Research and Examples
The first part was to do research on the building and create 2 boards with floor plans, images, elevations and sketches. Some very interesting things I learned about the building included how it is a manifestation of Le Corbusier's famous Five Points of Architecture and its usage history, both concepts that I used in my final product. The first point, the use of concrete columns supporting concrete slabs, is visible in the strong column grid used throughout, and this also encourages the open plan, which is the second point. Another point, ribbon windows, can be seen in the front facade in the horizontal band of windows. Another point of the free facade can be seen in the front and rear, where there is little to no structural element to the facade itself. Lastly, the roof terrace is seen in the top level of the Villa Stein. I intentionally laid out the 2 pages with the same organizing grid to make a more coherent presentation.
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I followed the same organizing grid in the third board, where I found a contemporary example with similar principles as the Villa Stein. I chose the Slash House, designed by Apollo Architects and built in 2006 in Chiba, Japan. The connections I found included the idea of the open vs. closed facades and the rhythm of the plan. The front facade of the Slash House faces a busy street and is thus a broad wall with few bands of windows, like the Villa Stein. However, due to the location on the water, the back is much more open; in fact mostly windows cover the back facade, also similar to Villa Stein. The plan follows a similar grid pattern, using the same measurements throughout the plan. I chose to do solid/void and rhythm diagrams to show this, especially in comparison to the ones I did for Villa Stein.
Orthographic Drawings and Diagrams
I chose to draw the ground floor plan because it features the main entrance, shows the strong column grid, and also echoes the 2 spheres of movement. The ground level has a mixture of servant and servant spaces, but somewhat separate, so I wanted to especially emphasize this. I did both the front and rear elevations because I wanted to show the variation between them, in regards to the open vs. closed facade. For the digital axon, I chose this front view because I focused mainly on the back elevation in my diagrams. I also added shadows and line weights to show depth
I started with the ground floor diagrams. The first one is structure to show the column grid, as I wanted to highlight Corbusier's 5 Points. The public/private represents the served as red and servant as blue- it showcases how most of the floor is servant spaces with its own entrance, and how there is little interaction between the 2 spheres of movement. For geometry, I focused on the juxtaposition of curved vs, angular walls, as well as how the proportions relate. For rhythm, I showed the organizing grid's "ABABA" pattern, and also how it extends through and outside of the building. Lastly, for circulation, I used the same colors as the public/private diagram to showcase how the different spheres of movement affect the circulation. Notice how the "public" sphere really only goes up the stairs or locates to the open entrance, but the rest is servant circulation.
For the elevation diagrams, I used some similar types but tried to vary them as well. Beginning with the tartan diagram, I used line weights to distinguish between details like windows and larger elements such as the overall structure. For the static/dynamic, I thought about the different areas that movement occurs on the elevation. The yellow represents dynamic planes of movement while the blue is static. The light green is areas that people walk in front of and interact with, while the darker green is glazed areas where people walk behind the wall but can still be seen. For hierarchy, I focused on the varied levels of the facade, with darker representing the closer areas and lighter representing further away. For rhythm, I used the same methods as in the floor plan to show the regularity of both sides of the grid. Lastly, the solid/void emphasizes how windows make up most of the facade. |
Study Models
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The first study model I made combined my rhythm, wrapping and layering. I focused on the served and servant circulation, showing how the 2 spheres wrap and connect around a central stairwell. The wrapping of the front to the back shows the transition from closed to open facades. I also used the same column grid rhythm from the Villa Stein in the dowels, as well as paralleling the way that the rear facade steps down in levels.
The second study model uses rhythm, movement and support. I used the idea of the columns supporting the slab (one of the 5 Points), I did the same column grid as well, but had the dowels extend all the way through in order to symbolize how it extends throughout the structure. I used curves to show movement, specifically in respect to the 2 spheres (the public being larger and the private staying to the one corner). They also call back on how the use of curved walls guide movement and contrast the angularity. I also showed the idea of the closed vs. open facade in how the front is covered completely and the triangular pieces on the sides transition to the completely open back.
The second study model uses rhythm, movement and support. I used the idea of the columns supporting the slab (one of the 5 Points), I did the same column grid as well, but had the dowels extend all the way through in order to symbolize how it extends throughout the structure. I used curves to show movement, specifically in respect to the 2 spheres (the public being larger and the private staying to the one corner). They also call back on how the use of curved walls guide movement and contrast the angularity. I also showed the idea of the closed vs. open facade in how the front is covered completely and the triangular pieces on the sides transition to the completely open back.
Final Model and Drawings
I combined parts of both study models into my final, with the second as a base. I combined the wrapping element of the first with the rest of the second. I added downed in the corners to create a bounding box. I used white museum board for the curves to make them distinct, and I varied their height and levels. The public curve exists only on top of the plane, but the servant curve starts and ends on the base itself- this represents the idea that the servant spaces are relegated below and to the side of the residents themselves, and also how they have discrete access to the rest of the building. The curves' heights are the highest where they intersect (like the circulation tower in the first model).
For the drawings, I used a lot of dotted lines to really portray the model accurately. The elevation shows how the curves extend below the plane. The section shows the varying levels and heights of the curves themselves and how they transform.
I thoroughly enjoyed this project. It was interesting to get to learn about precedents in a way that allowed us to create our own works as well. In the final review, I received overwhelmingly good feedback, with the only real negative feedback being to create more contrast in my final drawings between dotted and hard lines. The reviewers enjoyed my thorough explanations, the prominence of rhythm, the intention behind all of my design decisions, my understanding of the precedent and the issues within it, the use of curves, elevation representation and general line weights!
I thoroughly enjoyed this project. It was interesting to get to learn about precedents in a way that allowed us to create our own works as well. In the final review, I received overwhelmingly good feedback, with the only real negative feedback being to create more contrast in my final drawings between dotted and hard lines. The reviewers enjoyed my thorough explanations, the prominence of rhythm, the intention behind all of my design decisions, my understanding of the precedent and the issues within it, the use of curves, elevation representation and general line weights!