Week 6&7: 'Gathering'

Augmented Drawings was week 6's tasks, producing firstly 3 augmented drawings of our precedent buildings (given matrix). Our task was to come up with ideas from the building we were studying and draw abstract or simple drawings that mould with the picture to create a somewhat 'augumented reality'. I came to the conclusion on the Sendai Mediatheque building, produced by Toyo Ito, that the main structural elements were based or schemed of natural supports (e.g Trees). From this I produced work that showed how trees could support or grow from the building.

The last image, instead of showing a meaning behind the drawing, I decided to show the structural aspects within the building and the joints of different materials that exist. What i find interesting about this drawing is the amount of layering of different materials that he has used.

Peer Reviews: Project 2 'Sustenance'

After being crited myself on my second life project, i found that my critics gave me compliments on the process i took to get to my idea and the research I put into the project from the start. They also agreed on the 'growing' of the building from its surroundings by coming out of other buildings on second life. After this I was set to crit others in the Argumentative Drawing group.


Jianxiang Ma (Mickey)
www.1337monkeyz.blogspot.com
Mickey's project I found was very good, he had a good starting idea and it showed with his final outcome that he had put alot of effort into his 1:1 detail model. Mickey's idea was had a very abstract meaning, but here we go, it was the idea that in the future oxygen would be a very scarce material, where humans would have to be walking around with oxygen masks on, filling up on what he called Oxygen stations which are similar to petrol stations. His idea from this was to design a sustainable, oxygen providing walkway that could replenish oxygen. In his walkway he had alot of plantations sitting upon a curved rail, to increase surface area. While gaining the idea of lungs he created a facade that covered the plants with an almost vein/branches from a tree design. As explaining can do so much, a picture here would be genius!

Jinok Shin
www.jinogi.tumblr.com
Jinok's project I found again interesting, her idea was communication or a lack of socialisation between interiors and exteriors. Her project, thus was to create a table both interior and exterior that could be used greatly for socialising. Her idea was to create an extendable table the fitted through the outside wall, it could extend to manage more people and have inside the table compartments for files, objects etc for storage. Her 1:5 scale model was amazing, with fully working hinges, rollers and the table could extend in four directions. She explained extending the table in different ways allowed the user to experience different social aspects (e.g being extremely close and far from people on table).

Jack Tiong
www.architekturvoyage.blogspot.com
Jack's idea was to create a case for his bible, a sign of devotion and care. He gained his inspiration from the holy wings inside churches and other holy matters. I thought his project was very complete, as he had done alot of research, alot of concept drawings, alot of modelling to provide final model and a very smart looking final model. The case which he made represents wings or hands wrapping the bible, and being held shut by magnets i thought was a smart idea. Once pulled apart the hands or wings show the bible sitting upon a case in the middle.

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Final Building

Changing from its Surroundings

After a productive talk with Ian, I've decided to texture the building similar to its surroundings so that it portrays the idea of how the surroundings has affected the growth or strength of the building, and in my head how the environment has helped the idea of evolution. This also helps show the stages in which the user experiences when walking through, almost like the stages of evolution, growing mentally and physically in strength. The end point or the most strength shown physically and mentally is a room with a window portraying a great visual experience when looking up. This texture should be something man made, maybe industrialized showing mental strength.

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End Room, 'Looking Up'

Different Textures depending on Surroundings

Revised Concept

After initially building my design in ssecond life, it was very boring and did not convey my ideas clearly. This is why i have decided to revise this design and change it in ways to enhance the viewer understand my ideas of growth and strength from surroundings. I have decided to make my building curve and almost 'grow' around obstacles in it way, I have also decided to create more than one route (points of entry) as it conveys a greater idea of evolution which I was looking at earlier, it almost has a sense of a plants roots growing around obstacles and finding strength.

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Second Life First Steps

Yawwwwwwn, after building my initial concept on second life, it made me realise I think how boring and dull it is. It is hard to represent the ideas I want to convey on a digital format.

I think if the buidling 'grows' around the surroundings (existing buildings, structures and landscapes) it will convey my idea of the growth of strength more. It also allows more spaces or rooms which means I can exagerate the idea of crawling or the last vertical room.

Weekends Thoughts...

From the latest talk with Judy, and the weekend to come up with ideas, I've decided to further my idea of strength from surroundings or growth in strength. Looking at this as a theme for my building I looked at the famous evolution pictures.

I saw in these images a significant direction of height during the evolution process, as organisms climbed out of the water and eventually stood on two legs. I think this greatly shows how, not just humans but all organisms grow strength from their surroundings. Thus I wish to create a building that makes the person enter crawling or enter through a small entrance feeling small and weak, then when going through different rooms, growing in size, (different stages in the evolution process), the user is allowed more space and therefore I think feeling like they are growing or becoming stronger or more confident.

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Initial Concept

The idea of crawling into my space is clear in this first concept. The person then passes through different sized room, therefore growing in size and strength, eventually standing vertically in the final space.



Desktop Crit with Judy

A productive outcome! After speaking to Judy I have decided to focus in on the idea of Strength and how a person takes or absorbs strengths from my developed space or their surroundings. Also with the idea of photosynthesis also thrown into the mix, it shows how strength grows and develops and produces an output, in the way that photosynthesis also does. She suggested customizing my avatar to produce this idea, but in terms of the building design, I have a lot of brainstorming to do to suggest and portray my idea of strength.

On another note, when discussing the images below in "Sustenance Ideas" Judy and I did agree about the form and complexity about them. While the steel construction framing has an organized shape, line and symmetry, it conveys a sense of lightness and almost in a way a thing we hang or support things with through the strength that it contains. While the large concrete structures portray strength in a more physical manner, showing mass, weight and large forms to convey strength. These things I will need to think about when I further develop my building.

This image I think shows the idea that I had in mind with the steel construction framing, a very chaotic but organized shape that is pieced together by steel framing.

Sustenance Ideas

Light

light/līt/

Noun: The natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible; electromagnetic radiation from about 390 to 740 nm in wavelength.

 

As light provides energy for life on earth, I thought it would be good to further investigate the process in which it is transformed into energy. Photosynthesis; is the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. It generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

 

I thought it would be interesting to look at the inner workings of the plant and how it absorbs light, and maybe involve some structual ideas from the makings of the plant.

 

Sustenance Ideas

STRENGTH
Sustenance provides the human body strength,
the body is constantly trying to find nutrients for strength,
this need for energy and strength is what drives us for nourishment,
and a need for food/liquids that sustain us.

strength/streNG(k)TH/Noun

1. The quality or state of being strong, in particular.

2. Physical power and energy

 

strong/strôNG/Adjective

 

 

1. Having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.

2. Able to perform a specified action well and powerfully

 

 

Peer Reviews: Project 1 'Waking Up'

After being reviewed I was on my way to review other peoples work, I was set to crit Kyle D'Mello, Jeaan Montano and Kyun Yoo (Matt). Again I could not find Jeaan and heard from others that she wasn’t in on that day.

Kyun Yoo (Matt)
www.brucekid.tumblr.com
Matt's idea for the 'waking up' task wasn’t literally waking up, but the idea of waking up to something new or a life changing moment. His inspiration was when he was a kid and first drawing, realising the fun and enjoyment he gained over this. His site was a complicated area including railways, residential apartments, office building and paths. For his project he mentioned finding inspiration while taking a break from work and taking a short walk outside, from this he based his idea of 'waking up' on a short walk, whether it be things in life or the surroundings around you. So his final project was a small glass walkway that walked from building to building over the railway, being glass he explained its slightly reflective, allowing the person to see themselves while being also see through so the person had the feeling of floating or being above the ground. It was very interesting listening to Matt as I thought he had put alot of time into his project and had a great idea that showed through in his final project.

Kyle D'Mello
www.dmelloK.tumblr.com 
Kyle's idea for this project was that his building was 'waking up' with the person inside it. I thought again this idea was very good and out of the box, and he explained he took his inspiration from seeing plants when waking up slowly turn and facing the light. His building represented this as he had reactive panels that when a certain amount of sunlight hit them they opened, allowing sunlight into the room, as if the building was 'waking up'. This was very interesting and his site, on top of a building I thought related to his themes and ideas.

Peer Reviews: Project 1 'Waking Up'

After a bit of explaining, we were organised and ready to explain our ideas to our now expert reviewing peers. My reviewers were Xinran Cheng, Vannessa Liu and Ying Yang Feng, sadly Ying Feng did not show and I could not find them. But, with an audience of two I explained my work and themes and showed them my animation. After asking some questions, they were knowledgeable about my idea, but didn’t seem quite satisfied with a small dark room.

After being reviewed I took the remaining time to take a long look at my own work, I think the 'black box' was a bit farfetched and lacked imagination. I think the interior needed more thinking and explaining as I thought the black box worked very well with my ideas and themes of 'looking up, confusion and confusion'.

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Week 4&5: 'Sustenance'

The next project is all about sustenance and what sustains us. In the Monday morning lecture, Judy talked about the basics of sustenance; food/water, sleep, money, hygiene. While these ideas are important to human life, I wish to find a more interesting and willing topic from sustenance that I can develop and grow from.

sus·te·nance

noun /ˈsəstənəns/ 

Food and drink regarded as a source of strength; nourishment
The maintaining of someone or something in life or existence