Semester 1 Reflective Journal

UNSW Architecture Graduation Year 2010 \\ Independent Research Project \\ Wendy Sin

F O R E W O R D

The world’s first steam-powered vehicle was born in 1769. In roughly two centuries’ time, the technological

improvement and advancement in the automobile industry has been remarkable. There seems to be no

end to this on-going development.

Nowadays human beings are familar with automobiles, yet probably most do not have much knowledge

of them. The Automuseum offers an opportunity....showcasing cars from different periods from all over

the world, educating people on the past; astonishing them with the present and future...

My aim is to design an automuseum which will be the first of its kind in Sydney, and should strive towards

becoming a major tourist attraction. By showcasing automobiles of the past, the present and future,

it is a devotion to the worldwide and Australian automobile industry, providing the population with an

opportunity to show respect towards the automobile history. There is no future without a present; there

is no present without a past. The automobile has gone through generations, and new generations are yet

to come, these big pieces of highly engineered ‘art’ should be exhibited to express the evolution of these

artifacts and its adaptation through time.

Technological development in the building industry is also improving at an expeditious rate. New

modern cutting-edge technology, and sustainability issues are also to be considered and appropriately

incorporated into the design, yet a sense of “timelessness” should also be maintained as a whole, instead

of being biased towards either end of the timeline...

F O R E W O R D

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T H E . T I M E L E S S . B U I L D I N G

An investigation and critical analysis on what has already been written on

my selected theme of research design...

L I T E R A T U R E . R E V I E W

We are always at the ‘present’ of the timeline, as years go by, the ‘present’ will shift along the timeline,

and the ‘past’ will grow, the ‘future’ remains to be the years ahead. Therefore, one of my main intentions

is to design a building that can accommodate this growth, i.e. a building that allows for flexibility and

expansion. To allow for this to happen, it is also important for the building to be timeless, in order to adapt

to the different periods of time. Furthermore, as a dedication to the entire automobile history, its timeless

or neutral character manifests an unbiased attitude against either end of the timeline. Timelessness is

indeed a very broad subject, and each individual perceives its meaning or characteristics differently, this

study concentrates on three main points which I find appropriate to define a timeless building.

It begins with a discussion on the mat building type, mainly using Le Corbusier’s Venice Hospital as a

precedent, to look more deeply into this building type’s characteristics which include flexibility, greater

adaptability, and its ability to allow for future development.

The second section will be a discussion to define what makes a building timeless. It firstly describes a

central quality which is the root criterion of life and spirit in a building, and further defines this quality by

explaining the “patterns of events”, which then ultimately enables the timeless character of a building to

emerge.

And the final section of the study will be looking into how architecture is dependent on light, a natural

and ageless element, which reveals the building: its form, its space, its place, its intentions and its

meaning. Light, has been, is and will continue to be an important medium to reveal architecture, bringing

alive spaces with numerous different and ever-changing qualities which are ageless, i.e. applicable in all

different periods of time. This universal property of light thus becomes a fundamental aspect to consider

for a timeless building.

T H E . T I M E L E S S . B U I L D I N G

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1.1 – INTRODUCTION

Mat building types are also known as mats, fields, grounds or carpets. Nowadays a wide range of problems

preoccupy contemporary architecture, and mats appear to address these issues such as: the call for

efficiency in land use, flexibility in building use and mixture in program.1 Architects are searching for ways

in which a building acts as a flexible framework, rather than a rigid container to accommodate shapeless

functions. Mats nowadays are also aiming towards an aggressive exchange between building and context.2

This response to, and dissatisfaction with the separation between urbanism and architecture allow the

mats to become both city and building, both public and private, both structure and infrastructure.3 Mat

buildings in the 1960s usually refer to low-rise and high density buildings which are homogeneous in its

layout and consist of a simple element that is repeated systematically throughout such as a column, a

skylight or a modular room. This repetition forms the framework which allows for different possibilities

of inhabitation. The high degree of specificity found in the repeated element seems to be generating an

equally high degree of flexibility.4

1.2 – VENICE HOSPITAL, Le Corbusier

One of the good examples of a mat building is Le Corbusier’s Venice Hospital, which has been designed

for the acutely ill. The relationship between man and city had been a major consideration starting from

the early stages of the project. The hospital was presented as a massive yet light building supported by

a colonnade of numerous columns which appears to be floating over the lagoon. It sprawls horizontally

over a massive span of 700 metres at certain points; however its height was strictly limited to 13.66 metres

which illustrates a relationship with its neighbouring city skyline.5

T H E . M A T . B U I L D I N G . T Y P E

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The organization within the building is composed of series of calli (streets), campielli (squares) and jardins

suspendus (hanging gardens), which was to replicate the city’s atmosphere.6 The plan can be read as a

series of small squares surrounded by a series of regular quadrangular areas. Units on the same level

are connected by axial street corridors.7 The distribution of activities was determined in plan, however

more significantly in section. All patient services and rooms are situated on the top level, elevated from

life below, while all other activities are distributed across the lower levels such as operating rooms,

laboratories, offices, medical services, shops, hotel, schools, the pharmacy and the morgue.8 With this

wide range of functions housed within the building, an urban sense is conveyed.9

The ground floor of the hospital is the level that connects to the city and serves as the major public

domain of the building. This floor concentrates all those services that are indirectly related to medicine

such as shops and restaurants, administration and reception, kitchens, offices, laundry, personnel etc.10

All public access – by water, by foot and from the bridge across the lagoon, are also found on this level.

This relationship with the city is one of the main characteristics of the mat building type, allowing for a

city-hospital encounter and to facilitate the visual transmission of medicine towards the outside. This

signifies that it is above all man, rather than the patient, who is being considered.11

The initial approach for the hospital was the room (cellule) of the patient, which then became a care unit

of 28 patients. Each unit receives indirect natural daylight that creates the best possible conditions for

patients to heal more effectively. They function independently and each is organized around a central

space of communication and four paths, intended for circulation and inhabitation for patients during

recovery. Four care units becomes a building unit, forming a framework that yields a horizontal hospital,

allowing for flexibility, which is required for evolution of medical innovations and future growth.12 The

building essentially becomes “a hospital complex that can stretch like an open hand”13 – Le Corbusier.


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1.3 – THE EMERGENCE OF MATS

Aldo van Eyck’s Amsterdam Municipal Orphanage introduced to Netherlands a new design method. The

orphanage was a creation of complexity within a strict and expandable modular system.

In mid 1950s, van Eyck designed a lot of children’s playgrounds around Amsterdam on small and irregular

urban sites where he developed three-dimensional visual languages using elements such as sandpits,

climbing structures, hedges, trees, sculptures and paving patterns.14 These playgrounds created an

urban network of child-orientated places throughout the city. The interaction between children and the

built environment proposed a new kind of urban structuring.15

The orphanage, also known as the Children’s Home, was a fusion of three traditions: the classical, based

on geometry; the modern, based on movement and change; and the vernacular tradition of spontaneous

building.16 The whole complex is composed of a series of square modules which runs consistently

throughout the building. Each module is topped with a precast concrete dome. At certain points the

modules are grouped together to form bigger domes. Internal streets within the complex lead to living

and sleeping units for children of different age groups, each with their adjoining patios or sheltered

outdoor play areas. A variety of plan arrangements and built in elements have been designed scaled to

the ages of the children, using materials such as mirrors, tiles and small pieces of glass.17

The building’s open-ended quality suggests the opportunity for future change or development, by

employing the same basic architectural order. It is arguably the fist mat building to have emerged.

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1.4 – THE ENVIRONMENT

“It seems clear that in building in the city an alternative to the ubiquitous energy consuming high-rise is

necessary . . . sensibilities are numbed by reliance on precedent, not realizing that continuing our present

approach is energy wasting, expensive, inefficient in land-use . . . (We must) develop a strategy which

will allow us to create a world in which human experience is deepened while at the same time making

efficient use of our land, resources and energy.”18 - Louis Bakanowsky, Robert Luchetti

By the 1990s, mat buildings are more commonly associated with energy efficiency, thus buildings

that demonstrate characteristics of a mat building could automatically relate themselves with energy

efficiency and environmental sustainability.19 This section discusses some of the claims that represent the

current justification for the environmental performance of mat buildings.

Greater Adaptability - Interstitial spaces of mat buildings dematerialize the borders of adjoining spaces,

allowing the boundaries to become less distinct and the configuration of spaces more fluid. Mats thus, as

mentioned previously, create flexible frameworks or shells where various activities can be accommodated

within, rather than providing function-specific enclosures designed for predetermined activities.20

Together with modular compartmentalized spaces which are connected by networks of circulation,

mat buildings allow for new functions and spaces to be readily inserted into the plan. Reallocation of

spaces for uses that may change over time is made possible. This extends the useful life of the building

and minimizes the need for facilities being replaced or demolished. However, due to the usual great

surface coverage of mat buildings, more building materials are to be used. This also has to be taken into

consideration in terms of life cycle analysis and embodied energy.21


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Land Efficiency – Although mat buildings typically span over large areas of land, they are usually

interspersed regularly with courtyards. It is systematically possible for future growth as mat buildings

utilize their modular system to expand along circulation networks and courtyards, awkward additions

are no longer an issue. High or low density developments are possible, and can be controlled by how the

building is subdivided. The claim that mat buildings use land efficiently is not affirmed by their current

use of land, but their potential densification and growth.22 However, the negative side is that even with

an increased density, the plan of mat buildings might not be so efficient due to the fact that a lot of floor

area is dedicated to circulation space.23

Reduces Transportation Needs – Mat buildings are usually associated with pedestrian movement,

therefore providing the basis for the claim that the building type reduces the mechanical models of

transportation. Walking and driving, the two fundamental means of transportation are not to interfere

with one another.24 The low sprawling nature of mats also argues that the need for mechanical systems

for vertical movement can be reduced or eliminated. However, systems for horizontal movement have

to be introduced to cover the long distances within the building due to the large floor areas.25

Microclimates – The claim that mat buildings create their own microclimates originates from the desire

to be separated from urban noises and filth. Aldo van Eyck describes the mat building as “A place for

rest in a restless city, Not a rest house in a restful region, An oasis within a metropolis.”26 Mats are

not to mediate the external environment but to replace it with a more perfect “outside”.27 Nowadays

mat buildings are connected to not only the control of noise, also the control of pollution, thermal

environments and even biological microclimates. Their large building sizes enable them to act like an

island, disconnected from the surrounding city.28

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Energy Conserving – The courtyard spaces of mat buildings increase daylight penetration, solar energy

gain and allow for air ventilation. Easy adaptation of this building type also reduces orientation issues for

solar access and air flow. However the building type does not provide any additional advantage over a

narrow floor plate building in terms of daylight and air ventilation. Cross ventilation may also be hard to

achieve with enclosed outdoor spaces. Also, due to the increased surface area of mat buildings, it may

intensify thermal loads, making it very problematic in areas with a changeable climate.29

Each of those claims has their own advantages and disadvantages, therefore the type itself cannot be

deemed energy efficient and environmentally sustainable. Each project has to demonstrate these features

through its relationship with its local context. The parameters that determine energy performance

emerge from the specific conditions produced by the interaction of a building with its immediate and

particular environmental surroundings.30

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T H E . T I M E L E S S . C H A R A C T E R

2.1 – THE QUALITY WITHOUT A NAME

“There is one timeless way of building. It is a thousand years old, and the same today as it has always

been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at

home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way. It is not possible

to make great buildings beautiful places, places where you feel yourself, places where you feel alive,

except by following this way. And, as you will see, this way will lead anyone who looks for it to buildings

which are themselves as ancient in their form, as the trees and hills, and as our faces are.”31

– Christopher Alexander

Any building or town can achieve this timeless character, as long as they are alive. Their aliveness brings

us, the inhabitants alive. In order to seek the timeless way in a building we must first know the “quality

without a name”, which is the root criterion of life and spirit; it is this quality in a building that brings it

alive.32 This is known as the quality without a name because no word seems to describe it properly. Here

are a few examples:

“Whole” – is too enclosed. It carries a subtle hint of self-containment, which undermines the quality

which has no name.33

“Comfortable” – has too many other meanings and is easy to misuse. There are kinds of comfort which

stultify and deaden as well, thus distort the central meaning of the word.34

“Free” – A building which has a “free” form equals a man whose gestures have no roots in his own nature.

Its shape is borrowed, artificial, forced, contrived and made to copy outside images instead of generated

by forces from within. This kind of so-called freedom is opposite to the quality which has no name.35


13


“Exact” – this word too, does not properly describe the unnamed quality, it has no sense of freedom in

it. It refers to other things which are exact in entirely different senses. An object which has the quality

without a name does not fit any image exactly. What is exact is its adaptation to the forces which are in

it, and this kind of exactness needs to be loose and fluid in its form.36

This quality, thus, is described as “without a name”. Each of the words that attempts at describing

it includes certain properties of the quality; however each word also contains a lot of other distant

meanings, which will then become too broad and too vague to refer exactly to the quality itself.37

2.2 – THE PATTERNS OF EVENTS

Consider the following two scenarios where water is included in a building: for one case there is a

concrete reflecting pool outside a room, with no purpose other than reflecting the sky. For another case

there is a stream outside the room, with a small rowing boat on it, where it too reflects the sky, but also

allows you to go row, lie on the water, struggle against the stream etc.38 Which of these two makes the

most difference to the building? Which alters the entire experience of the building? The latter, obviously.

Every place has its own character, its life and soul, which are governed by certain patterns of events that

happen there regularly, and these patterns of events are not necessarily human activities.39 Life of a

building is not given to it directly by its shape or form, by its ornaments and plan. It is given to them by

the quality of the events and situations people encounter there.

14

A culture defines its pattern of events by referring to the names of the physical elements which are

“standard” in that culture. For example, Sydney makes one think of beaches, the CBD, parks, motorways,

suburban streets etc. These elements are not dead pieces of architecture; they evoke our imaginations

and remembrance of the life in an environment which contains those elements. The same physical

element in different cultures may lead to different pattern of events. Such as a sidewalk in New York is for

walking, whereas a sidewalk in Jamaica is for sitting, talking, playing or sleeping. Therefore it means that

a pattern of events is linked to the space where it occurs. Similarly, the pattern of events which govern

life in buildings cannot be separated from the space where they occur.40

“A man is alive when he is wholehearted, true to himself, true to his own inner forces, and able to act

freely according to the nature of the situations he is in.”41 To reach this state of harmony, it depends

entirely on his harmony with the surroundings.42 Certain patterns of events help a person come to life,

some make it difficult. For example, a window with a windowplace helps people come to life, where they

can be conflict-less and comfortable. Whereas for a room that has no window place but just small window

“holes”, sets up conflicts, either to go towards the window, or sit somewhere else where the seats are

away from the window, and in the end causing tension and frustration by these two pulling forces.43

The quality without a name in us, our liveliness, depends directly on the patterns in the world, and the

extent to which they have this quality themselves. Patterns which live release this quality in us, only

because they have the quality in themselves.44


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2.3 – THE PATTERN LANGUAGE

“An ordinary language like English is a system which allows us to create an infinite variety of one-

dimensional combinations of words, called sentences.”45 It informs us which arrangements of words

form legitimate sentences, or make sense, in a given situation. Furthermore, it provides a system which

allows us to produce these sentences which make sense. In other words, it does not only define the

sentences which make sense, but also gives us the needed apparatus to create these sentences. It is a

generative system which enables us to generate sentences that are appropriate to any given situation.46

Similar yet more complex, “A pattern language is a system which allows its users to create an infinite

variety of those three dimensional combinations of patterns which we call buildings.”47 It defines the

limited number of arrangements of space that make sense in any given culture. It also gives us the power

to generate these arrangements of space, which is again a generative system.48

All kinds of building are governed by a pattern language. A few examples of pattern languages to build

a farmhouse are: ‘Two floors’, ‘Garden to the south’, ‘Hay loft at the back’, ‘pitched roof’, ‘bedrooms in

front’ etc. Each pattern is in the form of a rule, telling the builder what to do. Even some of the world’s

greatest buildings have been built by languages. The power, life and beauty of great cathedrals come

from their pattern languages, so does that of the smallest buildings which come to life. The same process

is used to build a simple farmhouse or one of the great mosques or palaces seen in history.

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Palladio used pattern languages to produce his designs, and so did Frank Lloyd Wright. Palladio on one

hand recorded his pattern languages in books to share it with other people; on the other hand Frank

Lloyd Wright keeps them to himself. Every great architect has their own languages which becomes their

private rules of thumb, which they can refer back to whenever they need to.49 In fact, everybody has

pattern languages in their minds. They learn and create their own languages from everyday life, from

experiences, from books and manuals, or even from a television program which they have previously

come across.

Pattern languages have the power to bring buildings to life. All buildings are made from patterns, even

the ugly and deadening ones. There mere use of languages, therefore cannot guarantee that a place can

be made alive. It is only that a pattern language itself is alive will be able to create places that are alive. If

a pattern language is dead, the places which they create will too be dead.50

So then how do we decide whether a pattern language is alive or dead? Usually if it is alive it meets two

conditions. Firstly the problem is to be real and that the configuration solves the problem.51 It might

still be difficult to decide whether a pattern language works or not, therefore a reliance on feelings is

required, such as, to consider whether the pattern “Window Place” or “Alcove” makes us feel good. If a

building is being built by a series of good or living pattern languages, the emerging building will become

alive; hence will possess the “quality without a name”. It will ultimately take on a certain character – the

timeless character.


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LIGHT.REVEALING.ARCHITECTURE

3.1 – LIGHT AND EXPERIENCE

We have been relying on light to be able to read, write, see people and to see places ever since we were

born. We learn how forms are revealed in light. The use of light in a building affects ones feelings of

comfort in relation to the thermal variables in each climate zone. Light can express the changing time in

a building, creating distinctive patterns of diurnal and seasonal changes. Each place has its light and its

quality differs from place to place in terms of its rhythm of light and dark, clear and cloudy, bright and

dull.56

The life and spirit (i.e. the quality without a name) of a place can be conveyed by responding sensitively

to its light. There are certain places that are memorable for their quality of light and there are architects

who master their evocation of place in light.57 Canadian architect Arthur Erickson’s response to light is

“transparency in buildings, or skylights bathing walls with a gentle introspective light, or water reflection

to bring the sky’s brightness onto the earth’s dark surfaces.”58 Water reflection brings a luminous quality

to an otherwise dark and light-absorbing ground, Erickson makes use of this quality of light to lighten the

ground and reflect the sky to the occupants, as though to put the sky at their feet, thus changing ones

experience within the space.59


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What is the beauty of a Japanese room? What brings life and aliveness to such a simple room? Its beauty

almost entirely depends on a variation shadows. Typical Japanese rooms have paper-paneled doors

(shoji) opening onto a covered verandah which acts as an eave blocking out strong summer sun, which

usually surrounds an open courtyard. These thin paper doors transmit soft, filtered and muted light into

the interior. Depending on the privacy or usage of the room, the layers of paper used for the shoji varies,

sometimes letting more light in, sometimes less. The filtered light, together with the dark wood finishes

in the room, are in perfect marriage to create a charming shadowed interior. During warm summer days

when the shoji are opened, the contrast between direct and indirect light creates a sharp framed view

of the outside. The quality of light also varies accordingly to the condition of the sky and its external

environment, creating different atmospheres; hence enable people to have changing experiences within

a particular room. It is exactly this aliveness which is essential in an architectural space.

When light is introduced into a space, it also produces a physiological reaction.60 When there is light,

there is heat; the two are connected with regard to thermal comfort. Light is welcome in cold climates,

and not so much in warm climates. A north facing outdoor space and a north facing fully glazed office

space bring about very different physiological reactions. One will eventually be an alive space, while the

other will become dead. The same happens to a south facing outdoor space and a south facing studio

space. The quality of a space is very dependent on the quality and intensity of its light, however a balance

is also to be taken between that and the comfort level of inhabitants, which differs from space to space

according to function.


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3.2 – LIGHT AND FORM

“Our eyes are constructed to enable us to see forms in light.”61 – Le Corbusier

Form cannot be perceptible without light to reveal it. Light is an intangible architectural material and is

dispersed by means of materials and their forms. Form remains constant but light changes. The nature of

daylight is change, qualitatively and quantitatively. Even for artificial electrical light sources, although its

nature is constant, they can be turned on or off, or can be dimmed to different levels. We might perceive

the form of a wall to be stable, however the presentation of the wall to our eyes changes drastically as

light moves over it.62

Light also emphasizes form, by creating cast shadows that create a contrast, allowing the object to

become more noticeable and stand out. For a stairway, the surfaces of the treads are distinguished

from the risers by the way they appear under light creating shadows of different shades.63 Form is also

emphasized by light when it is silhouetted. This characteristic of light sometimes enables the highlighting

of a special dominant feature of a building or space. A similar relationship exists between forms and

artificial electrical light sources, indeed sometimes electrical light sources have advantages over natural

light, as they can be placed freely anywhere within a building form.

“…Structure is the maker of light. When you decide on the structure, you’re deciding on light. In the

old buildings, the columns were an expression of light. Light, no light, light, no light, light, you see. The

module is also light, no light. The vault stems from it. The dome stems from it. And the same realization

that you are realizing light.”64 – Louis I. Kahn


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Kahn’s idea is expressed clearly in some old buildings such as the Pantheon and the Parthenon. There

has been a change in the relationship between light and structure and this change is explained by the

technological advancements. The use of iron and glass revolutionized the attitude towards light in

buildings. Some examples include the Crystal palace in London, and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.

Roof structure is easily revealed by roof glazing since it is backlit by daylight and seems silhouetted. On

the other hand, light sometimes is possible to reveal structure as well. In the Chapel of Notre Dame de

Haut at Ronchamp, the sagging shape of the roof construction suggests weight. The walls are heavily

constructed thick masonry walls. A slit is present at the conjunction letting in daylight, clearly attempting

to create confusion and mystery of the structure.65

Lastly, a strong relationship exists between light and materials. The two qualities of materials, finish and

colour directly affect both the quantity and quality of light. Reflective surfaces of materials such as glass,

mirror, tiles or metal panels are very different to the matte surfaces of stone, wood or plaster. A brightly

coloured wall such as white or yellow, reflects more light than a dark blue wall. These basic concepts are

fairly easily to be understood and play an in important role in altering the feeling of a room and the level

of illumination.


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3.3 – LIGHT AND SPACE

“Space remains in oblivion without light. Light’s shadow and shade, its different sources, its opacity,

transparency, translucency, and conditions of reflection and refraction intertwine to define or redefine

space. Light subjects space to uncertainty, forming a kind of tentative bridge through fields of

experience.”66 – Steven Holl

The definition of architectural space is the definition of enclosure. A person’s sense of a particular space

is dependent on the way which light reveals the enclosure to them.67 Consider a white room which has

a glazed wall. The same room, which appears open and spacious during the day, can appear mysterious

during night where a burning candle is the only source of light. The corners and edges of the room become

obscured, and the image of the candle is reflected off the glazed wall, which appears to cover endless

black space. If we cover the glazed wall with a curtain, our perception of the space will change. The room

will be filled with diffused daylight during the day, and at night the curtain catches and diffuses the candle

light, enclosing the room with its illuminated surface. We have manipulated light.68

Light can be used to emphasize connection or separation between inside and outside, it can also unify

or differentiate internal spaces. When experiences of inside and outside are contrasting, such as bright

snowy landscapes and dark church interiors, separation is emphasized. Whereas when experiences are

similar, connection is usually emphasized.69 This idea of light connecting or separating spaces also differs

among cultures, and local climate and thermal conditions.


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The most obvious separator of inside and outside during the night is light. “The open fire yielded points

of light in the night. This point was once the definition of a place.”70 Nowadays this poetic expression of

light defining space is done by electrical lighting instead of an open fire. Electric lighting produces brightly

illuminated interiors that defy the darkness, separating inside from outside. Humans are phototropic

by responding to light. Light, then becomes a tool to attract one’s attention, to guide circulation, to

encourage movement.

It is essential that light comes into a space to give life to it. A space without openings or lights is simply

dead. It not only does not make one feel good or comfortable, it will not evoke one’s movements,

emotions, feelings or experiences. A building with dead spaces is one that does not have a soul. It might

only be timeless in the sense that it is always there, but it will never be truly timeless without the presence

of the quality without a name.

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P R E C E D E N T . S T U D I E S

1) Parti Diagrams - to reduce the complexity into a simple and precise series of lines which represent the organizational idea behind the project.

2) Architectural Drawings - to trace the horizontal surfaces and investigating the relation between interior and exterior

3) Storyboard - as a series of condensed perspectives to represent the relation between inside /outside.

4) Model Interpretation - Interpret the spatial and volumetric analysis of selected precedents as a sectional model

R E P R E S E N T A T I O N & I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

P O R S C H E . M U S E U MProject Name: Porsche MuseumProject Location: Stuttgart, GermanyProject Architect: Delugan Meissl Associated ArchitectsYear of Completion: 2008

Areas:Exhibition area: 5,000 m2Restaurants/café: 500 m2Museum shop: 200 m2Classic car workshop: 1,000 m2Conference area: 700 m2

1External Perspective

Front Facade

2External Perspective

Rear Facade

3Internal Perspective

Lobby/Reception


Exhibition Space


Exhibition Space


Top Level Exhibition Space


Escalator

> The Porsche Museum has quite a controlled circulation path, hence creates a controlled journey through the building.

> My interest in the expansion/flexibility idea: meaning the building can allow for future expansion, development and growth, this building demonstrates the unlikeliness of such growth.

> Doubts on the irregular (random) form of the building. I believe there wasn’t a strong enough reason behind such a form design.

3F

2F

1F

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN

Exhibition Space

Exhibition Space

Exhibition Space6

7

P O R S C H E . M U S E U M

TOP FLOOR PLAN

Conference Facility

Roof Terrace

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1:250

External Entrance Court

Reception

Car Workshop

Shop

Restaurant

3

P O R S C H E . M U S E U M

FIRST FLOOR PLAN (Arrival Exhibition Space)

Exhibition SpaceExhibition Space

2

1

4

5

28

Phys

ical

Mod

el: W

hite

car

d / G

rey

box

boar

d / P

ersp

ex

Phys

ical

Mod

el: W

hite

car

d / G

rey

box

boar

d / P

ersp

ex

K a n a z a w a . M u s e u mProject Name: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

Project Location: Kanazawa, JapanProject Architect: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue NishizawaYear of Completion: 2004

> Circulation is an important factor to consider in any museum design.

> The Kanazawa Museum has a quite free circulation, when compared to the Porsche Museum. Each person who visits the museum can create their own journey.

> My interest in the expansion/flexibility idea: meaning the building can allow for future expansion, development and growth, this building demonstrates the possiblity.

> The four courtyards, each having their own characterstics, play an important role within the complex, creating a play between light and darkness, solid and void, openness and closure. This relates back to my concept of having light as a universal architectural element in enabling the timeless character of a building to emerge.

> The placement of volumes and courtyards were designed so that when one exits from one gallery, and before entering the next, they must go past a courtyard to refresh the mind. (A Japanese tradition).

> Circular boundary was used to create no corners, creating a constant continuity along the boundary, leaving it unbiased against one certain direction.

> Demonstrates similar characterstics with Le Corbusier’s Venice Hospital - the mat building typology.

31

K a n a z a w a . M u s e u m

32

Phys

ical

Mod

el: W

hite

car

d / G

rey

box

boar

d / P

ersp

ex

Phys

ical

Mod

el: W

hite

car

d / G

rey

box

boar

d / P

ersp

ex

S I T E . A N A L Y S I S

1) Research / Analysis - Research and analysis of selected site in relation to the larger context of part of Sydney.

2) Representation - Grid system, North/South orientation, relationship between buildings, land, grass, water, street, paths, etc.....

3) Model Interpretation - To interpret the spatial quality of the place through athree-dimensional model investigating .

O P E R A T T I V E . R E S E A R C H . O F . S E L E C T E D . S I T E


36

G R E E N . S Q U A R E . M A S T E R P L A N

37


Sydney City Toyota / Lexus

Taylors College

BOURKE STREET

McEVOY STREET

YOUNG STREET

Hoosier Racing Tyres

Petrol Station

BoncoteCement Paint

Lawrence Dry CleanersCommercial Division

ClassicMotoring Imports

HillsongChurch

Sonoma BakingCompany

Fabric Pavillion

NorthshoreTimber and Hardware

SITE PLAN - 1:2000

N

R O A D . N E T W O R K P L A N T A T I O NMajor Roads Minor Roads R E S I D E N T I A L C O M M E R C I A L

E X I S T I N G . B U S . R O U T E S

39

C O N C E P T . D E S I G N

D E S I G N . C O N C E P T

Dissect ion, In terpretat ion, Redef in ing

41

D E S I G N . C O N C E P T

Lots of architecture have a particular element being emphasized more, which then becomes the major driving force which influences one’s impression of the building. Form or façade should not be viewed as a physical element, but should be perceived by one’s experience of the building.

When one leaves the museum, they should not be able to refer to the building by its external form, but one should think about their own journey/circulation/experience through the building, which then becomes their own unique conception of the building ‘form’.

“FORM AS A CONCEPTION”Dissect ion, In terpretat ion, Redef in ing

42

P R O G R A M S

43

C O N C E P T U A L . D I A G R A M S

44

C O N C E P T U A L . D I A G R A M S

Top Level – Free Circulation

45

G R I D . S Y S T E M S

46

C O N N E C T I V E . P A T H S

47

S U R F A C E S

Public Parking

Public Green Space

Water Retention Pool

Museum Ground

Jogging Track

48

P R O G R A M . A L L O C A T I O N

L O B B Y G A L L E R I E S C A F E S

L I B R A R Y &

A U D I T O R I U MS E C U R I T Y P A V I L L I O N S

49

F I N A L . S I T E . P L A N

50

Aer

ial O

bliq

ue V

iew

look

ing

East

war

ds

Sect

iona

l Per

spec

tive

Sect

iona

l Per

spec

tive

1 Case: Le Corbusier’s Venice Hospital and the Mat Building Revival (Case Series). Fort Worth: Prestel Publishing, 2002. p.13. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid., 15. 4 Ibid., 14. 5 Ibid., 25. 6 Ibid., 26. 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid.9 Ibid., 37. 10 Ibid., 26. 11 Ibid., 42. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid., 71. 14 Ibid., 55. 15 Ibid. 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid. 18 Louis Bakanowksy and Robert Luchetti, Exploration of Relational-Field building, vol.1. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Graduate School of Design, 1988, p.3. 19 Case: Le Corbusier’s Venice Hospital and the Mat Building Revival (Case Series), p.54. 20 Ibid., 71. 21 Ibid. 22 Ibid. 23 Ibid., 72. 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid., 73. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 Ibid. 29 Ibid., 72. 30 Ibid., 78. 31 Alexander, Christopher. The Timeless Way of Building. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 1979, p.7. 32 Ibid., 28. 33 Ibid., 32. 34 Ibid., 33. 35 Ibid., 34. 36 Ibid., 36. 37 Ibid., 39. 38 Ibid., 65. 39 Ibid., 64. 40 Ibid., 73. 41 Ibid., 105. 42 Ibid., 106. 43 Ibid., 112. 44 Ibid., 122. 45 Ibid., 185. 46 Ibid.186. 47 Ibid. 48 Ibid. 49 Ibid., 203. 50 Ibid., 229. 51 Ibid., 283. 52 Ibid., 331. 53 Ibid., 333. 54 Ibid., 334. 55 Ibid., 335. 56 Millet, Marietta S.. Light Revealing Architecture. 1 ed. New York, NY: Wiley, 1996, p.6. 57 Ibid., 8.58 Ibid., 9. 59 Ibid. 60 Ibid., 17. 61 Corbusier, Le. Towards a New Architecture. Connecticut: Praeger, 1972, p.8. 62 Millet, Marietta S., p.17. 63 Ibid., 52. 64 Wurman, Richard Saul. 1986. What Will Be Has Always Been: The Words of Louis I. Kahn. New York: Rizzoli, p.63. 65 Millet, Marietta S., p.65. 66 Holl, Steven. 1989. Anchoring. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press), p.11 67 Millet, Marietta S., p.93. 68 Ibid. 69 Ibid., 96. 70 Ibid., 102

Semester 1 Reflective Journal

Documents

timeless building

building timeless

i t e r

building industry

t u r e

f o r e w o r d3t h

building types characteristics

future development