Change

Architects want to protect their designs from changes made by others, who they think do not understand them. They are right—the others do not understand and that is exactly their virtue. That is exactly the virtue of the changes they want to make.

Architects strive for a moment of perfection—when their building is finished. But as soon as that moment passes, their building begins to decay. A finished building is really unfinished, the first frame of a descent to destruction.

Architects must embrace the decay of their buildings, at least mentally. They should forget about perfection, the complete realization of their design, and understand that the only truly finished building is a heap of rubble.”

Bathasar Holz (via Lebbeus Woods)

CAD 3D Final Project

(click to enlarge)
This project intends to use Saarinen's MIT Chapel as a way to explore additive and subtractive concept modeling in CAD. I began by reviewing my notes from my two visits to the MIT Chapel:

http://proceedtobuild.blogspot.com/2009/10/mit-chapel-visit.html
http://proceedtobuild.blogspot.com/2009/11/cambridge-architecture.html

Some generative ideas synthesized from my analysis:
-Cylinder intersected by a rectilinear volume
-Light from above focused onto a specific form in the center of the volume
-Reflecting pools used to transmit light
-A sense of "turning inward"
-Exploration is required to find the entrance
-An island; isolation in an urban environment

With these ideas as a guidepost, geometry is created.


The geometric forms are extruded and subtracted to find space within.


A cubic volume is subtracted from both shapes to form an entrance and interior.



Different qualities of light are studied.




For a second iteration, masses are added to a field to simulate an urban environment. A wall, garden, pathway, and reflecting pool is added to the field.




The main cylinder is opened by subtracting an array of solid rectangles from the sides. A cylinder subtracted from the top provides an aperture for sunlight to illuminate the interior.




Subtracting the cubic volumes from the interior and exterior of the cylinder creates openings to the garden area. The interior geometry and aperture can be seen.





Various viewpoints and lighting conditions are explored to reveal how the building might be seen by neighbors and passers by.







Going forward, I'd like to clarify the relationship between the walls and the cylinder. The interior volume is still a bit small; venturing inside and looking around still feels a bit strange and claustrophobic because the scale is wrong. The garden also needs some resolutions.

Final Project Model

The interior is finished, next step is to attach the cladding. Might be up all night if I make the cladding removable.

Pre pre-final project.

"Less is More."

As a construction exercise, we are building a model of Mies Van Der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion.
This morning's progress:

Working between AutoCAD and Vectorworks can be time consuming, but worth the trouble. Fluency in 3D modeling means learning how different programs treat certain conditions.

CAD 3D Final Project

Our task for this final project is unnervingly broad.
"Find a building to modify in some way and model it."
I submitted three proposals, one was accepted.

UNO: MIT Chapel
Consulting my Finnish friend for guidance again. Since I've spent plenty of time this semester analyzing the space and Saarinen's intentions, I propose to synthesize this research into a new building. Here's where it gets tricky.
If I were to submit this as an architectural studio project, I would certainly be accused of arbitrary formalism.
This much would be true. However, the focus of this exercise is to practice modeling techniques. I don't expect the project to do anything other than be a shiny rendering for my portfolio.

DOS: Applying the program of my home to the De Stijl protocols of Gerrit Rietveld's Schroeder house. Essentially, this would mean modeling my house with sliding partitions and intersecting planes.
This was not accepted based on the face that the Schroeder house is:
-More complex than a 10 day beginner project should be
-In every student's portfolio at some point

TRES: I proposed to model Breuer's J. Ford House and add some landscape features that respond to the site and original plans. I was advised against pursuing it because it would be a handful to resolve by next Wednesday. I agree.

Goofing off with Vectorworks

Sometimes the best way to learn a procedure is to experiment with ideas and learn by trial and error.
This is not really one of those times. However, I had some fun playing with modeling tools in VW.