THE BIG DRAW 2
EXPLORING FORM AND STRUCTURE
The 'Big Draw 2' was about bringing relevant precedent to our designs to inform structural design. I had begun to rethink my overall plan, acknowledging the failures in my previous design and resolving this in a new way. This allowed me to approach this design day with a revised plan, one which had yet to consider structure but which allowed for opportunity.
The day was spent once again 'stealing' architecture, informing our plans with already built precedent, learning from their structural strageties and form. As I had already begun to think about plan I used part of the day to solidify my ideas through drawing, applying relevant precedent to my thought process allowing a plan to be realised. I then spent the latter half of the day modelling, exploring structural techniques of cost efficent yet beautiful methods which relate to my site and culture.
EXPLORING CONSTRUCTION THROUGH NETS
PRECEDENT: KURVE 7
The curvature of the buildings creates an interesting and geometric public space in the centre of the shopping centre.
Each shop has its own identity in layout and size. This could be transferred to my project to accentuate the individuality of each trader.
The entry widens out as it gets nearer to the main roads to invite people into the site.
FORM IN SECTION
Exploring the site in section allowed for developing the form of each building. As all three buildings now claim their own identity and dependence, each has a diferent language and responds to their context in different ways. The topography of the site has also become a constructive issue. Both the training centre and homeless shelter will be built partially into the central topography which rises towards the back of the site. By laying precedent over the site we can begin to explore the spatial and structural qualities whilst acknowledging the topography of the site.
PAPER MODELS: DEVELOPING FORM + PLAN
Inspired by the construction approach at the Ritblat School by Hawkins\Brown , I began exploring the construction of the individual retail buildings which I had derived from exploring precedent in plan. I cut out a net on card, similiar to the form I imagine for the buildings, and simply began to construct the small objects. This is a quick and simple building construction method. Everything folded into place neatly and the joins could be attached easily. As I began to look more into this method I tested it out on the complete plan I had been drawing, except this time using thick paper.
CREATING FORM WITH NET MODELS
As I began to develop more and more of the retail units using this method of net construction I did it unison of forming plan. I used Kurve 7 plan to inform some of the shapes I was creating but also referred to my site strategy from 3.1, the site itself and the surrounding gemetry to inform the shapes. This modelling construction led me to develop a concise structural strategy for the retail units which I could take forward into my design as well as creating the beginnings of overall site plan.