Thursday 29 May 2008

Project 3 - Project Inspiration: John Pawson

Having referenced work by the architect John Pawson in project two, I was reminded, with this brief, of work he had completed early in his career with the interiors of art galleries/art shops. This project then presented an excellent opportunity to look again at that particular approach to form and organisation; another attempt at some form of austere 'minimalistic' architecture. The references to Pawson's particular style of architecture didn't just stay with the conceptual design, but continued in the line-drawings of the presentation.

Shop window for the Michael Hue-Williams Gallery in Cork Street, London

Interior dealing space of the Michael Hue-Williams Gallery

Architecture refusing to compete with the artwork: Interior hallway of the Michael Hue-Williams Gallery

Stairs at their purest: Stairway in Pawson's private home

Plans for Pawson's private London residence; an influence in their clean linework

Project 3 - Social Context

Graffiti
The Newtown/King Street area is host to a vibrant counter-culture ideal, and street art and graffiti features throughout the area. Sprayed or stenciled onto any available public surface, the street art features a mix of ordinary graffiti, pop-culture statements, or even artistic pieces of social merit. The graffiti is now an accepted part of the area's social fabric, and plays a prominent part in the public cultural image of the area.


The graffiti may display a sense of national pride befitting the multi-cultural aspect of the area.


Stereotypically 'drab' faces of the urban context - laneways, fences, and garages - are brightened and used as a social canvas by street artists.


Commercial use of Graffiti
In response to the widespread presence of the graffiti, retailers and business-owners have picked up on the cultural trend, advertising their services, logos and business names on the walls of their buildings


Project 3 - Initial Site Images

Site Street Facade

Rear Access Laneway

Rear parking area

Project 3 - Initial Site Selection

351-353 King Street
Newtown

Suburban Context

Immediate Context

Specific Site + Rear Access

Tuesday 13 May 2008

Model Photographs

The site is a mountaintop, partially hollowed out to receive the 'shell' of the cell.

A section of the mountaintop remains in a 'natural arch' like form, over the mouth of the cell. This reinforces the idea of containment, and retains a visual element, to the scholar inside, of the greater context.

The cell protrudes through the rock of the mountain to expose an aspect window to the outside world. This form of window reflects the room depicted in both Vermeer paintings, with its single connecting viewpoint to the exterior. The strongly defined nature of the view allowed to the scholar also retains the idea of his imprisonment; as a geographer, yet still a prisoner, he is allowed a view of the landscape the mountain towers over yet is limited in that view.

Closeup of aspect window, viewing the interior.

The interior of the window, revealing the mood of the lighting in the cell.

Section revealed.

Side wall of cell.

Detail of stairs. The stairs here 'float' through their connection with the walls; the stairs and platforms disappear into slots in the walls, allowing the stairs and platforms - methods of circulation and study - to remain separate from the raw architecture of the cell, the unadorned and ascetic minimalism of the cell, designed to allow scholarly focus for the inhabitant.

Main section.

Detail of the 'floating' platforms and stairs. Here the mid-level platform allows an unobstructed view out of the cell, towards the sky. As an 'astronomer', the imprisoned scholar is yet again limited in his view. A portion of the sky is revealed past the overarching 'bridge' of stone above him.

The base of the cell features the scholar's sleeping alcove, reminiscent of a monastic cell. Here he can retire to rest or contemplate his studies. Shelves around the alcove allow access to items of study or to books, a reference to the idea of the 'scholar's alcove' as usually depicted in the paintings of St. Jerome.

The 'scholar's alcove' is referenced yet again by this 'room-within-a-room', his place of study as a 'geographer'. The roofing of the alcove does not extend fully to the walls, allowing another vantage point to the sky above for the scholar's role as 'astronomer'. The idea of the elevating of the spaces of study - the mid-level platform and the study alcove - and connecting them with steps references Antonello da Messina's painting of St. Jerome.


Poché Drawings

Section
Poche approximation of the diffuse lighting in the cell

Section
Elevated location specific uses/roles

Plan

Axonometric Drawings


Constructing the Model