On the left i broke down 'creativity' and 'performanc' to get a general idea of what is expected of the structure i was about to set my mind on to. Also, i sorted out possibilities for the use of the building
This is where i sorted through the functional requirements my design had to meet along with possible problems faced and possible solutions as well
In our group, MOVEMENT was our key word. I took this further into different ways this could be interpreted. Furthermore, i broke down the basic functions of the structure along with exploring other aspects as well.
This was where i analyised a precedant relating to the functional requirement. I chose the Mouling Rouge as i found it interesting how the function of the building correlates with the theme of the aesthetics.
Lastly, i reseached another 2 buildings for precedant studies with regards to the technological requirements. XS house and The Moore Honey house, both which are relatively reknown structures with regards to its simplicity and use of technology.
I hope you find this interesting:) This will be the bases of where i start designing a structure with regards to CREATIVE PERFORMANCE.
Interim Submission 1
18 March 2011
Following up on the above analysis, i took it a step further and managed to start on my design. I played around with some sketches and did some 3Ds as well taking into account what was done at the academic block back in January.
Taking into account what we did in ABS last year, i decided to go with an irregular shaped form which (if at calculated angles) will allow for the sound to reverberate through the 'theatre' in an irregular way which is what i wanted.
Also, i explored MOVEMENT with regards to different catergories as you will see as i move along with my design process.
With a plan i thought was sorted, i also took a look at how my elevations would pan out and it made for a quite unusual look although it did remind me of a chrismas tree for some reason (the shape ofcourse).
My next factor to tackle was the proposed stage area i wished to have. Ofcourse my first thought was that it had to be raised, hence the seats also had to be stepped for some good viewing.
Also, since the stage was a raised platform, stairs was needed obviously. Taking this into consideration, i wanted to include a sort of dressing on each side to give performers a place to prepare before hitting the stage. This required extra space though, so i had to take into account the width of the stage, hence the width of the structure and in the end, the amount of seats per row so that it didnt look too empty but neither too cramped
There was ALOT of considerations for this if i may so myself
With regards to the idea of movement, I have broken it up into TWO sections:1) The middle section
My idea of the walls at angles was a representation of peoples pathways, how they move around in different directions. The angle at which it meets represents how people come across each other/meet on their own particular pathways. Furthermore, these walls were purposefully repeated to represent a pattern which i took in conjunction with the idea of choreography in terms of a show for example – the idea of a repetitive move/stunt within a dance
or show for example.
Also, the fact that it opposes directions on either wall means (to me) that people are not always moving in sync or going about the same route even if they doing the same thing. I took it a step further with regards to the movement of sound.
Last year in ABS, it was explained to us that an irregular shape permits the reverberation of sound in irregular patterns which ironically means that sound would be better distributed to the audience, hence the irregular pattern of my walls with regards to the middle section.
2) The beginning and end section
These particular sections I purposefully made a solid shape as it represents the unity or coming together of people at the beginning and end of a show for example. Taking it further, it shows the concept of team work before people disperse to doing their own particular task (middle section) before coming together at the end as a whole unit. I was thinking of making the back of the stage round to better reflect the sound to the audience, although for now i stayed with the concept of a solid shape.
Above as shown, i did a 3D to get a better concept of what i was trying to catch on. Seemed like a pretty solid design to me. Had my seating in place on stepped platforms, my original idea of having an oblong shaped structure and i was well on my way. Managed to even do some interior:)
BUT...
THAT was my initial idea
Then i moved on to a new idea after a good solid crit which made me realize that i did indeed need something else. So i started again..
So i started at the basics..
1. I needed a space for the audience
2. I needed a space for the performace => A stage basically
As you can see above, my first tackle was the stage.,
1. The shape
2. The placement
3. The integration of it with the audience
Once again, on the left you will see the stage i settled with. Quite an oblong shape but it sort of just fits with the idea of MOVEMENT for me. It has no particular shape whatsoever, no particular single direction, and in a way sort of confusing as you dont know if its coming or going. Quite alot to say about a stage hey? Anyway, i considered the movement that would be done on the stage itself. And it needed to be long and wide enough to accomodate for any crazy acts that would be done on it along with the size of equipment that would be used along with the type.Once again.. ALOT of considerations
Anyways, as i previously said.. There is obviously a connection between the audience and the performers (the ones on stage to be specific). The first thought that came to mind was those movement indicators they use especially for cartoons and i figured.. hey? i could incorporate this considering my concept is movement as well. And i took this and what do u know.. Things started falling into place, sort of just clicked as they say. I used it as a first set of seating and when i offsetted it, managed to create rows which in the end reminded me of the ripples of a wave when u drop something in the water. And then it sort of clicked further ==> The sound waves generated from the stage created the movement of the audience which in turn was reflected in the seating pattern. Put those together plus the rhythm and flow of the audience and what to you have..? MOVEMENT!oh yes:)
Below are the 3D pix as well as the concept model photos..
Interim Submission 2
8 April 2011
To me, my design was SIMPLE => Exactly what i was going for, making a mental tick next to that block.
With the exception of changing anything structural first and foremost, i decided.. hey? lets look around the site. What possible changes can be done with regards to landscaping to better my structural design aesthetics. Furthermore i took into consideration what both lectures said about incorporating your design with your natural landscape. So i came to the simple conlclusion.. Lets add TREES:). I did some research with 'Wind barriers' as the main topic. I searched and searched for something simple, easy to assemble, nothing hardcore and also has to fit in with my design. And then it hit me (i felt quite dumb for not realising this the first time round).......NATURAL WIND BARRIERS!!!
Ofcourse.. It would be the perfect solution. It was both natural, plus added colour to the dull material we were to use.
I researched and found quite a couple of trees thats main purpose were to act as a natura wind barrier. I decided to place a bunch of them on the South Easter side of my generic side to block or atleast soften some wind coming from that way. Doing this would also mean i'd have a lil less trouble with regards to sound being carried through to the audience:) Thank you trees! Furthermore, another bunch of those life savers were placed on the North-West side for oncoming rain. TWO problems solved! (Genius moment indeed). Anyways.. I added a good couple of extra natural wind barriers for just-in-case as well as for aesthetic purposes. In the end, it reminded me quite a bit of Maynardville open theatre but wth my own 'Movement' style:) 
So with that out of the way.. I started looking what i could structurally change without taking myoriginal completly way. Considering the stage is where i wanted to put the idea of MOVEMENT completely visible, i decided to tackle this element first and foremost. The height was to stay the same as i did not want it too high as this would be a bit uncomfortable when taking a look at ergonomics with regards to people looking too high up through a possible 1 or 2 hour plus show. So i settled for playing around with different proposals with regards to the shape of the stage but keeping in mind the original idea of movement.
In the end, i still liked my original shape:)
Going back again a bit, i wanted to look at my sire as a whole.. And the above drawing shows this. The natural elements incorporating with the structural elements of the entire project.
The next step to this logical way of sorting out my problems was to look at different proposals with regards to how to fix it all together, especially the gumpoles. And surprisingly i came up with quite a few with the help of some people and ofcours Google:)
The first proposal was ofcourse the most typical - but th again to me, it seemed like the best option out of the entire lot. Its the basic idea of using bolts and nuts to fix it all together. The size of the bolts ofcourse depend on the weight, spane and ofcourse the diameter of the gumpole itself. My second proposal that i put foward (also seen on the left) is the of using the A-Frame structure idea. Now this idea is quite strong - although with regards to my design, this would mean it takes away the idea of simplicity and also uses much more space and in the end takes longer to construct as well.
The first one would be fixed by cutting each gumpole in half. Now this is all good and fine BUT the downfall is that it would take half the strength of the gumpole away which would then mean i would need more of these support poles which in the end would obviously look a whole lot more busier. Anyways, using the half gumpole method, id fix the one on top of the other as shown in my first diagram and fix it together using a metal roof anchor. As i was researching fixing, i came across this being used especially in carports so i thought i could manipulate it in such a way to use it on my gumpoles. So that was that proposal
The second proposal i put forward was using almost like a puzzle kind of method. The horizontal component would simply slot into the vertical component. The set back of this though would mean that the horizontal component would have to be a whole lot less in diameter than the vertical component if it were to fit properly as shown in the second diagram.
So that was a few of my fixing proposals, although i figured id settle on the nut and bolt method:)
Another component of this particular interim submission was to have a set of plans. Well, i have drawn up but more of a sketch proposal than an actual council submission.
The above plan was tweeked a bit to get an idea of what space goes for what.
- The green represents the grass
- Brown represents the stage
- Dotted grey lines represents the placement of the roof
The next few drawings shows the elevations..
I went on a bit further and improved on the previous sketchup drawing I did just to show the layout of my design
As you can see, i had quite a bit of fun with sketchup:). Anyways... the main idea of this interoim submission for me was to tackle the incorporation of my structural design with the generic surroundings and using it to its full capacity. As mentioned before, ive named in one of the above jpegs a few of the type of trees that can and are recommended to be used as natural wind barries
BUT which tree used is also further dependant on the area situated. The correct tree should be chozen so that it is most effective or else it ends up being pretty pointless.
Once again, i have referred to both my technological and functional precedant and have pulled out a few more for a clearer sense of direction.
Maynardville open theatre stood out to me alot as it incoporates the natural surroundings to its full capacity as i originally wanted for my design. I reseached A-Frame structures, even structures like parks for more technological prescedant studies to see how my technology can make my form work to its full potential. With regards to functional precedant, i looked at more theatres albeit closed ones and i came to the conclusion that all thats basically needed is
1) A raised platform
2) Standing/sitting area for an audience
That was it, and with my design i feel i have satisfied such a basic requirement. Furthermore, with regards to how open it is and its functionality when weather isnt so great..
What if it can only used for summer concerts/shows or even autumn?
Who says it cant be a winter days show and u can maybe dance yourself warm?
Who says you cannot just erect a gazebo maybe?
Who says you cant just postpone the show?
Ive found many ways to deal with that little element.. But ofcourse, it does end up depending on what the place will be used for. To a certain extent there is coverage, but ofcourse not as much as a closed theatre without eliminatng the intial idea of an OPEN theatre.
My design combines many concepts.. It isnt exactly private but not completly public either. Sound travels and winds are softened to create a pleasant atmosphere and set the mood. Lights are also another way of setting the atmosphere and this can easily be erected right around the generic site. It can even be argued that it is only reserved for day shows, hence you save money with regards to electricity again.
Both entertainers and audience are combined. There is not much space between.. everything moves, everything overlaps to create a sense of unity and eliminate division and boundaries. As i said, i havent raised the platform to high either - wouldnt want anyone to end up with a sore neck! Ive accounted for people standing as well, and ofcourse seating as is shown.
And ofcourse, last but not least.. Ive built the required development model
And that brings me to the end of development number 2:)
Interim Submission 3 - Final25 April 2011
This particular submission was the final, hence everything ive been working on needs to be thrown together and hopefully make sense. As ive mentioned before the addition of natural wind barriers, i decided to take that a bit further, although in structural terms. I added a 'wall' if i can put it that way. In this way, wind will be retarded even more, hence sound travels better and holistically, i get to cut down on costs. So i through a few sketches together, roughly as my brain was working once again overtime!
As you can see on th left, i ended up making this 'wall' my focus of this submission. To get a feel for it, i added it to my previous model to see how it will work. In the end, i realised that it makes my design quite aesthetically pleasing. Also i managed to adapt that first first element back from th block. Where certain lines ran past each other - which just added to my whole 'Movement' idea.
Furthermore, it was probably the most easiest to put together in terms of construction and ofcourse the length is negotiable depending on the different lengths that standard - or non standard - gumpoles do come in.
The next step was to decide how it will all be fixed..
- Using concrete
- Using the natural ground
Then, i took the initiative of FINALISING what i was working with..
I started off with my stage, i decided that this was the best way to go in terms of the kind of design i had in mind
And with the stage, ofcourse followed the roof layout.
Then i heard about the crit...
I managed to get some general feedback in conjunction with advice to help me along with my design process. Here ive summed it all up:
- The intergration of spaces - Spaces needs to work together and in harmony to make the entire design actually work out
- Remember that context was purposefully excluded - hence we had to keep in mind a generic context, working our design in such away that it can fit next to anywhere
- GENERAL context needs to compliment your idea
- Understand the limitations of the technology you are using and what impact this has on your form and design approaches
- Keep in mind ergonomics and anthropometrics. Use this in conjunction with everything you do so that you wont get a backfire later on when you least expect it
- Your design NEEDS to be easily constructed. Keep in mind that the brief specifically mentions that its should not need any heavy equipment to erect as it needs to be easy to dismount and move to another location should that need arise
- Use your VERBS - Always ask what your would DO with your space
- Remember that your access to the structure needs to be kept interesting so that people are generallt attracted to what your are offering. Keep in mind that people are VISUAL and what they see will determine whether your design is 'popular' or not
- When submitting, choose a variety of ways to express your drawings - 2D, 3D, handrawn, sketchup, Autocad, built models etc, ANYTHING to bring your design across in the most attractive manner to sell your design
- Dont forget technology and how your are going to fix up your structure
- Keep to the required materials!
I came up with an initial few drawings, keeping in mind what i was advised.
Jolanda gave me an idea that immediately liked. She advised me to show more movement in my seating arrangement. And i did just that as the above drawing shows. The seating arrangement shows the rhythm of flow and movement that any show or concert would give off. Also it expresses th movement of people and the pathways they would take moving around looking for a place to sit or meeting up with other people also attending the show/concert/etc.
So once again, i pushed right for some final drawings
As any architect in training, i was happy i was done! Even went all out on my sketchup drawings as ill show you now
I was ecstatic! Had a night off and watched a movie (or three) quite content. And then i had a skype crit and it brought forward quite a few things i havent considered. So putting away my popcorn, i was back at the drawing board.
I added the skype convo,coz Jolanda gave me that idea ;)
So there was a couple of things that were brought to my attention:
- Can your roof show more movement?
- Is that the only stage design you have or the best?
- What about the shape of the seats?
- Arrangement of the seats?
- What about a back seat for the last row?
- Your levels? Will it be different?
- Incorporation of the structure and the landscape?
I played quite a bit around with roof ideas but trying hard not to completely steer off my original design but also at the same time trying to create something different. I remember at the awards there was someones pin up about the hub, also creative performance, and it sh i was showed a roof that looked like a spiral staircase which in essence made the entire design look almost as if it was about to move apart. If that makes any sense? and i liked that. So i took a shot at incorporating that with what ive got BUT mixing it up. A lil but of points with straight edges. I did the sketchup as well although in my opinion it just over powered the entire design which was definately not what i wanted. And also, i wanted to keep the idea of having a semi-coverd area but the way i was heading, it didnt look well and i scrapped that. In th very last drawing i also explored the idea of having a branch effect - but then steered away from that thinking about the time it would take to be erected and also at a later stage to be dismounted. So no, not that and plus, it didnt really fit into my context.
Then those random but very sought after 'Eureka' moment came to me:)
I decided, hey? what about just carrying on with your original idea of a roof.. keep it S T E P P E D!
So i followed through with this idea - mind you, getting excited as well - and settled on just adding more roof planes as i will show in site plan now
This was working well for me, so i kept to this and at the same time made it my final design decision.
The next factor i had to tackle (re-tackle) was the shape of my stage. Once again, Jolanda mentioned that my stage shape reminded her of the shape of a serpentine or maybe a film roll, like the old ones. So with that in mind, i researched those shapes - also in the hope of finding a stage but with no luck.
So with that out of the way, i began thinking on how i could use what ive got and at the same time keeping in mind my Movement concept idea. Then i thought.. hey? USE WHAT YOU GOT! My stage aready had its curves incorporated into a standard shaped stage. And without realising it, i managed to see how i was suppose to get to the stage design in the first place. I did a mixture of both.
So with that out of the way, i had to focus on the actual construction of the stage
On the left i summoned up the courage to draw a rough sketch through my stage. I was advised by both boss and a collegue that i should now make full use of my gumpoles as both a support and an aesthetic element. What i managed to come with (and like) was that i would fit each fifth or maybe seventh gumpole into the ground and the ones in between would be used as the aesthetic element they weasled into my mind. The marine plywood would be fixed onto the gumpoles ready for show. For extra support, gumpoles would be fixed in rows, just to make sure no funky business happends during the show.
Going down the page, you will see the elevation which is the intended facade of the stage. The gumpoles fixed into the grounds would be made to look exactly like those that are not fixed in between.
So that was sorted:)
Probably the most important part of any structural design is ofcourse how you are going to fix it all together. As noted above, ive explore a few options as to how to go about this. Some are pretty much useless, but an option nonetheless. Ive even asked a mechanical engineer for a bit of help in the right direction. So this is what i came up with..
So that is all of it right? Right:)
I went a step further and asked my boyfriend to help me out a bit considering he does mechanical engineering and deals with these kinda things everyday. He managed to work some stuff out and also had to explain ofcourse
Following are the plans:)
So after all of those calculations, it boiled down to the conclusion that i had to use a
SAE 12.9 class bolt of 40mm diameter in order to secure all logs in place:)
Following are the plans:)
- The roof is stagnant although pans out to the shape of the seats which corresponds with a sound source and the sound waves that come from the object/person
- The roof steps up and down almost as if to the rhymic steps of a choreographed dance route
- The shape of the stage comprises standard with the shape of a serpentine and old film roll which suggests regular momevent, until a point of comfortabily is reached where we let loose
- The placement of the 'walls' gives the impression of people moving past one another, or the interaction and then the moving on afterwards and also remembering the meeting point
- The shape of the seast and the arranagement suggests also the rhythm and flow of sound but also the flow of the traffic of people meeting, greeting and moving on
And as promised.. The architectural version ;)
And not forgetting the final model for Hub Design - Creative Performance: Movement
So that has brought me to the end of this project. From nothing to a final design in a matter of weeks. Ive had a few obstacles and restarts but ive learnt that literally every piece of help takes you a lil bit further than where your originally began:)
The following photos are posted a bit late, although it was absolutely a must to add it. After alot of running around finding the program and trying to get it to work, it was done:) Following the rendered (albeit its not needed) photos of my hub design:) - im excited about this part, really
All done:)
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Hub Design Process
Please click on the link below to view the presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/NasreenPeters/nasreen-peters-hub-design-process
