Project 2- Blog 11

Final Design Presentation

A1 Presentation Board

Project 2- Blog 10

Final Design Development

Auditorium resolution

Test Model Renders

View of auditorium from roof

Aerial views of building

I am very happy with the way the building is looking in the test renders and find the form to be more satisfying than the original elliptical concepts. The circulation and access seems to work at this stage, however, the roof and media panels need to resolved along with the interior of the auditorium.

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Final Design Development

Structural Resolution

The addition of glass ballustrading actually creates an interesting detail to the form rather than detracting from it. The glass will naturally come in sections which I will try to display in the final renders. The glass sections will have to have appropriate dimensions for economical manufacturing, transport and assembly.

The building will consist of a rigid steel structure with modular sections that can be transported and assembled in a minimum amount of time.

The floor and media facade will be broken up into modular panels that can be fastened once the steel framing is in place. This modular design allows for better fabrication, transport, assembly and maintenance.

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Final Design Development

Form Testing

I tested the spiral form in 3DSMAX to see how the form was viewed from multiple perspectives. I was pleased to find that the form offers changing views which each offer a different and interesting quality.

I have yet to resolve the scale of the building which in its current state is apporximately 6m to 8m at its highest point. The upper section of the helix which acts as a media facade is approx 2 to 3m in height which will allow for a large scale video display that can be viewed from 20 to 50m away.

I added a daylighting system to test the formal qualities under natural lighting conditions.

The form creates some interesting shadows and highlights which change depending on the viewing angle. The natural sweep of the helix creates openings into the interior of the building which can be used as entry ways into the auditorium.

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Design Development

Spiral Form Development

I've decided to explore the spiral form further as this is the most appealing thus far. I wanted to adapt a spiral or helix form to an auditorium spatial program and use the exterior of the spiral facade as the media canvass.

Large scale text/video/twitter comments etc can be projected on the exterior facade in order to communicate with the external participants of the debate.

Design development sketches

Spiral Concept testing

In adapting the form for my auditorium I wanted the public to be able to access the building ramp without having to enter the building itself. This allows for an informal engagement with the building that welcomes people more than a formal internal entry would.

The spiral path leads back down to the ground in a continuous flow where it exits in close to proximity to the entry.

Modelling a helix / spiral in sketchup is very difficult and I underwent a quick learning curve in order to develop the form in 3DSMAX.

Sketchup form development

3DSMAX Form Development

The form was developed from two simple helix splines, one moving upward and one moving downward. The yellow arc represents the auditorium positioning.

The massing of the form gives an indication of the final proportions.

This concept render gives an idea of how the form works and the entry to the ramp will be located where the outer helix ends.

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Design Development

Exemplar Research

After looking for inspirational elliptical forms I came across the Danish Pavillion by BIG architects. I found that the spiral design embodied the beautiful architectural complexity that I was looking for. The form has a beautiful elegance that uplifts the spirit and fosters a sense of play.

One of the most exciting aspects of the design is how the people explore and occupy the architecture inside, outside and on top of. This is a perfect scenario for my auditorium as the idea that the public can surround and occupy all areas of the building is a democratic gesture of inclusion and engagement.

The spiral/helix form also creates a concentrated centre that is ideal for an auditorium space that can be overlooked by people occupying the top of the building. This creates the expanded debate that is part of my infrastructure strategy.

Structural Analysis

The steel structure of the Danish Pavillion consists of a modular system that can be adapted for a mobile auditorium, however, the complexity of the design means that the construction time will be substantially longer than the initial concepts I explored. Looking at the first exemplar and It's scale and construction time of 2 weeks I believe that my smaller mobile structure could be assembled in a similar amount of time.

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Design Development

Concept Design

The first concept I tested explored a more memorable aesthetic than a simple eliptical design.

The design attempts to maintain a balance between a memorable form and its functional media facade which will be transformed depending on what is projected onto the surface. It was important not to overcomplicate the form as it would detract from its primary purpose as a media canvass.

In this iteration I attempted to express the structure of the auditorium in order to achieve a more industrial aesthetic reminiscent of an actual TV studio/concert environment.

This render tests an ambiguous form with a pattern projected onto the facade. I quite like the simplicity of the form and the fact that it is open to transformation through whatever media is projected onto the facade.

Another form I tested involved the separation of auditorium and media facade. The two components were treated as two separate elliptical forms stacked on top of each other and staggered to create visual interest.

The two forms were then contrasted with the auditorium structure being expressed while the media facade form was wrapped in a white skin. When the media facade was illuminated at night it would appear as a floating elliptical form.

Auditorium by day

Luminous media facade at night

After testing this form I wanted to look at other alternatives that may be construed as more 'architectural'. After studying the test renders I think the design is lacking in memorable complexity and does not embody a liberating and uplifting democratic spirit that is deserving of this architectural entity.

Project 2- Blog 4

Design Development

Spatial Requirements (Floor Space)

Auditorium Stage - 30 sqm

Auditorium Seating - 100 sqm

Plant - 10sqm

Amentities? - 5-10 sqm

Auditorium Floor Total - 145 sqm

The interior must also function as media display screen which can show skype video calls etc.

Concept Layout

Form Development

The form has to serve three main functions

1st is function as a mobile auditorium space, structure, lights etc

2nd is to facilitate the virtual strategy which includes components such as a media facade

3rd is to embody a memorable aesthetic that is a manifestation of the parliamentary infrastructure concept.

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Concept Development

Infrastructure Strategy

The infrastructure project utilizes a virtual strategy as its primary design informant. The virtual systems required to fulfill this strategy require certain design components such as a media facade that are capable of interactive and display functions at an appropriate scale.

Function

The mobile auditorium will act as a physical and virtual 'centre' of public political debate.

Through its digital systems and media facade it will collect, analyze and display input from a range of sources including social media such as twitter, facebook, blogs, skype, websites etc.

The functional objective is to facilitate public debate which in turn influences parliamentary decision making. With a mobile, distributed architectural entity the debate can be represented nationally via a physical and virtual network.

Ideally the mobile auditorium would be government funded initiative but operate independently

in order to eliminate political bias. Parliamentary members will have access to the debate network for purposes of gathering information, analyzing data, engaging with the debate etc.