MASHUP OF 3 NEWS ARTICLES

An underlying effort at achieving the new, original, and visionary.The main content is that the technological kind of construction, mostly with steel and glass, is expressed in a formal independent way to gain own aesthetic qualities out of it. Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches so sympathetic and well integrated with its site, that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated composition. Distortion of form for an emotional effect. They included the prominent display of the building's technical and functional components, and an orderly arrangement and use of pre-fabricated elements. The style was characterised by an early-modernist adoption of novel materials, formal innovation, and very unusual massing, sometimes inspired by natural biomorphic forms. The idea of organic architecture refers not only to the buildings' literal relationship to the natural surroundings, but how the buildings' design is carefully thought about as if it were a unified organism. Subordination of realism to symbolic or stylistic expression of inner experience. Everything relates to one another, reflecting the symbiotic ordering systems of nature. High-tech architecture was, in some ways, a response to growing disillusionment with modern architecture. Utilises creative potential of artisan craftsmanship. Tendency more towards the gothic than the classical. High-tech architecture created a new aesthetic in contrast with standard modern architecture. Conception of architecture as a work of art. This highlights one of the aims of high-tech architecture, to show the technical elements of the building by externalizing them."Using Nature as our basis for design, a building or design must grow, as Nature grows, from the inside out. Often hybrid solutions, irreducible to a single concept. Nature grows from the idea of a seed and reaches out to its surroundings. A building thus, is akin to an organism and mirrors the beauty and complexity of Nature." Themes of natural romantic phenomena, such as caves, mountains, lightning, crystal and rock formations. Thus, the technical aspects create the building's aesthetic. 

Blue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-tech_architecture
Red: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_architecture
Green: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressionist_architecture

Combined theory summary: Expressive and imaginative architecture that emphasises structural and material elements while remaining sympathetic and well integrated within its environment and cohesive in itself.

SHORT CLIPS OF MONUMENTS

Here are a series of short clips exploring the two monuments. Although these are not required by the marking criteria I thought they would assist in visualising the space and putting the images in context. I apologise for how many there are, the software only allowed short clips.

18 SKETCH AXONOMETRICS

Individual axonometrics with corresponding parallel projections

Grid-like forms

Pure geometric shapes

Function over form - taking into account usage of space rather than aesthetic appeal

Designs embedded within surrounding physical and cultural landscapes and public spaces 

Continuous building mass

Design as a growing organism that spreads through successive branches which form the structure “like fruits on the vine”

Connected axonometrics with corresponding parallel projections

Grid-like forms + Continuous building mass

Function over form - taking into account usage of space rather than aesthetic appeal + Designs embedded within surrounding physical and cultural landscapes and public spaces 

Design as a growing organism that spreads through successive branches which form the structure “like fruits on the vine” + Pure geometric shapes

CRYENGINE3 AND SKETCHUP FILES

Link to final monuments in 3D Warehouse: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=634171057247f30c656a165d957a70da

Link to Cryengine3 Levels folder using Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d94moht7x9ufnjd/Xcqnc8_Htc?v=0mwns

2 SHORT TEXTS DESCRIBING THE ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS

Design as a growing organism that spreads through successive branches which form the structure “like fruits on the vine”

This 'concept' focuses primarily on the organic aesthetic and design intention of arguably all Zaha Hadid's work. Relating architectural forms to a 'growing organism' encapsulates the dynamic, free-flowing forms that she is widely recognised for. It also, however, inadvertently comments on Hadid's ability to create architecture that is deeply rooted in its physical and cultural landscape. With my design of a monument, I attempted to harness these two ideas by having the structure latch onto the side of a cliff-face in an almost parasitic way. The structure is lively and dynamic in form and deeply rooted (physically) into the natural landscape.

Pure geometrical shapes

Although this 'concept' seems ambiguous at first glance, it provides great insight into the work of the late Norma Merrick Sklarek. Sklarek's work manifests a return to humble and fundamental architecture in stark contrast to the complex, aesthetic-oriented architecture on which modern society places much emphasis. This fundamentalist approach is achieved through the use of deceptively simple geometrical shapes i.e. a conglomeration of regular prisms. With my design of a monument, I attempted to encapsulate this idea by beginning with a simple rectangular prism and subtracting four additional prisms. The monument stands as a testament to Sklarek's preference for simplicity in design and emphasis on function.

The way these two pieces of architecture have been expressed in terms of their surrounding landscape was based on a combination of each architect's design preference and their contribution to the world of architecture. Sklarek as a humble, function-oriented architect sits lower on the cliff. Her contribution to the presence of women in the architectural profession was somewhat foundational and hence she provides a base for Hadid's monument. Hadid's monument is dramatically poised on the top and edge of the cliff to both express her dramatic architectural design preference as well as her triumph as an extremely successful and popularised woman in the architectural profession, being the first female Pritzker Prize winner.. The landscape essentially reflects the changing role of women in the industry.

Electroliquid Aggregation of the two above concepts:

'Organic forms achieved through a succession of pure geometrical shapes.'

36 CUSTOM TEXTURES

3 textures used in architecture

A conscious decision was made to use overlapping and swirly textures for Zadid's monument to reflect the organic nature of her design work. Contrastingly, a grid-like texture was used for Sklarek's monument to highlight her implementation of simple geometry.

Thumbnails of textures within architecture