Assignment 3

For Assignment 3 I focussed on the concepts of bringing the exterior into the interior, segregating yet balancing public and private spaces as represented in my inspiration of the Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto.

The model as displayed below represents the "double house + garden" that I have chosen to model. I represented the idea of bringing the exterior into the interior with the use of internal courtyards. The central courtyard is surrounded by the two main internal spaces of the site as well as partially by the sites located along side the site.

The concepts of segregation and balance within the public and private spaces was represented through the idea of splitting the public and private spaces. As can be seen in the view below the private spaces are located at the front of the site, looking towards the street as well as towards the city which can be seen from the balconies at the back of the site. The public spaces of the building are represented through the gallery and display spaces at the back of the site with the view of the city. This view adds a backdrop for both the office space as well as display spaces to add another dimension to the site.

Progress Images:

Task 2 Architectural Proposal

For my proposal I have developed a small SketchUp Model, the model for my final assessment will be a physical model, but for the proposal I thought it would be easier to explain my ideas through a 3D Model in SketchUp.


The model consists of four main living spaces, the private area (lower floor), the dining area (middle floor), the garden (middle floor) and the public space (upper level). My idea of creating separate spaces like these came in my developing understanding of the Villa Mairea and the segregation and balance of public and private space within the building. As seen in the model below the private and public spaces are two completely different spaces, both having individual entrances to represent the segregation within the building.


The landscape in my example is going to be a hill, whereby the public space is situated atop the hill and the public space at the base of the hillside. this enables the public space to have a complete 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape and as all walls will be transparent enables this to occur. The hill in my example represents the ridge the Villa Mairea is situated on that segregates the public and private spaces.

Task 2 Materiality

Concepts of Materiality


My concepts for this topic were purely based around Aalto's ideas of mimicking the external environment through the materials he used. His focus was primarily on timber for materials and this became a strong point for where to start composing ideas.


1. Column Structure and Interwoven Glass - My concept here was to show how the Villa Mairea much like a tree of the surrounding environment uses timber as a support structure. The timber is strong and dark much like the birch trees which surround the Villa. The Villa itself represents a continuation of these timber structures into the building. The concept behind the glass interwoven between the columns is that the glass represents a point at which the exterior can be seen from the interior, whereby long horizontal windows give views of the surrounding landscape, and with the timber structure of the building feels like the building continues the materiality of the external environment.

 2. Hard to Soft Transition of Materials - This is a fairly simply concept whereby as you enter the building the materials become softer.

 3. My last concept for Materiality was the first step towards my final model for this topic. It looked at the relationship between the columns structure and how the materials used for these were able to allow the building to relate to the surrounding landscape.
 

Task 2 Public and Private Spaces

Concepts for Public/Private Spaces
1. My first concept is a small game that incorporates two directions. It is closely related to the Aldo van Eyck building the Sonsbeek's Pavilion constructed in 1955-56.

Aldo van Eyck - Sonsbeek's Pavilion (1955-56)

 Whilst playing one way it refers to the private spaces of the Villa Mairea and the other the public spaces. It shows that in the house there is not only a balance of spaces, but also shows how these spaces are segregated from each other and have very little interaction.

2. My second concept incorporates the theory of balance once again and also segregation. My idea is to create a see saw, but instead of being balanced on a spring, the structures will be balanced on the ridge that I believe segregates the public and private spaces within the building. On one end of the see saw, a transparent structure will be placed and the other a solid, opaque structure, and these represent the public (transparent) and private (opaque) spaces in the Villa Mairea.

3. My third concept also represents balance and segregation and is the Yin Yang. I will use plain balsa wood for once side and then the other with painted or varnished balsa to represent the two different spaces within the building.

Task 2 Interior and Exterior Relationships

Concepts in Interior/Exterior Relationships


1. Museum of 21st Century Art (Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/ SANAA) - 

Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/ SANAA - Museum of 21st Century Art (2004) 

Using the museum as a basis for my studies I have constructed a small physical model of the museum layout and in the centre, a single cylinder stands surrounded by squares and rectangles.

2. Cityscape - This small physical model shows that to have an exterior it needs an interior to create such a significant space. This idea came from an overview of the Sydney CBD where Hyde Park is surrounded by buildings, but without these the park would not represent the same concept it was aimed at fulfilling. 

3. Outside the World but Physically Inside - For this topic I was inspired by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. It represents a place that is located inside a city, but tucked away from the worries and problems within his Empire. When inside this space it feels as if you are outside of the Empire yet physically you are still inside.

Model Images