architecturous

Newtown Art Gallery

2010-06-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

The chosen site is a connection Camperdown Memorial Park and the busy King Street. The Art Gallery is a continuous passage that takes patrons on a journey between the Memorial Park and the main street, while inviting them to enjoy the displays of contemporary paintings, installations, and sculptures. The north-oriented outdoor space provides a sunny lookout towards the park and a Sculpture Park behind the gallery.

artists for Newtown Art Gallery

2010-06-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

The Art Gallery is a diverse platform for contemporary art, whether they are by established contemporary artists, up-and-coming street artists, arts discovered by netizens, students exhibitions, or others.

Contemporary Aboriginal art by The King Sisters

Installation paper art by Su Blackwell

Installation / street art by Know Hope

inspirations for Art Gallery

2010-06-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

Steven Holl's expansion of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has a linear plan with ramps and escalators which separates gallery spaces and circulation very well. The natural lighting works extremely well and I find the architectural play with double / triple height spaces very interesting.

Room and Narrative final submission

2010-05-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

Painting
"Summer In The City" - Edward Hopper (1949)
The painting shows two characters who are isolated from each other despite their close proximity. With the woman in a defensive pose and the man hiding his face, they look extremely uncomfortable and there is a yearning to be alone. The gloom and darkness of the mood is in contrast with the bright, harsh evening light that pollutes the bare and empty room.

Narrative
A contemplative space inside an isolated tower for a quiet and extremely introverted hermit

Site
A remote mountainous area, the Subalpine Zone of the Swiss Alps. The building faces the south so as to capture the light from the southern sun, and has its back against the harsh northern winds. One approaches the building from the south as one climbs up the mountain.

Drawings

Model

Process for Room and Narrative

2010-04-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Painting
-empty room to the point of being non-functional, the only furniture is bed
-harsh and intruding evening light expose bareness, emptiness, nakedness
-isolated and lonely,extreme discomfort of being with each other, (desire to get away from each other?)
-high-rise apartment setting -> high density urban living, can be suffocating

1940s mindset: post-war trauma and weariness, period of transition and uncertainties

Narrative
-social misfit who desires to be alone and detached from everyday life
-he wishes to be at peace and ease, the space should evoke serenity and a sense of calm
-the space should be ideal for resting, relaxing, being in harmony with oneself and maybe relating to the stillness of nature

Rooms
-situated on a secluded, sloping site
-private space for one person
-cave / bunker
-as inspired by Jørn Utzon's Can Feliz, a space that has a strong back against the site and is protective like a cave
-materiality : primarily concrete (precast or block) - strong and protective yet expressive, suitable to create mood and stillness
-contrast between (light-flooded) ground / upper ground space and darker, moodier underground space
-sloped walls-> in line with sloping site, create gap let in light
-high ceiling, roomy underground space to enhance the feeling of being alone, with light coming from up above

Picture: view from the bottom of the well (Source: Flickr)

Early -> More Developed Sketches

After consultation, I decided to change my design in order to fit the narrative better.

Inspirations for Room and Narrative

2010-04-24T18:43:00.001-07:00

Steven Holl - [left] Danish Arts Centre, [right] Chapel of St Ignatius
sculptural quality of the space and great ambience from high light source

Tadao Ando - Church of Light
I think that the use of concrete is really evocative, with light coming in through slits like an intruder

Box House - Rintalla Eggertsson
intimate execution of the cave / bunker concept; proof that a cave does not have to be awfully dark. In fact light is the one factor that create depth and shadows.

The Painting

2010-04-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

"Summer In The City" - Edward Hopper (1949)

The artist in a glimpse
Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. He was a pictorial poet with an immense fascination in urban architecture who recorded the starkness and vastness of America. He painted hotels, motels, trains and highways, and also liked to paint the public and semi-public places where people gathered: restaurants,theatres, cinemas and offices. But even in these paintings he stressed the theme of loneliness.

Always reluctant to discuss himself and his art, Hopper simply summed up his art by stating, “The whole answer is there on the canvas.” Hopper was stoic and fatalistic — a quiet introverted man with a gentle sense of humor and a frank manner. Conservative in politics and social matters, he accepted things as they were and displayed a lack of idealism.

He practiced art during the first half of the 20^th century where the world went through rapid changes and lots of calamity such as both World Wars, Holocaust, and the Great Depression despite showing early promise of wealth and prosperity during The Jazz Age.

The 1940s in a glimpse
Spanning from 1939 – 1945, World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. The 1940s were seen as a transition period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s, which also leads the period to be divided in two halves:

The first half of the decade was dominated by World War II, the widest and most destructive armed conflict in human history. So consequential was this event and its brutal aftermath that it laid the foundation for other major world events and trends for decades to follow. This war was also the first modern civilian war. The second half marked the beginning of the East-West conflict and the Cold War, together with major social upheaval caused by the destruction of the war, the large number of refugees, and soldiers returning home and demanding government recognition for their sacrifice, especially in colonies of European countries, many of which gained independence.

(quoted from: http://www.artandpopularculture.com/1940s)

My analysis
When I first analysed this painting, I focused on what the two characters might felt and narrowed them down to guilt, regret, and the harsh exposure of the light in the scene. This brought me to a narrative about someone who struggles with addiction; the guilt and regret that it caused him / her but at the same time the self-professed inability to change things for the better. Naturally, things led to to Trainspotting. However, at this stage my direction started to deviate further away from Summer In The City.

I slept on this, and on a second analysis, I simply focus on the isolated state two characters in the painting despite their close proximity, and the bare emptiness that fills both the space and the ambience. And my narrative shifted to a person who simply can't connect with other human beings, who feels isolated and immensely lonely.

Current Narrative
A retreat for a social misfit who gives up on human interaction and wishes to be alone.

final Villa can Feliz parti and poche

2010-04-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

Lessons to be learnt: I should have separated the partis into several simple, clear diagrams instead of cramping everything into a single plan as what I have tried to do here (misunderstanding on my part). In this diagram I was trying to show circulations, space organisations, and the site / nature as a part of the central courtyard arrangement.

This section diagram also needs to be more reductive in conveying the simple idea of a cave nestling back to the sloping site.

Final poche renderings. Images are taken by a digital camera since they are too large to be scanned.

final Villa Can Feliz model

2010-04-08T18:29:00.001-07:00

Plan view of Villa Can Feliz.

The living spaces are orientated towards the central courtyard.

Columns as inspired by Greek architecture.

Elevation of the Villa. This is the primary direction where living spaces open up to the site.

Main entrance and the walled court / garden.

Sectional cuts show the relationship of the building with the natural slope of the site, the primary direction, and the openness of the structure.

parti and poche explorations

2010-03-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

in progress

2010-03-29T02:14:00.000-07:00

Our group is Ashley, Henry, and me.

Villa Can Feliz by Jørn Utzon

2010-03-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Twenty-two years had passed from the construction of Can Lis when Jørn Utzon and his wife decided to spend the majority of the year in Mallorca. Due to the high humidity in winters, they handed Can Lis to their children and moved to a new house that they named Can Feliz. It is in the mountains, far away from the humid sea breezes, with big windows overlooking the green pine grove that reaches down to the sea.

Although both houses use the same materials, the second is a house in the mountains that belongs more to the traditional houses of the island, even reaching the point of being passed by unnoticed. Can Feliz is built round a terrace, following the pattern of orthogonal axis and is built under one tiled roof.

However much Utzon has insisted on his joy at receiving visitors, the fact that the house is so difficult to locate has contributed to the creation of the myth of the badly treated architect who has retreated into his refuge. Can Feliz has appeared in publication as it were a magical place and, includes, of course, the indispensable requirement of any utopia, apart from it marvellous qualities, be an insuperable gap from the rest of the world. In the same way as any novel on magic lands starts - with the loss of memory of the shipwrecked person who does not know how he arrived on the island, or the predicable cough made by the servant right in the moment when the narrator reveals the secret coordinates - the published articles on Can Feliz are reports by visitors who affirm that they are not able to remember the way that leads to the house.

(quoted from http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com/2005/07/can-lis-and-can-feliz-in-mallorca-by.html)

note to helen

2008-06-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Since my elevators are in constant loop, you have to wait for them to come (just like normal ones).

Also, I put a delay time that works fine in the elevator connecting Zhang Yin's private office and lobby, but strangely delay time doesn't seem to work on the other elevators :( So the key is to be alert and quickly hop on the elevators when they reach the base.

links

2008-06-19T18:37:00.002-07:00

My dining table and elevators in SketchUp:

As you know I remodelled Zhang Yin's elevator because I lost the one I imported to UT. The overall shape is correct however the dimension, scale and the texture scale might be slightly off.

My overall model in SketchUp:

Shows most of the static meshes I used in UT (seems like either I forgot to put the meeting space, or it is on hide...)

UT Draft 1:

that was me experimenting with the movers.

UT Draft2:

almost looks like the final model, with minimum lights.

Finally... UT Final:

(I named the files correctly but since my name's too long... the names got cut off)

peer reviews

2008-06-19T18:37:00.001-07:00

Not sure if we're to put our reviews of others or others' reviews of us. So, I put both.

My reviews on peers.

Peers' reviews on me.
(the left one is reviewed by Ying Gong Huang. I kinda stole the sheet from his blog. :P Thanks Brad!)

The Meeting Space

2008-06-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

It is a fusion of power ideas, Yin's down to earth nature with wooden lines, and Donatella's extravagant background with curving/yielding glass and metal columns. And how they can work in harmony despite the differences.

The facade is almost entirely glass, creating an open space that contains their energy. Besides, dining with a stunning city view is always refreshing (I know in UT you can only see the texture detail of your glass, oh well...).

The dining table and chairs in Realtime.

Donatella Versace's space

2008-06-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Overall view of Versace's office with curtain wall facade. It is meant to catch one's attention as suited to her personality and industry.

All public eyes are on her ever since she became head designer of Versace. She is used to being the centre of media attention, and the lack of privacy, she [appears to] embrace it.

Yielding and curving walls and glass to suit her temperamental personality. The constant change in the curves along the office also represents fashion as an always changing industry .

The stairs is lavish and has moody lighting, to suit her artistic flair and the nature of her industry.

There are two possible office spaces that she can use, considering a moody person she is. The space on the top level is almost entirely surrounded by glass, suits a 'tan, blonde and blingin' person she is.

Or, she could use the bottom level space that is more private but still has a degree of lavishness, suits her lesser known side: the committed, highly driven and workaholic side (yes she has one).

Zhang Yin's space

2008-06-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

She is a private person, rarely grant interviews, and remains largely unnoticed until recently. The enveloping timber frame encloses the space and suits her need for privacy and her down-to-earth persona.

However, if one is the richest woman in the world, privacy doesn't come easy. The timber frame does let outsiders see what's inside to some extent.

The vast lobby of her gigantic business is appropriate to welcome guests.

The giant staircase to her private office represents rise, growth, potential, and her vision (and the queen of cardboard ambition) . The stairs demand respect, and Yin is animated, but driven and tough, and this garners a lot of respect from the male-dominated business world.

The main material is timber is to reflect her nature-friendly business and her the simplicity of her ingenious business idea. The spaces at the side of the staircase is for her employees.

Then there's her practical side. If she's in a hurry/tired of climbing the giant staircase, she could always use the elevator that goes up to her private office.

The private office, in contrast to the lobby, is warm and friendly. The timber structure lets in light and creates an openness that doesn't stifle her vision.

overview

2008-06-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

Zhang Yin's office is on the bridge, Versace's office and meeting space are below the bridge.

table and elevators

2008-06-17T22:29:00.001-07:00

THE TABLE

At this stage I was a little worried because the table looked rather like an ironing board...

The completed table and chairs. I scaled it to Bryce and the sitting guy, not the 50-50-90 box (before, I already scaled these guys up to be as tall (standing) as the box but not as fat). Because... if I scaled to the UT box, the furniture would look really fat!

The table fuses Zhang Yin's ideas of power with simplicity and humility but quiet strength, as shown by the sturdy, stable wooden legs. While Versace's ideas of fashion, glamour and fame are represented by the more "showy" and widely spanning curving metallic legs. The transparent, flat table top and curving shapes represents class, femininity, and stability of these powerful figures.

DONATELLA'S ELEVATOR

The birdcage elevator is a simplified version of my elevator draft.

The birdcage represents Donatella's sense of responsibility (how she came into being the head of Versace after her brother's death, and, at one point, succumbed to the pressure). However, in the end she prevails and even flourishes. The birdcage elevator, however, is large with very widely spaced bars, so it doesn't feel claustrophobic. The curving forms also very open (see-through), symbolising the glamour and sexiness that is the trademark of Versace.

ZHANG YIN'S ELEVATOR
!!!!! I did one silly mistake! I imported my elevator to .ase alright but then I didn't save the sketchup model!! After I finish with absolutely everything, I will remodel it again. :(

I use a lot of timber material for Zhang Yin, because it's a natural material yet classy, representing her tree-hugging company and her down-to-earth nature. The structure starts with delicate on the legs and as you move up the wall curves and gets larger to finally support two interlocking forms of a roof. This represents her self-made riches, the potential and growth into stability and strength.

work in progress [2]

2008-06-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

Sneak peek at my UT2004 model:

As seen in the first screenshot there was a reversed face problem with the static mesh... but it's been solved. Lighting and textures are not final.

work in progress

2008-06-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is an overall view of my draft sketch-up model for exp3. Not very sure about the trusses connecting the lower office to the bridge though. More screencaps and updates soon (once I'm not so preoccupied with studying for exams).

36 textures

2008-06-02T03:15:00.000-07:00

Linear, Rotational, Scalar, Resistance, Quick, Sway.

dining / meeting space, draft

2008-05-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

The basic set-up of the meeting / dining space of Yin and Donatella. I haven't taken into account their personalities but what I have in mind is a very spacious space (?!) with double height and natural light from outside, to suit their prowess and achievement.

elevators

2008-05-20T06:56:00.001-07:00

Hmph. The textures from SketchUp won't come out, although I already imported them. I assigned my own texture but the static mesh has to be uniformly textured throughout.

This is for Donatella Versace.

And this is for Zhang Yin.

(notice how it looks funnily shiny? Inside the map itself it's worse - like a disco-lamp. Probably something to do with the mover brush. Sigh.)

18 two-point perspectives

2008-05-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

tips/tricks with SketchUp and UnrealEd

2008-05-20T03:53:00.000-07:00

In SketchUp, you can do an array by typing "x[number]" or "/[number]" right after you [Ctrl] +move / rotate an object

1" in SketchUp = 1 unit in UnrealEd. I found this helpful.

I also found it helpful to make a box of 50x50x90 (a person's size) in my UT model, helps me in scaling.

In SketchUp, bring your object close to the origin before importing in .ase format, and rotate to its correct position (I got it by trial and error). Saves quite a bit of time.

Plan in paper or SketchUp beforehand. Modelling aimlessly in UT just doesn't work for me.

the first draft

2008-05-13T15:18:00.001-07:00

The original sketches and the screenshots:

18 perspectives

2008-05-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

MashUp

2008-05-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

After losing her job as an designer in a Hong Kong firm, her return after more than a decade in exile is an extraordinary act of corporate reconciliation, a move laden with triumph, vindication and opportunity.

Their plan called for her to play an executive role in resurrecting a troubled company and bringing the company closer to its goal of becoming the world's number one producer of a new multicultural America. They would buy inane feel-good dance tunes from garbage dumps, and send it back to China to be made into a flamingo-pink locus of style and hedonism for China's growing consumer-goods market.

Great products, according to her, are a triumph of taste. The invention of much culture into their products, the microchip, simple elegance, with a serpent hairdo and the unwitting knack of sexy, bold volumes and tropical pastels seems like a strange and exotic destination. It turned out so well because the people working on it were musicians, artists, poets and historians who also happened to be excellent computer scientists.

Two years later, she expanded her business into the production of countless Art Deco hotels, to satisfy the growing demand for the fresh colors of summer holidays and total freedom.

Today, Nine Dragons is China's biggest manufacturer of carefree days and endless nights with a clientele that includes multinational giants Sony, Nike and Coca-Cola.

References:

Steve Lohr. Creating Jobs. The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=technology&res=
9F04EED71139F931A25752C0A961958260

Geni Raitisoja. Zhang Yin: Building A Business Empire Out Of Scrap. Radio86. http://www.radio86.co.uk/explore-learn/business-china/2509/zh
ang-yin-building-a-business-empire-out-of-scrap

Guy Trebay. Versace's Medusa Over Miami. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/30/fashion/thursdaystyles/30
VERSACE.html

Final UT2004 Map

2008-05-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the filefront link to the final map:
http://hosted.filefront.com/alicetj/

Final UT Model

2008-05-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Firstly, the original sketch. The left part is Stephen Hawking's and the right is Jane Goodall's.
The ideas behind Hawking's ramp are crossroads and choice, which relates to his quote about actions, consequences, and one's control over one's fate.

Jane Goodall's ramp is about individual elements (railings randomly placed) that together creates the overall mood of the place.

The meeting space shows the individuals' (the cubes) 'reaction' in keeping the big block from 'pushing' into the space. Together they create a difference.

An Unrelated Note: One glitch is the glass texture I found (a large part of the meeting space i.e. the roof and the wall where the cubes embed) isn't nice. Instead of partially blocking the light to create a nice ambient, it appears to illuminate by itself! I can't fix it so the light in the meeting space appears overbearing :( Anyone can help me to find a more decent glass texture in UnrealEd?

Electroliquid Aggregation

2008-05-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

"Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference." - Jane Goodall.

"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road." - Stephen Hawking.

Both quotes relate to change, control, and possibilities.

Electroliquid Aggregation:
The future is a blank canvas full of possibilities, and one is not powerless over it. One's tiniest action, whoever (s)he is, will make a difference.

36 shades

2008-05-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

9 combined axonometrics

2008-05-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

18 axonometrics

2008-05-03T05:22:00.001-07:00

These nine are Stephen Hawking's.

These nine are Jane Goodall's.

goodall & hawking's space in ut

2008-04-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

The left part is Stephen Hawking's, the right is Jane Goodall's.

developed axonometrics

2008-04-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

The top right sketch is developed.

The bottom right sketch is developed.

quotes for exp2

2008-04-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

"It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a Hospital that it should do the sick no harm." - Florence Nightingale.

http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/qu_nightingale.htm, accessed 15 April 2008

"Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference." - Jane Goodall.

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/jane_goodall.htm, accessed 15 April 2008

"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road." - Stephen Hawking.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/stephen_hawking.html, accessed 15 April 2008

3 animations

2008-04-13T05:14:00.001-07:00

The storyboards:

The results (they came out rather different):

Animation 1: Transformation

Animation 2: Exhibionist

Animation 3: Hope

other doodles

2008-04-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

My other sketches / work-in-progress in the moleskine:

One of the stairs from week 2 lecture (yes the sketch on the top left is a sketch section -- I accidentally overshot)

designing stairs...

and the final result used for my (developed) model.

36 textures

2008-04-13T04:56:00.001-07:00

18 sketches

2008-04-13T04:39:00.000-07:00

Since required, I should post these up on the blog.

sketch-up again

2008-04-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

My model at its present state. Enjoy.

And 3 images (more improved state than the video):

textures used: spiky, solid, spongy, slippery, non-uniform, translucent.
I've changed and simplify the stairs below the ground too; the previous one was too heavy and it read 'jail' not 'hope'.

about the artists

2008-04-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

Sidney Nolan:
Myself (1988)
122.0 x 92.0 cm

The material used in the painting is oil and spray enamel on composition board. Nolan most probably have completed the painting of the person first using oil paint, then sprayed the outline of his famous black being (Ned Kelly), and smudged it. He used his paints liberally, applying broad strokes in a somewhat spontaneous but deft movement, and, surprisingly quickly, he's done. He worked on a flat surface (a table), not using an easel, probably because the paints that he applied appeared to be very wet.

Ricky Swallow:
The Exact Dimensions of Staying Behind (2005)
70 x 110 x 105 cm

Swallow' sculpture is made of English limewood, and carved meticulously and painstakingly detailed. He favoured the traditional / classical way of carving, which is by hand, using a hammer and chisel. What's interesting is that Swallow said in an interview that he hasn't been using sanding. No paint or other adornment is added, so the detailed carvings stand out on its own. However the wood is laminated for further protection. I'd want to be careful and use a lift to bring his masterpieces, since it is life size and delicate, but *sigh* stairs it is.

sketch up model with stairs

2008-04-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

The second sketch up model, with stairs.

(oops! No ground plane......!)

stairs above the ground:

Stairs below the ground:

A quick photo of the original sketch (I shall scan it for a better, lighter, straighter look later on):

The words are: transformation (Nolan) above the ground, hope (Swallow) below the ground.

the model

2008-03-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 pics of my sketch up model:

above the ground: Swallow - bleak
below ground: Nolan - transformation

The sketch it's based on:

Materials:
> anodized aluminium for the bulk of the building above the ground
> tinted glass
> steel-reinforced concrete columns (I know it should have more columns, but, hey)
> masonry / stone for the underground structure
> and concrete foundation

independent study

2008-03-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

a piece of creative work prior to uni - Since I didn't do any creative arts subject in high school, I had a hard time trying to find my own small projects. I found this image though, a simple A5-size collage I did for a friend's birthday card. The grid creates quite a nice effect, and perfect round cut-outs that make up the tree are of course made using a hole-puncher.

an inspiring image of a building - Several years ago, I was bewildered by the computer-generated image of an odd, hollow building, which looks like it's going to topple over very soon. I couldn't take that image completely off my head, and it grows to be a most inspiring one; what follows is that I become a fan of the architect, Rem Koolhaas. Up till now the building, the new China CCTV Building, is still in construction.

an original image of something beautiful - The Aussie bean ball tree is a house-warming gift from a friend. I love the exposed fat round beans that grows into such a sturdy and leafy structure, something that reminds me of Jack and the beanstalk (without any particular reason). The way the plant reminds us of its humble beginnings makes it unique, unlike other plants which have their seeds hidden away under the ground.

Nolan: transformation (n), hide (v), hollow (adj)

Swallow: hope (n), pause (v), bleak (adj)

Piccinini: acceptance (n), ease (v), trusting (adj)