Monday, 22 March 2010

Chosen Exemplar

This is nolli style map of the site plan, since it was taken from Google Maps, it doesn't have a very accurate scale, but it can provide a good indication of the relationship of the site compared to neighbouring properties and vegetation. From here we can delve deeper into the house.

By redrawing the original architectural drawings of this house, you start to understand a better picture for the ideas behind it. The drawings are courtesy of Mr Steendyk.


From this drawing of the first floor you begin to understand a relationship between the spaces and how they center around the courtyard. This drawing gives a good indication of the entry along with the connection between kitchen and courtyard. At first I drew the floor plans from a different source, but they didn't have a scale and so were not very accurate. It did however, give you a very good understanding of the connection to the garden. This can be seen below.


This drawing provides a view of the site along with the house and is useful in that respect. However, it was redrawn to scale and with pen to give clearer definition.

This drawing also gives an idea of space relationships, but on the upper floor. It can be seen that the master bedroom is pointing towards to river so that the occupant can take in the views from their bed. There are two bathrooms at either end of the gallery which serve the bedrooms. It can be seen that all sub-bedrooms are connected to a balcony. There is no entry to the library or lounge box from this level as the floor is on the level below.

Similarly, this is the upper floor from another source. It can provide a different view of the same object, in this case, indicating how the furniture might be arranged within the rooms. It was redrawn in pen for greater clarity.

This is the south elevation of the house. It shows how the house is related to its topography and how the living pavillion is cantilevered off the main building. The entry is shown well here and allows you to see how it acts as a tunnel going through the hill into the heart of the house.


This, on the other hand, is the western elevation. This would be the view of the house from the river, the angle shows how the garden and house look connected. There is no definition between them, but rather, that they are the same. You can see how the building is planned vertically, so that the private areas are up high. This drawing was also previously drawn, but was redrawn with pen to show depth within the drawings.
   
This is the original drawing and as you can see, looks very flat upon the page. Looking back at the final one it can greatly show you the difference in definition.
This is a vignette of this house, it is drawn as if in the courtyard, looking at the living pavillion. This angle was chosen to show the connection between the courtyard and the kitchen. And also the connection between inside and outside and how there is no fourth wall within the courtyard to encapsulate the space. At the top you can just make out the window of the master bedroom and the window shades on the west side which were featured in the elevation about. The vignette was drawn free-hand to show it's character rather than by ruler which would have made it look too clincal to get the feel of it.


This section is looking through the house as if looking from the river. Within it you can see the courtyard, the master bedroom, the loungebox and the kitchen. This section allows you to see something you wouldn't see in an elevation, namely the gap in the roof above the courtyard. This allows for natural ventilation and natural lighting. You can also make out vague construction details such as concrete slabs and roofing.

This is another section of the house, albeit rather confusing. It is is here just to give another impression of the building.

The "Chosen One"

The house chosen as the exemplar house to base my cabin design upon is the Canoe Reach Residence. This is because it has clear and logical solutions to the criteria as opposed to the other two. This means the key elements can be taken and manipulated easier in reference to the design of my cabin.

Saturday, 20 March 2010

Reference to Criteria

These three houses have all met the inital criteria in their own ways. This is to sum up the main ideas behind each one.


The House is an Environmental Filter

 Stretto House The Stretto House is reflective of it's site, with particular reference to the three pools of water on the site. As Texas Architect says "Stretto House responds to its creekside site with four disciplined modules under soaring, sail-like roofs'.


Canoe Reach Residence The Canoe Reach Residence acts as an environmental filter by its relevance to the river and the views of which it provides. The way in which the house challenges the boundaries between inside and outside is also a key feature.


Isaacson-Davis House This house is responsive to its environment by its sense of being cabin-like, the bedroom catches the morning sun and the living room basks in the setting sun. The materiality ensures that it blends in with its environment.


The House is a Container of Human Activity


Stretto House This house was designed to house a large collection of art and so the design must revolve around that. The house is simply a house, it appears that there is more emphasise on the form of this building rather than its use.

Canoe Reach Residence This house has the common use of a courtyard, but with a new twist, instead of just having rooms around it, they also reach up, while still being connected to the same central space. This sets up the ability to have a communal area but also with the chance of retreat, merging the definition between public and private.


Isaacson-Davis House This house is the perfect weekend or getaway dwelling. Compact and efficient for its use, "unpacking" itself as you walk through, much like going on holiday.


The House is a Delightful Experience
 
Stretto House This house would be perfect for musicians or music lovers. The form inspired by Bartók's piece is truly divine.
 
Canoe Reach Residence This house is a delight purely from its location, offering idylic views of the river. But there is more to it then its fortunate location, this house has a great uplifting feeling simply from its use of materials and the controlled entry of compression and release is masterful.
 
Isaacson-Davis House The joy from this house must come from the users association with it, it acts as a retreat, a personal "beach shack" to let the users relax and escape. The use of materials further emphasises this feeling of a log cabin-esque dwelling.

Exemplar Three

Isaacson-Davis House


The third exemplar house is the Isaacson-Davis House located in Balnarring, Victoria. It was designed by John Wardle Architects and completed in 1996.


John Wardle won the RAIA architecture medal for best building design (within Victoria) in 1997 for this house. His website is http://www.johnwardle.com/

 
It was designed as a holiday/weekend house for a couple and is located about an hour away from central Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula.

In essence, this house is a long box, however Wardle has set up certain aspects to make it so much more. Living areas are at one end of the house, whereas sleeping has been separated to the far end. The services, such as kitchen, dining and toilet are left in the middle. The house is referred to as "binuclear", however, the segregation is much more dramatic by the use of an "outdoor room" which in effect has been "carved" from the side of the box.(Timber Research Unit, n.d.)




The house is designed for the inhabitant to explore the form as they enter. The house has "hidden" qualities about it which serves to "heighten discovery". (Timber Research Unit, n.d.) At the front, the house is on one level, but as you move through it, you encounter a second level. What was once the ground level has turned into a carport. This can be seen in the elevation below.






Being as this dwelling is in Victoria it would theoretically need to accomodate for this climate, however, because of its function as a beach house, it wouldn't be used often in the winter and therefore only really needs to be designed for use in the summertime. In that reasoning, the house was made of timber to keep it cool but also to add to the feel that this house is a retreat, much like a log cabin.


The house is raised to prevent damp and decay from setting into the wood. The house has two skins, one that will weather when exposed and another further in, emphasising the effect of discovery within this house. The steel used in this house is hidden, providing the user with a view of complete timber. Fundamentally, this house is a modern take on the vernacular "beach shack." (Timber Research Unit, n.d.)



My Image









References

Architecture Media. 2010. RAIA State Awards.
http://www.archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=199709&article=1&typeon=1 (accessed 12th March, 2010).

John Wardle. n.d. Balnarring Beach House.
 http://www.johnwardle.com/projects/default.htm?i_PageNo=1&ProjectId=16&pageNo=2&ProjectCategoryId=0&ProjectKindId=0&Featured=0&Archived=0&AllProjects=0&ViewMode=text (accessed 12th March, 2010).

Timber Research Unit. n.d. Isaacson/Davis Beach House. http://www.timberbuilding.arch.utas.edu.au/projects/aus/459/ (accessed 12th March, 2010).

Exemplar Two

Canoe Reach Residence














This house is located in the Brisbane suburb of Yeronga and lies directly on the river front. Designed by Brisbane architect Brian Steendyk, it was completed in 2007. Here is a link to Steendyk's website http://steendyk.com/index.htm


When you first see this house, it appears as a one story building sitting on top of a hill. However, you soon realise this isn't the case. The slope of the land was man-made to suit the entrance specifically, as can be seen below. The entry has been carefully controlled to heighten the experience of crossing the threshold. The pathway is carved into the side of the sloping hill, compressing the users space. Simultaneously it slopes downwards evoking the feeling you are going deeper underground. This pressure is then released into the vast courtyard which hits the user with great force. (The Australian Institute of Architects, 2009.)






















The courtyard is probably the most striking feature of this house. The notion of a courtyard dates back hundreds of years, but this particular one has been executed with its own originality. Firstly, the fourth wall is non-existent and as such provides a space that is neither inside or outside; secondly, the courtyard acts as the living room, a space that people inhabit as the centre of a house. The floor plan falls into the simplistic shape of a "U" around the courtyard. This then forces the occupant to acknowledge the views of the river. Bedrooms are situated on the upper floor and provide a place to escape to while still feeling connected to the centralilty of the house. (Steendyk, n.d.)
 
Although the house is partially outside, a number of elements have been established to protect against bad weather. For example, the kitchen which is connected to the courtyard has "retractable sliding doors" (Stutchbury, Wallace and Queensland Art Gallery, 2008.) which can separate the two spaces. A living pavillion, cantilevered over the pool, acts as a second living room, which showcases breath-taking views of the river. This pavillion is predominantly made of glass and steel, giving it a sleek and modern look. Steendyk has described this as a "homage to his teacher in Chicago, Myron Goldsmith, who was project architect for Mies van der Rohe's famous 'glass box', the Farnsworth House." (Stutchbury, Wallace and Queensland Art Gallery, 2008.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


The pavillion's transparency is harmonised with the main building's use of warm colours and materials, such as timber, which tie the building back to it's location in nature. Finally, a lush garden occupies the space between the edge of the house and the river, further adding to the picturesque vistas. (World Architecture News, 2008.)
 
 References

The Australian Institute of Architects. 2009. Canoe Reach Residence, Yeronga. http://www.architecture.com.au/awards_search?option=showaward&entryno=2008041485 (accessed 8th March, 2010)

Steendyk. n.d. Canoe Reach Residence. 
http://www.steendyk.com/mainpage.htm (accessed 8th March 2010).

Stutchbury, Wallace and Queensland Art Gallery. (2008). Place Makers: Contemporary Queensland Architects. South Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery.

World Architecture News. 2008. Down by the River. http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10702 (accessed 8th March, 2010).

Friday, 19 March 2010

Exemplar One

Stretto House


Stretto House is situated in Dallas, Texas and was designed by the architect Steven Holl. Construction started in 1989 and was completed in 1992. The house was originally designed for a couple to display their collection of art, not only this, but one of the clients had also grown up in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and therefore had an educated love of architecture. Steven Holl's website is http://www.stevenholl.com/

The house design is inspired by a piece of music by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, written in 1936. (Douglas Newby and Associates, n.d.) The basic ideas behind the form is that it reflects the music; the percussion adding hard beats while the strings lightly fly over the top. In fact, according to The Free Dictionary, the word Stretto is defined as "a close succession or overlapping of statements of the subject in a fugue, especially in the final section." Therefore the shape of this building relates to the overlapping of spaces or forms.


This particular piece of music has four parts, and therefore, this house has also been divided into four portions. Each "represents the structural copresence of alternating heavy and light elements: heavy orthogonal walls.....and light curved metallic roofs connecting them." (Capanna 2009, 265) This can be seen in the image depicted on the left.


It took Steven Holl six months to come up with a sketch that equated the complexity of Bartók's composition. Each meticulous detail was worked out to relate to various themes, whether it be the tonal differences between notes mathematically represented in structure, the shape of walls reflecting the sounds of various instruments (curved, straight etc) or the flow of space relative to the flow of the music. (Arnardóttir and Merina, n.d.)

The site this house sits upon has a stream running through it which collects in three distinct ponds, each with their own dam. As Steven Holl (n.d.) himself says, "the house projects the character of the site through a series of concrete 'spatial dams' with metal framed 'aqueous space' flowing through them." Another idea was that the water falling from one level onto another would create various tones which would constantly ring out across the site, adding their own form of music.

The floors within the house are all at various levels, further resonating the idea of music and overlapping pieces. This can been in seen the picture to the right. Another important aspect is that all the materials used are actually part of the Dallas vernacular, making it relevent to it's context. (Arnardóttir and Merina, n.d.)

Overall this is an impressive, albeit, complex piece of architecture, fully worthy of it's 1993 American Institute of Architects National Honour Award.

References

Arnardóttir, H. and Merina, J.S. n.d. Stories of Houses: The Stretto House in Dallas, by Steven Holl. http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com/2006/04/stretto-house-in-dallas-by-steven-holl.html (accessed 10th March, 2010).

Capanna, A. 2009. Music and Architecture: A Cross between Inspiration and Method. Nexus Network Journal 11 (2). http://www.springerlink.com/content/852255179884l076/ (accessed 10th March 2010).

Douglas Newby and Associates. N.d. Architecturally Significant Homes. http://www.dougnewby.com/Architecture/Architecturally%20Significant/strettohouse.asp (accessed 12th March, 2010)

Holl, S. n.d. Stretto House.
http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail.php?type=houses&id=26&page=1 (accessed 10th March, 2010).

The Free Dictionary. 2009. Stretto 
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stretto (accessed 12th March 2010).

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

The Architectural Apprenticeship



Firmness
. Commodity. Delight.

These are the words that so often greet a budding architecture student. We recognise that they were first spoken by Vitruvius but what is it that lies beneath them? What do they mean in the grand scheme of things and how do they relate to each other?

Well, this blog is an attempt to unmask the meaning behind Vitruvius' most famous sayings by studying and analysing three previous buildings. Two being Australian houses and the other an International.

Each house must be addressed upon the following concepts:
     1. A house in an Environmental Filter
     2. A house is a Container of Human Activity
     3. A house is a Delightful Experience

As architectural design is influenced by existing knowledge, analysing these buildings should help to inform ones own ideas. As such, this exercise will accumulate in the design of a Cabin based on one of the exemplar houses.