Alex Cassar: Arch1101: May 2012

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Continuum of Elegance

The building is named, "the continuum of elegance". A nice combination of my two concepts. The following animation provides several views of the building, and more importantly advises the marker on a way by which the environment may be interacted with.

This is the link to the Cryengine file itself, copy and paste it into browser in order to access files: http://www.4shared.com/zip/TNm5u5Ea/Levels.html Open the level TERRAINMODEL_v04_3415280. Also note that the vehicle to go up the stairs is located opposite the monument, on the other end of the crevasse. Press f to get in.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Detail

The detail I eventually decided to include in my model was an incredibly large staircase ascending through the canyon leading to the building. The staircase was illuminated from the bottom and disappears into the crevasse, again emphasized continuity, while the grandeaur associated with wide long staircases perhaps conjures notions of elegance.

The 36 Textures

In regard to my textures, I wanted each of them to reflect my concepts, be innovative and allow each individual one to be like a miniature abstract drawing. The artist Mike Parr was an influence for this. One of Parrs works:

Also, I wanted them to reflect a strong link to nature, I did this by using a technique called frottage, rubbing through the paper onto objects to create a pattern which shaped the texture. I also used various mediums including two types of charcoal, lead and black pencils, and various pens. I essentially made 12 individual textures in triptychs going from light to dark. They were then put together and overall, they display another gradtion from light to dark. The following image is a grid created of my 36 light to dark textures.

Below, I presented some of the textures on their own so they may be appreciated individually.

Drawing out the Concept

Continuity. I wanted my building to be a continuous elegant stucture, in a dramatic landscape, yet at the same time not overwhelmed by the landscape. Some sort of a counterpoint in the environment. A pivot by which its surroundings swivel upon. To do this i began by creating enormous mountains. I exaggerated this to the extent that the mountains themselves were vertically continuous, and dissappeared into the sky. Early on I had notions that my building would be placed in a crevasse. As a way to some how highlight the verticality of the landscape I dug a trench through the mountain, and lodged the building in the crack.

Eventually I modified the design and came up with this. I have notions of a long stairway leading up to the building through the crevasse, or an elevator from the water which you can get onto after swimming through the gorge. I also added a negative rectangular prism through the layered part, allowing for an entry into the void, and a sort of framing of the horizon beyond, again playing on the whole idea of continuity.

Minimal/elegance/simplicity This concept I strived to achieve in the overal aura that the amalgamation of forms create. I aimed to achieve a minimal effect, (not difficult given the number of prisms we could work with) while at the same time developing a certain geometric elegance and harmony with the landscape. I feel as though I can see this reflected in my monuments.

Continuity + Minimal, Simplicity and Elegance

Here I brought my favourite composite axonometric into my now further developed landscape. I continuously remind myself of the concepts the architecture is based upon, (ie. Minimal/elegance/simplicity + Continuity) and the architects that the concepts originated from. I want these to be reflected in the very site that he monuments are in, not only the monuments themselves.

Composite Axonometrics: Development in Google Sketchup

This documents the development of the composite models in sketchup as well as a brief consideration of potential "electroliquid aggregations". The three composite models.