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.

Sketch up - Volumes

I'm only new at Sketch Up, as you can see. This is the volumetric/geometric design so far. The heights of the different volumes are working well, you can't see much of the internal space because of the roof however one can imagine the circulation between the volumes on the ground floor as well as the first.
The odd angles make the composition interesting although i don't like so much the transparent blue and I'm struggling with the fenestration, they all look like windows!!

Ideas generation cont.

This is my second design concept for my character's house. It emerged in studio last week, while thinking about space and the convergence of units. The image above was the initial sketch, which I then transformed into connected 3-d volumes.

It was easier for me to visualise what the spaces would look/feel like internally and externally in comparison to my first idea which started as a plan and didn't follow on directly to the overall external design.
The units are placed so that there is a flow throughout the house. I envision this dwelling to be glowing with natural light and in someway tell a story about the everyday life of my character.
Some changes had to be made when i started to construct the design with card. All the angles are tricky to manoeuvre on such a small scale, but i think it will work out well.

Ideas generation

This assignment was kind of like a blank canvas from which 4 house design concepts had to emerge. I used this image above to grasp inspiration from.
I then redrew it and simplified it somewhat which then translated into a quite interesting floor plan.
Now for the challenging part deciding what the exterior will look like. Perhaps Sketch Up will help.

What is space?

space is...


Space is nothing
space is everything
space is everywhere
space is monumental
space is minute
space can be pushed, pulled,
manipulated, designed
space is colourful
space is monochrome
space is flexible
space is useful
space is enjoyable
space is terrifying
space can be invaded
space is warm
space is cold

space can have boundaries

space is light

space is dark

space keeps no time but can have history
space is yours
space is mine...

Can you see what I see...

Can you see what I see...my world is spiralling I have no control, my mother is here, she is speaking, I can not hear her, she's slipping away or am I slipping away?

Nothing is clear...Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others, far better than I, have departed? Is it that they have accomplished their purpose while mine is yet to be achieved? What about my mother? Did she fulfill life...

Character Sketch

From a young delicate age the smallest of four children shared an unbreakable bond with her mother. A compassionate and warm woman recognized and nurtured her daughter’s talented creative mind. The stepfather, a rigid, narrow minded man did not share the same compassion. The calamitous event of her mother’s premature death and the consequences that followed affected the youngest child most. She lived a sad, suppressed life dictated by her stepfather. She was fortunate enough to attend school where she developed a life long love of learning that no one could ever take away from her. The year she became of age she departed for Berlin, to commence a new chapter in her life, unburdened by her stepfather.

She is inquisitive and open minded. She is young but old enough to have experienced life's adversities. She has traveled to see many facets of the capacious world but not all. Her mother is to thank for her extraordinary memory, her mind is a grand museum of facts, numbers, quotes, memories, recollections and emotions. Her life would hold little meaning without friends, which she shares every glimmer of laughter, love, anguish, pain, and excitement

She loves her job as a Chinese Consulate Official, there is something so satisfying about her work that motivates her to do her best. Every working hour is spent caring for people. Helping them to the best of her capabilities, she devotes herself to each customer ensuring they leave with all their troubles resolved.

When she returns home everything is about her...her house is speckled with all the things she loves, her vivid collection of vinyl records and the imagined room. This room is her 'blank canvas' to draw, paint, write, read and dwell. It is neutral...each day the walls can transform into something magnificent. It is a room full of thoughts, emotions, desires, dreams, reflections; a very personal experience. The layers of the walls can be peeled off to reveal new possibilities. There are no limitations. Anything is attainable via her imagination.

“We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.”