Card model Photos

Sketch Model

Sketch model of the underground house. The punctures that I have made for the skylights have to be resolved i.e be more of an intergrated design component.

There are some very private areas of the house especially towards street level, being underground and all. In contrast to the space towards the back of the site which is still 1m+ dug into the ground, which is open and exposed to the neighbours on each side who have two storey dewllings. However this contrast might work well in balancing the degree of isolation that might be felt spending so much time underground.

The image above on the left is what the house will look like from street level. And becuase it is flush with street level this leaves oppurtunity to dwell on the roof plane as well as use it as a secondary means of entering the house from the outdoor space at the back of the site.

Some images looking into the house from the outdoor area. During the day this space will be filled with a filtered light passing through the trees that occupy the outdoor space.

The Trojan House - Inspiration

Earth Houses by Peter Vetsch, this one is in Switzerland. The concept is quite extraordinary in that you virtually live underground. The house designed for my client will be similar to these houses by Peter Vetsch.

The interior of the same house as above has a very organic and fluid nature to it, Also very white but earthy. Note the skylight - very important as there are limited facades where windows can be placed.

An Earth Housing Estate also in Switzerland, this image reminds me very much of hobbit houses but only because of the curvaceous forms.

ACROS Fukuoka, Japan by Emilio Ambasz and Associates. It's a hotel complex with a green roof, there is a zig - zagging pathway that steps down the building from what i can gather from the image. I'm not really sure wether it stands out or blends in?!.

I love this house! It is Villa NM in Upstate New York, designed by Ben Van Berkel and UN Studio. The two way split of house and the interlocking of volumes is intriging.

Some colour wouldn't have gone astray, it has a showroom-like quality to it rather than a home, in my opinion. :) What an effective little model though!

Four House Planning

More thoughts

After speaking with Sean in Studio today my design has progressed into something with more depth and substance. Instead of having the wall weave around the houses as a superfluous element it should weave about the site, where it informs the territories of the houses.

• Interaction between the weaves and the houses.

• The wall can unravel in places to create openings.

• Perhaps at certain points the weave folds to create a

ceiling plane as well.

The wall can change thickness and height, it can bend and curve subtly and abruptly. Providing places to sit perhaps or places to lean...

By doing this I have reversed the design process i.e. design the weaved element first and let it inform the houses. This will create interesting floor plans but what about sections and elevations?

Thoughts

I think the project is about the four houses but more than that; the interaction and connection the houses share. They share the same spaces - how well does this happen, does it benefit all occupants? There are so many possibilities of placing the four houses on the site - the first method that comes to mind is how many different ways can you divide the site into four equal/unequal spaces. We are not only dealing with the 2d plane but 3d plane as well.

This is a Sketchup design combining parts of each concept from the previous assignment. I created four angular volumes and wished for them to engage with the site and also each other. I see a weave as something that binds elements together that's why a weaved wall surrounds the perimeter of the four houses. I realise this is not resolved but it's a start!!

Perhaps the four buildings could weave together and the nature is weaved between them. And garages/technique are included in each house design. i.e only some elements would weave. would the space left over be communal space? So many things to consider...

What is Nature?

I commenced this assignment thinking about the 16 9x9m squares, then when that didn't take me anywhere i decided to take a closer look at Nature.

What is nature?
Nature is natural
Nature is organic, organic is curved, rounded
Natural is plant, animal, mineral
Nature has point, line, plane, volume
Nature is not man made? Yet artificial lakes, grass, trees exist
Nature is living? Does a rock live?
Wind, Fire, Water, Earth
Nature is natural phenomena
Nature is sunlight

EQUUS - Submission One

Leah Rodighiero 100083725

This house was inspired first by a piece of street art and second by the interlacing nature of something woven. The house, in plan and elevation is very controlled, nothing is left to chance. This reflects the personality of the consulate official who likes to have control in all aspects of her life, she doesn’t believe in chance.

One can enter the dwelling from the north or south, which offer a different perspective to the visitor. From the south one is pushed into the very crux of the house, the parting of paths. It seems that the walls meet at odd angles but still manage to work cohesively as one travels throughout the house. Unit 7 is at the end of the main strip, as you stand at the doorway one can see the whole room simply by looking in. A small pond soothes the mind, eyes and ears, it is quiet, nothing can be heard but your own thoughts. Light and warmth stream into the room from above and rest upon you as you sit, listening, reflecting, pausing.

The interlaced element of the woven walls, contribute to the residence aesthetically and mentally. As the sun glides through the sky, the shadows cast by the weave play on the surfaces within the house. Just as a spider makes a web, the character has embedded her most precious memories, vivid and faint, past and present.

It is a collection of volumes, seven in all, each serves a purpose…because life without purpose is no life at all. The connection between the volumes is evident; the relationship however can only be explored inside the walls of the house. Spatial relationship of one unit to another unit is key to functionality and experiential qualities within the house. Connections between friends and family can be made quite easily, but relationships take time, nurturing, commitment and love.

A consulate official is a person who has structure, stability, order and organisation. Often organisation is hard to escape, everything is written down, times, dates, places, meetings, people, events… thoughts, to do’s. The house is a journal of the every day. Evidence of sleeping, waking, eating, bathing, pondering, thinking, studying, reading, relaxing, absorbing, and most importantly living.

It’s a hotchpotch of units. The organisation and order are concealed within the jumbled mixture of elements. The main entry point is the beginning of your journey. As you approach the centre of the halls there are three paths to be taken, one leads to unit 8, another to units 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the third, if the need to be cleansed is compelling, units 9,10,11,12 await. The epicentre of the house accommodates an aquarium of fish, the road less travelled leads to unit 6, and on the left, unit 5, a place to recoup.

White Model - Woven

The woven walls incorporated into the design
keep the characters memories and thoughts
interlaced together.
The play of light and shadows is something that
I explored before I put the roof on. The weave
reflects onto the surfaces in the house and because
it isn't perfect the reflection is warped a little bit.

Design Alteration - Woven

When I commenced constructing the first design concept out of white card, it became apparent that some things still needed to be resolved. In the initial design stages the tower was situated outside the dwelling, I then thought because my character does lots of thinking and reflecting that Unit 7 should be inside the house. The remainder of the floor plan hasn't been changed a great deal.

*Inspiration*

I was at Sydney Airport recently and saw this
weaved stone wall feature on one of the shop
fronts. It intrigued me so I took a photograph
of it.
I found this also at the Airport, (I spent 4
hours there) in a cafe, it is actually some
form of cardboard shaped around a wire frame.


These things then reminded me of Dock 5
Residential, by John Wardle Architects. The

image above is made from concrete. All these things then inspired me to incorporate a weaved form into my house design. This is
my version made from white card. There is
something about the 'over and under' interplay

that could resemble a weaved web of my

character's memories, past and present.

White Model - Volumes

1:200 is so small...but good because doesn't take long to make and chew away at my white
card supplies. The model worked well (i think). After I had put the roof on I remembered that
Sean said about making it a sectional model, so perhaps the second one is sectional.