Textures

In week 3 we were required to develop 36 textures using words that we came up with in a group. Below are a variety of textures that I developed.

Batch 1

Batch 2

batch 3

As part of this week's independent study we had to also create custom materials in Google Sketchup and apply them to a basic model. I chose to be more creative and apply the textures to actual products produced by 2 of the 3 clients. 

Antonio Stradivari - Kalender

A motorbike from Shinya Kimura's collection

We were then required to choose 3 textures from the 36 that we created and apply them to our model. I chose to apply these textures to various components of my building to differentiate between the different elements. I used the textures and applied them on external walls, glass and the face of the building. These textures have given me more ideas to improve and further refine my building which I intend on doing at a later stage. 

The chosen textures

We were also required to create our own video channel on YouTube and find and upload a video that had to do with section, stair, or materiality and the scheme. I chose to upload a video showing a range of amazingly designed stairs to enhance my imagination and provide me with inspiration when I further refine my model at later stages of this experiment.

All rights belong to the original author of this video (Alice Nice). This video has been used for educational purposes only and there is no intention in copying or re-distributing this video. Original link to this video can be found at (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKZkxG3ch-Y#!)

Stair Design

Stair Designs

Crafty
Sleek

We were asked to design 8 different types of stairs to link the areas of our clients to the main showroom. I found this exercise very interesting as it helped me develop initial ideas which I further developed and manipulated inside of SketchUp. The results are shown below. 

These 2 views show the overall mass of the building in relation to a person. This design is based on a preliminary sketch that I completed which is shown above. 

Sketchup Work

Crafty
Agility

My first model in SketchUp was based on the sketch shown above. I chose to further develop this sketch in SketchUp because I believe that the design is coherent with the cultural background of my clients (Jiro Ono, Shinya Kimura). I also think that this sketch adapts strong similarities to a traditional Japanese house but with a touch of contemporary feel. One unique characteristic of Japanese architecture is lightweight construction and I think that this is the particular similarity between my sketch and a Japanese house.

Credit: Flikr, farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3249215639_263117a5f6.jpg

This is an example of the lightweight construction of the interior space of a traditional Japanese house. 

My 18 Sketches

As part of our first exercise, we were instructed to choose 2 clients and develop section drawings using below ground, ground and first floor levels. The aim of this exercise was to develop a space for each of the clients that we chose using below ground and first floor levels which will then be united on ground level to form a showroom for both of the clients to present their products. However, these sections were developed using the nouns, verbs and adjectives that we used to define our clients. 

The clients that I chose are:

Shinya Kimura

Noun - Agility

Verb - Distinguished

Adjective - Sleek

Jiro Ono

Noun - Creativity

Verb - Pioneered

Adjective - Crafty

Below are the sections that were developed.

The section that I chose to further develop in Google Sketch up is shown above (Adjective Client 2 Crafty - Noun Client 1 Agility). The reason why I chose this particular section is because it significantly matches the simplicity shown in the work of both of my clients.  

Iconic Artists

Shinya Kimura -  el mirage motorcycle 

Noun - Agility

Verb - Distinguished

Adjective - Sleek

 Antonio Stradivari - Kalender

Noun - Adoration

Verb - Benchmarked

Adjective - Crafty

Jiro Ono - Sushi

Noun - Creativity

Verb - Pioneered

Adjective - Crafty

A dose of CREATIVITY, ARCHITECTURE and the simply BEAUTIFUL

The image above was of a mixed use commercial project that I worked on during my earlier Architectural studies. This building consisted mainly of ground level shops and five additional levels of office space. The most challenging part of this project was to provide a shading solution to block the sun on the longer sides of this building that were facing East and West respectively. My interest in contemporary Architecture is what led me to design the facade shown above to not only serve for blocking the sun but to also take this building to another level based on its appearance. 

The "Falling Water" house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania is one of my all-time favourite pieces of architecture. The most interesting part of this famous building is that it is simply erected on top of a waterfall. In my opinion this is an excellent example of how a man made object can adapt to its environment and surroundings rather than impose itself on it.

  

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation - Scotland was designed by Charles Jencks and his wife. This amazing garden is open to the public only once a year. This fascinating garden is inspired by science and mathematics which also includes sculptures and landscaping as part of its theme. What makes this garden so unique is that it combines mathematical formulae and scientific phenomena along with other features such as symmetry and curvature to define its spaces and form.