Still to Come

I had planned to finalise my designs this afternoon so I could work on the presentation without worrying and start thinking of the model. I thought I would take my dog for a walk first but she tore off a nail when it got caught in a gap in the footpath and split a major blood vessel. I have spent all afternoon (and $250) at the vets and cleaning my car, clothes, carpet, towels.. and not started on my design yet. Looks like another late night. At least the dog is OK. My wife and I had planned to go out for dinner as well.

I think I have most of the basic design work done though. I still have to think of a hanging version, but apart from that it's coming along OK. After todays tute, instead of going straight into details of the designs I will plan the presentation and that should give me the drawings I need to produce, since I won't have the time to produce anything I am not going to use.

If you ever find yourself with a lot of blood you need to clean, just use cold water, no soap, and never hot water. Hot water and soap and cleaners make the blood coagulate and then it will be there forever. A good tip from the vet.

Bunch of Temples

Some OK some not so 

Good. Need some details. A

Lot of work to do.

Variations

Some simple variations on the initial concept skeleton just using mirrored instances in Max. The idea may work but I think I need to develop the skeleton more. Maybe my design should just use the skeleton with options of stretching a fabric over them or glazing or something else. The temples could be made up of different variations on arrangements of skeletons with interchangeable add-ons to create shelter, entrances, windows etc. 

Still not sure how I would make the skeleton. Bamboo or paper rolls with metal joins like Shigeru Ban's design may be a way. Or they could be made of folded metal. This decision is probably a good one to make now...

Moving

I had an idea after seeing this TED video of Theo Jansen to give my temple concept the ability to move around the site and adapt itself to each site/situation. I played around with some ideas for moving crab legs on the temple and being able to squish itself to fit in different places. With only a couple of weeks to go though it would not work. I need to make some variations on the initial concept. Similar to the what Ming Tang did in the designs below.

Multiple Temples

I haven't posted here for a while due to the Arch and the City project getting drawn out longer than I thought it would, I was hoping to finalise all of this last weekend. My design will be now be 6 different versions of my temple concept. The temples will be spread out over the site with different neighbours and different situations.

Temple 1:

Hanging under the roof structure of the retail neighbourhood, which contains, I think, a retail space and a bar.

Temple 2:

Also in the retail space (shopping must be stressful to put a bar and a temple with the shops) the second temple will sit on top of part of the retail section. 

Temple 3:

The third temple is in the health neighbourhood. It will be next to the spa and the rehab centre. As this neighbourhood is in the river, Temple 3 will be a floating temple.

Temple 4:

This temple will be in the entertainment precinct, most likely hanging onto the side of one of the levels of the water park.

Temple 5:

The fifth temple will be perched on top of the gallery in the education/cultural area.

Temple 6:

The final temple will be balanced in top of the Storey Bridge. 

Interim Presentation

My presentation boards for the interim presentation yesterday.

1. Inspirations for my design. From the lotus flower, a common symbol in Buddhism as it grows from the mud but becomes a beautiful flower. This influenced the form of my design. The 8 sided wheel, another symbol, also influenced the design.

Temples on Hua Shan. The temples are perched on top of the mountain, above the dust and distractions of life below.

Chinese architecture. The structural systems of columns and dougong influenced my design. I interpreted these using digital design tools like TopMod and Rhino to create tessellated and folded shapes. The roof was also important in the way it protects the structure but also allows light to enter by turning the end of the eaves up.

2. A quick rendering my of concept design. The columns and dougong were created in TopMod and arranged in Rhino. These can be made using tessellation. The roof was created in Rhino. Folding the roof and using this form allowed the eaves to be upturned.

The design sits on legs and is perched on top of the grid structure. I'm not too sure how the grid works yet though, is it horizontal or vertical? Either way should work with my design.

3. An interior view. Windows direct the view away from the rest of the grid to give the feeling of being away from life below. Seating is built around te structure and meditation is done on the floor. I might introduce a screen on top of the stairs to block the view through the door.

Workers or students can ascend the grid and meditate in the hall during lunch or after hours.

4. An exploded view of the concept. A folding roof. Upwards facing windows. A skeleton structure. The floor.

5. A elevation of the concept. The legs folding in to sit above the grid gives the impression of a parasite.

6. The floor plan. A simple layout. I would still like to work on the clearance under the arches when climbing the stairs. I tested it and a person can walk under them but there is not much extra clearance.

Parasite Legs

Testing a couple of options for the parasite's "legs". This roof concept is looking much better. I like the concept but the scale may not be right, depending on how I go with the legs. I really need to get the legs sorted before I can progress any more. It is going much better now though than it has been. I may even get a chance to start work on my Tech design which is worth 50% of the subject and due next week and I haven't yet started....

More Inspiration

Another buildings that has inspired my design. Paul Discoe's cardboard zendo. I like the way the roof holds itself together.

Blogger

Just a note: I still haven't figured out formatting on this blog. It looks fine when I am writing it but after I publish, the formatting gets all messed up. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Progress

Some progress made this afternoon. I'm still not entirely happy with the form. I will play with the roof a bit more (still not actually sure if I need a roof, being in a grid). I need to work on the connection with the ground, or more so the connection with the grid. Not very happy with how it sits at the moment. Maybe it should "grow" out of the grid like a lotus grows from mud. Then I need to add in some details, "windows" and "doors". 

Inspiration from Chinese Buddhist architecture, upturned eaves. I should also use the way they sit the building on a raised pad somehow.

Niemeyer's cathedral in Brasilia.

Gerkan Marg and Partners' Tempodrom Events Hall.

Progress so far. Using tessellation the roof should be able to support the large eaves. More options will be explored during the week after work.