Continuity

The archive was definitely a helpful addition to the model, it especially helps to define the space around the theaters.  The end theater looks better moved over-it gives the space between theaters more room- but it could probably still move over a little further.  The major problem I'm having right now is the continuity of the archive.  The archive itself is continuous by a path against the existing building that is open to the library.  However, it needs to have continuity in the enclosure so the archive reads as one object.  I tried adding a solid piece to the outer edge, but in all other cases the walls follow the circulation so adding a solid piece not connected to anything doesn't seem right.  On the other hand I don't want to block off the visual connection in the cross section, so something too thick and solid doesn't work either.  I could also try reworking the library space so that the connection between archive spaces occurs on the outer edge of the space instead of against the existing building.

completely open library



solid component extends down to the next floor plate in the front




thinner piece connecting the archive spaces



Model Time

So far the model is going pretty well, I still need to add the archive on the top and then I'll get a better idea of how the whole building works.  I'm definitely realizing the limits of drawing just the sections in fully articulating the flow of everything.  The only difficulty im facing is becuase everything is on separate levels I kind of had to juggle the different pieces in my hands to get an idea of how it looks together until it was far enough along.  There are some things that need to be changed from looking at the model as together as it is.  For example,  I think the theater on the end needs to move farther out because the it seems to be overpowering the main theater too much from the front.  From the side the main theater is reading as an object well.  I'm a little concerned that the right side of the building is too heavy with the three theaters, which I think was a problem I had at midcrit so I should have recognized that, but they are successful in contrasting the more open pieces, like the entrances and the open space under the building.  On the other hand, I think the left side doesn't quite have anything substantial enough attaching it to the ground.  There's also less visual continuity cross sectionally than there was in my head.  It might be because the program is laid out in a very linear way, so there are only so many spaces that pass each other.  It just makes the archive's relationship to the the different moments of program more important. 

Drawings without Paper- review

A Lesson in Plaster

So the first casting in plaster turned out okay for a first attempt. I was pleased to see that it stayed as one piece when it came out of the mold (although it was clearly fragile because I broke it later).  Couple of things I learned about plaster:  you have to shake the mold very well if you are trying to cast skinny pieces; black foam core is does not come off cleanly- it leaves black specs.  As far as the model is concerned, the main void was not deep enough and the model looked very addative instead of cast.  I think this is partially because the mold was built in pieces and plaster is extremely sensitive to changes in the edges. 

First Attempt

The second attempt was also a learning experience with the plaster.  I tried to be more precise with the mold, but unfortunately I don't think it mattered much in the end.  I was mixing a batch of palster and it started to harden in the bucket, so that was a nice waste of plaster.  I tried again to mix plaster but this time  I didn't have enough to fill the mold and I had no extra.  Unfortunately I didn't decide that I didn't have enough plaster until after I started to pour.  I tried to get as much plaster out as  I could so I could still try the mold still, but that meant the edges wouldn't be crisp. 
As far as the spatiality of the model, the main object (theater) is way too small and out of scale. The void reads better, but I think it's still reading as a series of added objects.  Perhaps the pieces other than the void and the object need to be closer closer in depth, or broken up to allow for more layers and a more gradual change.




Second Attempt

 Final note on plaster:  precision in the mold and use white foam core!

Drawings without Paper -Wire

First Attempt- learning about the wire



Second Attempt- getting better




Third Attempt- Still Working on it

 So far I've made three wire models and a few pieces of random studies with it.  I think I'm starting to get the technique for bending the wire so it's significantly less frustrating than it was the first night and more about seeing how the space forms as I bend the wire and deciding where it should go next.  I've got a pretty good idea of where this drawing without paper is going now- I have to make sure to extend the depth more and to incorporate the sheet of paper. Another thing I need to do, especially for the final model is to be more conscious about the continuity of the wire instead of just adding extra pieces when I ran out. 

For the other drawing without paper, I finally made the first mold and cast today which I probably should've already done,  but now that I've built one mold I think it will be easier to build the next.  It is still drying in the mold but one thing to keep in mind with the plaster- deeper pieces in a mold take up more plaster than it would seem like they would, or perhaps the size of the bucket was deceiving but I had to mix more plaster as after I had started to pour because I didn't have enough, so hopefully it will have enough strength to stay together.  We'll find out tomorrow.

Things to Look at Part 2

Bernard Tschumi diagrams

Things to Look at Part 1

 Rem Koolhas Cordoba Congress Center

 

 

 

So far...

My first attempts at the building were derived primarily from the site, using the street edges created by the existing buildings.  One of the main ideas was to raise the building off the ground to create more of a transition space between the space of the street and the space of Harvard Yard.  The problem I encountered with this approach was that I tended to block off the program so that yes the building was raised up, but it was boring sectionally.  The next step was to create a more interesting section so that as you walk under the building so there are more abrupt changes in height, making you more aware of the transition between spaces.  The section did become more interesting but when adding the program in, I lost the site connection.



early models



improved sectional models

 

   



 

  

The critics at the mid review provided some very helpful criticism.  I think the overall theme was that I really need to step back and clarify what I want the building to do.  If I say that the building is supposed to be like the gates and the fence- permeable but defining space- then I have to create that. I can't just lift the building up.   I knew that the space under the building couldn't be empty, but that's something that has to be developed from the beginning-otherwise it becomes just an elevated building.  Also, the sectional changes can't be disconnected from the site.  Where there are sectional voids become the "gates" and the masses have to reach down to become the "fence".  Another thing to keep in mind is that I've argued that you can see through the fence, so I have to consider how much you can see through the building.  Perhaps there needs to be a module where the building is more transparent- the iron parts of the fence- and then more solid- like the brick pieces that also keep the fence standing.  Every decision should be based around the same idea.  Another statement that I thought was interesting from the review was about how the building relates to the Carpenter Center.  I know that this is part of the project statement, but I seem to have been disregarding it, something I shouldn't be doing.

Site Collage

When making the site collage I started by cutting up pictures from the site pertaining to the fence.  I started with the dark squares from each of those pictures and used them as the center that would lead up to the trees and sky that covered both sides.  The dark then acts as a transition space, much like the gates in the fence.  On the two sides are the two different materials that make up the fence, representing the different qualities of the two spaces: Harvard Yard and Quincy Street.

Moving Forward

On Tuesday we presented three schemes for the film archive.  The main concepts that I am working with came from the site mapping, using the street edge for the building site.  One model had the building following the street space opposite the Carpenter Center, while the other one stood over the street.  Both were raised up so that pedestrians have to travel through the building (underneath) to pass into Harvard Yard.  It is intended to increase the transition space of the gates that I originally looked at.  Suggestions for combining the schemes included using the Carpenter Center side street edge to help create building form on the other side of the street.  For tomorrow I have to look at the form more three dimensionally and how it can change both in plan and sectionally.  \

some of the original schemes:

 

Site Mapping

For my site I chose to focus on Quincy St, particularly the street edge opposite the Carpenter center.  I first looked at how the formal Harvard gates and iron fence created two distinct spaces on either side- the space of the street, and the space of the Harvard yard traditions.  So  I looked at the the space between the buildings.  The circulation is also lowered because it cuts through the spaces, adding to the transition zones of the gates. 

The start of the site collage

So I've officially chosen a site along the edge of Quincy Street.  On one side of the street is a series of formal gates into Harvard quads.  The gates and adjoining fence create a sort of wall between the traditional campus spaces and the street, and even the other side of the street.  The gates act as both a way to keep you out and a way to create a grand entrance.  They are transition spaces.  When next to the fence, you can see in, but you aren't actually inside.  The site then has to deal with the different spaces on either side. 



diagram looking at pedestrian circulation and the street




diagram looking at the gates as entranceways to multiple places




one side of the street is higher until the fence and the gates act as ramps between the two layers of the site

 So far I don't think I've found a good way to really express how the gates transition and how the two sides of the gates are different.  I think looking at the two sides on different layers is a good place to start, but there it needs to do something more.

Machines for Seeing

We finally finished with the machines for seeing and the cubist painting!  The machine for seeing cubist was a simple machine that had two sides of plexi so that they would reflect the object.  It also had four slides that have horizontal lines based on the regulating lines of the landscape that worked off the regulating lines of the painting.  The effect was to show depth and perspective.  It works fairly well because you can see the layers of space.  The second machine, for seeing nothing, was built from a cylinder of mirror with four lenses spaced throughout.  I think it is effective at refracting the image so that you can't tell what the object is.  However, in the review John brought up a good point that the user of the machine has no sense of the build up of layers of refraction.  I agree that that would have made the machine much stronger and more interactive.  I should have at least studied it by looking at how just the mirrors affect the image and then how each added lense distorts the image further.  It was also interesting in the reviewto hear about the machines that made you aware of the space inside of them versus ones that did not.  At one point in the project I wanted the machine user to know that they were looking through something but I never really made a conscious attempt to stick to that or to really think that maybe that meant seeing the space inside the model.  Overall it was neat to see all the different ideas that the group came up with for the machines.

Machine for Seeing

Machine for Seeing Nothing

The Magic of Reflection

I think I finally have a machine for seeing that functions!  I made the viewing portal into a long rectangle, like a telescope, instead of trying to use something wider and closer to the eye because the length automatically gives you more control of the view.  I still wanted to keep the lines as well, using them to create perspective and to organize the view. 
So right now, I have a rectangle about 14inches long and on the inside each side has a layer of plexi.  Because the two sides are about an inch apart, it is close enough to use the reflectiveness of the material.  There are two horizontal lines running down the center of the sides towards the viewport.  I'm not sure if they are really forcing you to follow them though, becuase it is easy to lose the lines in the reflection.  I was also originally planning on create moveable partitions of plexi with vertical lines that would help break up the view.  The viewport is so small however that only one or two lines are visible at a time.  They look cool in reflection but I don't think they are working to create a perspective so I don't know if they are worth using. 
With or without the lines, the plexi creates essentially nine different views of the same thing.  This works well with the painting because Le Corbusier seems to present objects in multiple views at once, and I am doing the same with my landscape.  

A view from the inside

Catching Up

On Tuesday we presented our landscapes based on the painting and one of Le Corbusier's buildings.  I can't say that I am overly thrilled with my landscape, but it was an interesting exercise.  I finally started to get away from the objects of the painting and tried to look at the lines of the painting.  One thing I thought was interesting was that when I went to draw the axon, the lower parts were at the top of the painting so i flipped the model upside down to draw it.  I should have flipped it upside down to study the painting more because then I may have gotten away from the objects.  I think my landscape still had too much of the bottles in the end, but it forced me to take a different approach to the painting, which is one of the lessons of cubism- that you can always find a different approach. 



Model of landscape



Axon of landscape

And now on to the machines for seeing.  At first the assignment seemed scary.  How do you create something to see nothing?  But as I started to look around my room and think about things that would change what you saw, it seems less scary and more fun.  I started to take lines and tried to see if I could force you to recognize what you are looking through.  As for seeing nothing, I think having an excess of things to see and having it all blur together will be overwhelming so that you see nothing in particular.  After Friday's desk crit, I am excited to see what I can make.

When we were first told we would have to use the painting and a Le Corbusier building to create an inhabitable space, it didn't seem that scary.  Complete freedom, yes, but there was a place to work from- the painting.  This has proven more challenging because even though it is the same painting, there are so many options.  As the first reading told us, there are so many ways to look at Cubism, and I think in order to successfully create a landscape, I've had to look at the painting in a different way.  After all of our investigation into the paintings, there is still so much to get from it.  So instead of focusing on how the objects are laid out in space, I'm looking for relationship horizontally.  This means also taking a different look at what the color changes might mean and how they can be translated into space.  I'm working on taking the defining horizontal lines and turning them into a continous defining wall and seeing where that takes me.


Yesterday was our final review of the Cubist paintings, and it was interesting to hear the different approaches for the paintings and to see the way different model making decisions informed us about the paintings.  Here are my models for Le Corbusier's Still Life from the Pavilion from the oldest to newest. 
 

First Attempt at Transparency and Layers

 

Objects in Space on the Table





Attempt at Transparency by Color

Objects in Space

Layering with one Image of the Picture



First Objects Model



Final Objects Model



3D Model of Painting



Final Layering Model