Architectural Precedent 3_Church of the light

Architectural Precedent 3

Project: church of the light

Designer: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates

Location: Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan

1. Key Concept:

The church of light is Tadao Ando's masterpiece. And what we record is deep be afraid is the smooth shadow effect that it's cross metope place brings, fill to hide from mysterious, deep and quiet, shock. From his works, it is not difficult to see the three necessary factors of his works: Firstly, Simple geometry, which is the foundation and framework of the building. Then, the concrete construction is a reinforcement of Ando’s principal focus on simplicity and minimalist aesthetic; however, the way in which the concrete is poured and formed gives the concrete a luminous quality when exposed to natural light. The approach to light and concrete in the Church of the Light, as well as his other projects, has a surreal effect that perceptually changes material into immaterial, dark into light, light into space.

2. Selected Design Element:

●Darkness: darkness can cause the most instinctive fear of human beings, people often yearn for the light to escape from the dark. The church of light deliberately provides an environment in the darkness that evokes an instinctive sense of unease.

● Blocking: the general building is needed to open a large area of Windows, because people always like a glance of the open landscape, such as the lake, the top of the mountain, and so on. The church of light, on the other hand, has only a few small Windows on its walls, which seem to have been stiffly added, further evoking fear.

● Concrete: concrete is undoubtedly a kind of impersonal and cold building material. If surrounded by this material for a long time, it will cause an additional psychological burden. The indifferent, cold, hard, rough and desolate concrete in the church of light symbolizes the lack of human touch and love, and it is also like a shackle that cannot be broken. Under the siege of concrete, people will feel uneasy and heavy psychologically.

3. How is the Key Concept Reflected in the Design Studio? 

Light is an important controlling factor in architectural design. Break the heavy concrete wall into four parts. Light, following the empty cross reveals, naturally intervenes and redefines the space of the church. It is because of the intervention of light that the meaning of empty cross seams began to change. The visual effect is instantly transformed into a spiritual feeling. The cruciform wall creates a special effect of light and shade, giving believers a wonderful feeling of being close to god.

This model is a good study on the use of concrete and how it feels. There is also the place of light in concrete, and the different visual effects from inside and outside.

4. Geometrical Description of the Shape

site area: 113.77 sqm
built area: 50.58 sqm (gross)
total area: 120.80 sqm

5. Proposed Scale, Material, Technique.

Proposed scale: 

1: 100

Material:

Concrete

Technique:

CNC Milling

3D print

6. Time Commitment, Budget

Time commitment - 3 week 

Budget - $90

Architectural Precedent 2_Vessel in New York

Architectural Precedent 2

Project: Vessel  

Designer: Thomas Heatherwick 

Location: New York, U.S.

1. Key Concept:

Vessel (TKA) is a structure and landmark which was built as part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Construction began in April 2017; it opened on March 15, 2019.

Designed by the British designer Thomas Heatherwick, the elaborate honeycomb-like structure rises 16 stories and consists of 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings for visitors to climb. Although the towering design appears like a sculptural work, the architects behind the project view it more as a piece of furniture than a piece of architecture.

2. Selected Design Element:

The studio referenced three-dimensional public spaces when designing the sculpture, including stepwells – a type of well that originated in India that is accessed by descending a set of steps to the water level. Comprised of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs -- almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings – the vertical climb offers remarkable views of the city, the river and beyond.

The resulting structure is narrow at its base, before expanding to a height and width of 45 metres. The structure is narrow at the bottom to avoid a large footprint and expands to a width of 150 feet wide at the top. It opened yesterday alongside a plaza and gardens and phase one of the surrounding complex’s retail and entertainment.

3. How is the Key Concept Reflected in the Design Studio? 

Firstly, what this type of architect hasn't really done before, the significance of architecture is not a simple function but a landmark, a building that makes people flow. This is a good idea when designing large public buildings. This kind of stair form is also very novel, which is three-dimensional and makes full use of vertical space. I will try to make such stairs in future designs. Finally, in terms of materials, we boldly use metal materials with different textures, which also make people feel that they combine modern elements.

4. Geometrical Description of the Shape

According to the above schematic diagram, the scale of the model is 1:100.

These include a metallic staircase and a structure with internal support.

5. Proposed Scale, Material, Technique.

Proposed scale: 

1: 100

Material:

Basswood

Acrylic

Technique:

Laser cutting 

3D print

6. Time Commitment, Budget

Time commitment - 2 week 

Laser cut file preparation -5 hrs

Digital model - 10hrs

Laser cutting - 1 hrs

Assembling framework and base- 10 hrs 

3D print for the internal supporting -8 hrs

Budget - $130

Reference 

1. https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/03/thomas-heatherwick/

2. http://www.heatherwick.com/projects/spaces/?from_proj=vessel

3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCsitNcjXzQ

Architectural Precedent 1_Chinese pavilion in Shanghai Expo 2010

Architectural Precedent 1

Project: Chinese pavilion in Shanghai Expo 2010    

Designer: HE JINGTANG 

Location: Shanghai, China

1. Key Concept:

The pavilion is designed in the shape of an oriental crown, showcasing the spirit of traditional Chinese culture. its main structure includes a six-layer, 30-meter high roof made of  56 traditional wooden brackets. the brackets symbolize the nation’s 56 minority ethnic groups. The large area of the national hall uses the atmosphere, the composed "palace red" as the main tone of the building, the colour is dazzling and easy to be understood by the world.

The absolute height of the national pavilion is 63 meters, and the lower height is 33 meters. These central symmetrical Spaces and the flat extension space of the regional pavilion provide sufficient open space for people to communicate freely. This completely open space is huge, providing the possibility of a flexible layout for later use of the building.

2. Selected Design Element:

The design elements chosen are the whole building in order to experience and understand the unique shape and structural form of the church. The most interesting part is the clever combination of traditional Chinese elements with modern architecture. Dougong is a unique component of ancient Chinese architecture. Square wooden blocks called Dou, bow short wood called arch, inclined long wood called Gong, also known as Dougong. Generally placed on the top of the column, it is used to support the load beam frame and pick out the eaves, which is also used for decoration.

The crown shape of the national pavilion embodies the cultural elements of traditional Chinese architecture. At the same time, the traditional curve design is straightened, and the body model with layers of protruding shows the strength and structure beauty of modern engineering technology. This simple decorative line naturally completes the contemporary expression of traditional architecture.

3. How is the Key Concept Reflected in the Design Studio? 

First of all, Dougong is an approach of bearing loads. The way it is connected and the materials it uses can help me better understand the architectural design of small volumes. It can also be used as a base to extend more possibilities as decoration. Considering another aspect of the environment in the design process, I learned that the depth of field would affect the focus of visitors to the building. When observing the Chinese pavilion from a distance, visitors feel the striking red colour, which is the structure itself and they can feel the huge open space get closer.

4. Geometrical Description of the Shape

According to the above plan, the site model is 1:100, and the site is raised 5 meters from the ground plane. Make a base that fits the actual situation. Then use sketch up to determine the dimensions of each column. The red-themed structure was laser-cut (consisting of four columns and beams of different lengths) because it was asymmetrical, so it had to be very precise to ensure the balance of the model. Finally use acrylic to cut Windows and link them to each layer.

5. Proposed Scale, Material, Technique.

Proposed scale: 

1: 100

Material:

Basswood

Acrylic

Technique:

Laser cutting 

Painting

6. Time Commitment, Budget

Time commitment - 1 week 

Laser cut file preparation -5 hrs

Digital model - 10hrs

Laser cutting - 1 hrs

Assembling framework and base- 10 hrs 

Budget - $82

Silver-textured paper - $2

Plywood 5 mm - $20

Plywood 2 mm - $10

Wood sticks - $5

Laser cutting - $15

Cement - $20

Reference 

1. ArchDaily. (2019). China Pavillion for Shanghai World Expo 2010

<https://www.archdaily.com/34037/china-pavillion-for-shanghai-world-expo-2010/> ISSN 0719-8884[Accessed 30 Jun. 2019].

2. Dezeen. (2016). Shanghai Expo 2010 pavilions [online] 

Available at https://www.dezeen.com/2010/04/28/shanghai-expo-2010-pavilions/[Accessed 30 Jun. 2019].