that will help define spaces with large openings to capture and frame the surrounding environment. My design is inspired by the work that I have viewed by Nicolas Schuybroek who I selected as my chosen designer earlier in this semester.
Formal Living (maybe)
The formal living will be a space that will be positioned upon the entry to the house that will be mainly used to entertain guests who the client would not want to take into the more private spaces in the house. The size of the formal living will be enough to allow for a comfortable seating arrangement.
Family / Kitchen / Dining (Great Room)
These three spaces will be regarded as a single large space which I have also called a great room. My main focus with these spaces is to have an open plan living with limited partition walls to create a sociable experience for the client. In more detail, the person cooking the meals will be able to comfortably socialise with the person sitting down in the family area. the size of the great room will be generously designed to comfortably contain a family, kitchen and dining spaces.
Bedrooms x 3
The bedrooms in this house will each be reasonably sized to allow for a double bed and will also contain a large built in robe and a study nook. The arrangement and placement of these rooms will be mainly in one section of the home and best orientated based on the path of the sun around the proposed site.
Master bed
The master bedroom will also be adequately sized to fit a queen bed and also be large enough to contain a parent's retreat. The master bedroom will also contain a walk in robe and a large ensuite. My main focus with the master bedroom is to ensure that I have large openings to be able to invite some of the surrounding environment into the space but at the same time provide enough privacy.
Bathroom / Laundry
These two spaces will be positioned around the bedrooms and will share a strong relationship. The reason to why I will be placing the bathroom and laundry side by side is to keep the building costs lower in terms of the plumbing. Also, the bathroom / laundry will mainly serve the 3 bedrooms as the master bedroom already contains an ensuite but the bathroom will also be reasonably positioned so it shares a connection to the great room.
Play Area / Rumpus
This space will most likely be an open space positioned near the 3 proposed bedrooms. The sole purpose of this space is to provide the children living in the home their own retreat area to carry out their own activities. The most important factor that I must consider is to ensure that the parents can still supervise the children in the play area whilst being in the great room.
Alfresco
The alfresco will be a large outdoor space that will contain separate areas for an outdoor lounge, dining table and BBQ facilities. The position of the alfresco will compliment the position of the great room and will also be orientated as per the sun path.
Porch
The porch or deck will be located at the entry of the proposed home and will also contain elements that will make up the facade of the home.
Below I have placed a few images conveying examples of the living spaces mentioned above.
Bel
- Nicolas Schuybroek would certainly pay extra attention to the details that would go into a home ensuring that particular elements throughout the home are regarded with the highest standards possible.
- Nicolas's main focus when designing a home would also be the organisation of spaces and quality of materials used.
- Nicolas was born and raised in Brussels.
- Nicolas Schuybroek has been educated in English, French and Dutch speaking schools which have enabled him to work in these three languages.
- Nicolas attains a bachelor of Architecture degree from St Luc, Brussels and a masters degree in Architecture from McGill University in Montreal.
- In my personal opinion and when looking at the work of Nicolas Schuybroek, I instantly observe the clever use of space in his Architecture and how each internal space is so exquisitely detailed in terms or furniture, tone and form.
- I also believe that Schuybroek's Architectural work focuses on long vertical planes that one can argue are purposely used to confine a certain area or section in a home that Nicolas would want the user to purposely observe when interacting with the spaces.
- Schuybroek also tends to only use shades of white and grey as his colours of choice for wall paint to allow the furniture that is placed in that particular space to contrast and stand out and become the main focus.
- I think that if Nicolas Schuybroek was to approach me and seek my services in designing a home, he would strictly focus on the relationship and organisation of the various spaces, Architectural style and quality of materials.
Part Two:
For this project, I aim to design a modern looking home that will be built using modern materials and techniques and that would mainly focus on open plan living and strong connections between the various spaces. Below I will discuss the spaces that will be included in my home design and will also discuss the characteristics of each space and justify my reasons to why I will be designing these spaces in the form that I'm proposing.
Building Form
The main form / shape of my building will be made up of vertical planes that will help define spaces with large openings to capture and frame the surrounding environment. My design is inspired by the work that I have viewed by Nicolas Schuybroek who I selected as my chosen designer earlier in this semester.
Formal Living (maybe)
The formal living will be a space that will be positioned upon the entry to the house that will be mainly used to entertain guests who the client would not want to take into the more private spaces in the house. The size of the formal living will be enough to allow for a comfortable seating arrangement.
Family / Kitchen / Dining (Great Room)
These three spaces will be regarded as a single large space which I have also called a great room. My main focus with these spaces is to have an open plan living with limited partition walls to create a sociable experience for the client. In more detail, the person cooking the meals will be able to comfortably socialise with the person sitting down in the family area. the size of the great room will be generously designed to comfortably contain a family, kitchen and dining spaces.
Bedrooms x 3
The bedrooms in this house will each be reasonably sized to allow for a double bed and will also contain a large built in robe and a study nook. The arrangement and placement of these rooms will be mainly in one section of the home and best orientated based on the path of the sun around the proposed site.
Master bed
The master bedroom will also be adequately sized to fit a queen bed and also be large enough to contain a parent's retreat. The master bedroom will also contain a walk in robe and a large ensuite. My main focus with the master bedroom is to ensure that I have large openings to be able to invite some of the surrounding environment into the space but at the same time provide enough privacy.
Bathroom / Laundry
These two spaces will be positioned around the bedrooms and will share a strong relationship. The reason to why I will be placing the bathroom and laundry side by side is to keep the building costs lower in terms of the plumbing. Also, the bathroom / laundry will mainly serve the 3 bedrooms as the master bedroom already contains an ensuite but the bathroom will also be reasonably positioned so it shares a connection to the great room.
Play Area / Rumpus
This space will most likely be an open space positioned near the 3 proposed bedrooms. The sole purpose of this space is to provide the children living in the home their own retreat area to carry out their own activities. The most important factor that I must consider is to ensure that the parents can still supervise the children in the play area whilst being in the great room.
Alfresco
The alfresco will be a large outdoor space that will contain separate areas for an outdoor lounge, dining table and BBQ facilities. The position of the alfresco will compliment the position of the great room and will also be orientated as per the sun path.
Porch
The porch or deck will be located at the entry of the proposed home and will also contain elements that will make up the facade of the home.
Below I have placed a few images conveying examples of the living spaces mentioned above.
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| Alfresco - http://www.dalealcock.com.au/blogs/sneak-peek-stoneleigh-display-home-opening/055-3/ |
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| Bathroom - http://www.realestate.com.au/home-ideas/results-bathrooms-modern/list-1 |
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| Great Room - http://www.home-designing.com/2012/07/living-rooms-with-great-views |
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| Master Bedroom - http://www.interiordesigninspiration.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Modern-Bedroom-Interior-Design-101.jpg |
Bel
Friday 6 September 2013
Experiment 1 Submission
As part of my submission process for experiment 1, I had to design a house based on 3 primitives and include a list of areas that would make up the house. We also had to adhere to a 250 m2 maximum floor space coverage and a total of 900 m3 in terms of the volume of the combined primitives. I decided that a box, pyramid and a wedge best represented my ideas and plans that I had in place for this house design. I also did not just want to create a double storey house for the sake of this experiment but I actually wanted to aim in creating a sustainable house using various techniques such as materials, roof top gardens and shading elements.
We then had to take our output such as floor plans, elevations, sections, etc and accumulate this material into a presentation board. My main focus with my presentation board was to allow the viewer to instantly feel the sense of sustainability through the use of colours and layout and also the design of my proposed house.
My final submission for this experiment can be viewed below.
All in all this first experiment has improved my skills based on many factors. I now have a better ability in the design side of things and have experienced working with guidelines or restrictions such as the allowable floor space coverage and volumes. I have also challenged myself in designing a house that would meet certain demands which in this case is the demand for a sustainable design.
I have also improved my overall skills in using Sketchup and Photoshop and have developed new techniques that I will benefit from for future projects.
We then had to take our output such as floor plans, elevations, sections, etc and accumulate this material into a presentation board. My main focus with my presentation board was to allow the viewer to instantly feel the sense of sustainability through the use of colours and layout and also the design of my proposed house.
My final submission for this experiment can be viewed below.
All in all this first experiment has improved my skills based on many factors. I now have a better ability in the design side of things and have experienced working with guidelines or restrictions such as the allowable floor space coverage and volumes. I have also challenged myself in designing a house that would meet certain demands which in this case is the demand for a sustainable design.
I have also improved my overall skills in using Sketchup and Photoshop and have developed new techniques that I will benefit from for future projects.
Friday 30 August 2013
Studio Exercise 3
For this week's studio we had to begin creating our own presentation board based on the materials that we gathered in the previous week. Throughout the tutorial I experimented with my layout and the placement of my images. After consulting my tutor we decided to change a few elements to create a better flow across the presentation board.
Above is a draft of my presentation board and how I would like to layout my material. I wanted to achieve a flowing layout without overdoing the colours or the style too much. I believe my main focus are the plans so I placed them in a prominent position across the board whilst placing photographs in the background to support my line work.
Research Exercise 2
For this research task, we were required to find 3 examples of graphic presentations styles and methods and to analyse each of these examples stating the facts that make the board effective based on my personal view.
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| This is the first example of a presentation board that I have selected to talk about. The primary reason of why I like this particular presentation board is mainly due to its layout. The use of the perspective view positioned so prominently in the centre of the page allows one to to start to notice the various use of materials that are shaded in different colours that you would not be able to notice instantly in a real photograph such as the one positioned behind the perspective view. However, the use of the photograph blended in with the background also brings a sense of reality to aid the perspective sketch in portraying the design. The elevations of the building also play a role in allowing one to understand the design even further for this particular project. Source: http://nicholasnelson.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/The-Mercer.jpg
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Thursday 29 August 2013
Studio Exercise 3
The first part of this week's studio was to put together a material's pack of the building that I selected. The material's pack included plans, elevations, sections and 3D views if any. The built form that I chose is the S House by Nicolas Schuybroek. Below are the materials that I found on this house.
The next part of this week's tutorial was to use the materials that we gathered on our built form and we had to -
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| Floor Plan |
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| Roof Plan |
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Elevation
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| 3D Section |
- use colour to represent the difference between public, semi-private, and private spaces (plan and section).
- use colour (on another set of drawings) to represent the primary, secondary, and tertiary movement paths through the building (plan and section).
- Use line work to indicate the major 'edges' and primary forms (primitives?) that can be extracted from the built form. Simplify the building to these forms in one or two 3D views.
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Ground floor plan showing public, semi private and private space in the S House.
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Friday 23 August 2013
Week 4
For this week, we did not have any particular tasks to do but to progress further with our designs for the final primitive form. Following last week's exercises of establishing sizes of spaces and experimenting with compositions of primitives, I have progressed further and have developed my final primitive. My final primitive is made up of a wedge, a pyramid and a cone. My main method of construction is using these shapes as the main shell of the house and then using horizontal floor plates as shown below to build the spaces in the design schedule.
My first initial thoughts about my final form is that it can only improve, I can begin using my final primitive to shape my house and can make fine alterations to the shape of my final form as needed to ensure the adequacy of my design.
My next steps for the upcoming weeks is to start establishing the internal layout of my house and then linking these spaces through means of staircases, ramps or the like.
My first initial thoughts about my final form is that it can only improve, I can begin using my final primitive to shape my house and can make fine alterations to the shape of my final form as needed to ensure the adequacy of my design.
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| Side elevation showing the proposed floor heights and final primitive features |
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| A front elevation showing the proposed floor heights and final primitive features |
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| This is the wedge primitive with wall and floor thickness. This will be part of the shell of the house. |
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| The pyramid primitive consisting of wall thickness part of the overall shell of the house. |
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| Upon initial thoughts, this cone primitive will be used as an atrium allowing light into the house through a void. |
Wednesday 14 August 2013
Week 3
This week's exercise is to establish the basic form of the overall primitive and the scale and proportions of the various spaces that will make up the house.
The first step that I undertook was to establish the size of each bedroom in terms of width, length and height and then categorise these spaces into my own definition. I decided to split these spaces into 3 main zones, habitable spaces, non-habitable spaces and services using different colours. Below is my own definition of each terminology mentioned.
Habitable Spaces: Are the spaces that primarily allow the user to sleep in such as bedrooms.
Non-Habitable Spaces: Are the spaces that the users of the house can use throughout their day to carry out various activities such as the kitchen for eating and the living room for the family to gather in.
Services: Are spaces such as laundries, bathrooms and garages which users can use to preform their daily routines such as washing clothes or keeping their vehicle sheltered.
I then established the sizes of each space keeping in mind the allocated overall 250 m2 floor space restriction but also ensuring that I provide sufficient space to allow for comfort. The spaces and their respective sizes are shown below. (All measurements are in metres)
Master Bedroom: 5 x 4 = 20 m2 + 2 x 3 = 6 m2 (Ensuite) Total = 49 m2
Bedroom 1: 3 x 3 = 9 m2
Bedroom 2: 3.5 x 3.5 = 12.25 m2
Bedroom 3: 4 x 3.5 = 14 m2
Study Guest Room: 4 x 3 = 12 m2
Total = 96.25 m2 - 259.87 m3
Living Room: 5 x 5 = 25 m2
Kitchen: 3.25 x 3.25 = 10.56 m2
Dining: 3.5 x 3 = 10.5 m2
Total: 46.06 m2 - 124. 36 m3
Double Garage: 6 x 6 = 36 m2 (5.5 x 5.5 minimum according to Australian Standards)
Children's Bathroom: 3 x 3 = 9 m2
Guest Toilet: 1.5 x 2 = 3 m2
Laundry: 3 x 2.5 = 7.5 m2
Total = 55.5 m2 - 149.85 m3
Total Floor Area = 197.81 (remaining = 52.19 for additional spaces if needed)
Volume based on average ceiling height of 2.7 m = 197.81 x 2.7 = 535 m3 ( remaining = 365 m3)
Establishing the layout and sizes of each space that will make up the house is such an essential process that has to be carried out to ensure a quality design. My first initial thoughts that I developed due to this short exercise that I carried out is to assign each zone to a single primitive so 3 zones = 3 primitives. As per the guidelines that no individual primitive can represent more than 60% of the total form, and no primitive can represent less than 20% of the total. My initial thoughts are to assign the larger habitable zone to a primitive which will make up 60% of the final form and the smaller non-habitable zone to a smaller 20% primitive.
Below are a few screen captures showing each space as a simple box and each zone colour coded as per its category.
I then experimented with each of spaces by orienting them to try and find the best relationship between each of the spaces to better understand how my final layout might look like and also how vital it is for each space to relate to the adjacent space to help create a successful design. After experimenting with a few possible layouts I narrowed down my selection to 1 layout that I think best represents the relationship between each of the spaces.
The selected layout: I imagined that my final primitive form will be made up of two main levels, the ground floor level and the first floor level. On the ground floor I placed the double garage with the laundry right next to it because both a laundry always includes an egress to the outdoor area so an additional egress can be placed between the garage and the laundry to allow for the access of the outdoor area from the garage without needing to access any of the internal areas of the house.
I then placed the living area next to the garage space as this space would be the main social point of the house and where the guests will be hosted in upon arriving so it makes sense to place the living area next to the entry and the garage. I also placed the guest toilet close to the garage and living area to isolate guests from entering other spaces.
The kitchen and dining room were placed next to the living room which best highlights the non-habitable zone and also creates an open plan living allowing for natural circulation and an overall passive design.
The final space to be included on the ground floor area is the study / guest room which guests can access without having to gain access to the first floor area. In doing so, I was able to create privacy on the first floor of the house.
The first floor of the house is made up of a large master bedroom and 3 bedrooms that are placed around a central bathroom. I was not interested in orienting my areas into 3 primitives at this stage but was interested in establishing a relationship between each of these spaces. A few screen captures of the oriented spaces can be viewed below.
I then began experimenting with primitives by creating some composition of 3 selected primitives based on on the proportions allowed in the brief for this experiment. Below are a few screen captures showing my first composition.
Composition 1 : Wedge, Pyramid and Cylinder
My main focus of this composition was to create an overall form that would support for horizontal floor plates. I was able to achieve a rectangular form using the wedge and pyramid that are sufficient enough to allow for a 2 storey house but also added a cylinder that could be regarded as an atrium to allow for natural sunlight in the house through a void. In other words this irregular shaped external skin would be made up of an internal straight and perpendicular structure.
Composition 2: Pyramid, Box and Sphere
In this particular composition, I wanted to experiment with the idea of linking 2 zones together via a central zone. As shown in the above screen captures, the green zones and the red zone are linked using a type of a bridge. I believe that this composition creates for more privacy but is also more unique in conveying the relationship between various spaces.
All in all, this week's exercise has enabled me to establish the sizes and heights of my spaces, the relationship of each space to another and most importantly how I'm able to use primitive shapes to convey design ideas which each represent a unique theory.
Friday 9 August 2013
Week 2
This week's exercise was a rather interesting one as we were required to develop models of the work produced by our chosen designer using paper. I selected a few of my designer's work (Nicholas Schuybroek) and the results are below.
This was my first attempt at the Chopin Center located in Warshaw, Poland. The shape of this building was a simple rectangular prism with some type of skin used as the facade. I thought that the best method to represent the facade of this building was by cutting out triangular cut outs of the rectangular prism that I created thus achieving the shape and form of this building.
Image courtesy of http://www.ns-architects.com
This particular building by Nicholas is a competition entry for a science museum located in Burssels Belgium. I created this building by folding the paper multiple times and cutting each layer that was formed at a different angle and then folding the paper in a circle as shown above.
Image courtesy of http://www.ns-architects.com
The final building was the an additional exercise introduced to us during class where we had the freedom of using multiple sheets of paper to recreate another building that our designer has produced. I chose to re-model this grand stand concert located in Montreal Canada. I found out that using one single sheet of paper was actually easier than using multiple sheets of paper. I traced out the trussed and support structure and use a blade to cut out the trusses as shown above.
Image courtesy of http://www.ns-architects.com
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