SECTION STUDY

The three courtyards!

a different variation tried but not selected.

We tried to change our design and make the form look less lazy. There had been a few different tests and we all agreed on the three points.

1. break the symmetry > different spatial experiences even not only in section but plan!
2. bend the end of the strip and define the corner > more responsive to the landscape
3. think about the spatial qualities and functions of the three crossing points, how to differentiate them from each other.

Sections of the two courtyard spaces

section 2 - outdoor bath
section 1 - quarry water

Ramp design according to ADA regulation

Ramp is the key part in our circulation design. We followed ADA ramp design regulations and that as design constraints affected the design of form as well as unit plans.

Design in Progress

10/28/2010

1. Test rendering at Rhino-Vray without the existing topography
2. The massing model at 1/32"=1'

Lecturing 5-Scheming

10/05/10
Lecturer: John McMorrough

My reflection on this lecture will be posted soon.

Diagram in Progress

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10/14/2010

We've developed the idea of the two linear volumes weaving, and tried to simplify what we did last time to make the system clear. It has ended up being the two smooth curves which weave and extend into the lake. We pulled one curve up(5') and the other down(5') for the first weaving part and the opposite way for the second weaving part such that the volume behind can have a view to the lake.

Accessibility as Design Parameters

1. One landing(minimum 60” wide) for every 30inches of ramp rise
2. The maximum slope of a ramp is 1:12


One of our design ambition is to make the entire hotel room accessible to disabled people. The minimum length of ramps (12.5' difference in height, we need 175' long ramp) defines the size of the each courtyard space as well as the building design.

Schematic Design(Phase ll) - Desk Crit on Oct 12th

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10/13/10

The third desk crit on Tuesday. We have developed an idea of small courtyards and the two linear volumes weaving and growing toward the quarry lake. Even though our thought seemed clear, how it relates to the rest part of the peninsula, and the geometry (angle of corner, width, depth of space and mass) remained unresolved. Karl suggested the way to deal with the issues raised and how units can repeat and grow in a way that they all have distinct views, but do not create a strange shape like we had in the corners. Particularly, an individual unit consists of a solid box and the semi-private space which wraps the private room such that when the mass make a corner, the shape of the room don't change while the void spaces overlaps and changes(which ends up creating a smooth curve.) Plus his sectional approach, what was lack in our earlier design progress, led us to think about how to engage with the water and bring it into the courtyard space.

Schematic Design(Phase ll) - Desk Crit on Oct 8th

soon posted

Schematic Design(Phase ll) - Desk Crit on Oct 5th

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10/05/10

The first six models at 1/32"=1' scale. We brainstormed and discussed any possibilities on the site. It varies from transforming the idea of courtyard space (the typical typology for monastery) and the aggregate of many growing and expanding on the site, to that of manipulating the edge condition of the peninsula. In terms of the view (as the building will be situated on the bedrock projected out into the lake) , each proposal suggests distinct strategies to maximize the opportunity to have diverse view angles by bending, shifting and rotating the mass.

Regulation Research

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Regulation Research / Pair work with Chaowei Su
10/1/10

The main focus of the research was to sort out relavant information from the International Building Codes and rediagrammatize it to refer to later in the schematic design phase. The parts that I and my partner covered were maximum height and floor areas according to different occupancy types and construction types / egress system / fire separation / mixed-occupancy / accessibility. In the last sheet(p.12) we suggest a possible scenario in the site based on the code research.

Precedent Research - VM Houses

10/01/10

VM Houses / PLOT = BIG + JDS

The objective of the case research is to achieve comprehensive understandings of the precedent by investigating and reproducing the published drawings. The VM House designed by the Danish architect, BIG, is characterized by the diverse housing units all different from each other. A series of diagrams, plans and sections describes how unique individual units form a bigger aggregate of units and the skip-stop system borrowed from Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation comes into a play to enable double story units and cross ventilation. My research also covers circulation, egress, structural and mechanical system for the basic understanding of residential projects.