Brandspace program_mix & shape

How do we generate a successful mixture of program, shape and structure to generate a unique spatial consumer experience?

problem & dialectic

The architectural production of recent decades can be characterized as striving to be autonomous and heterogenous in comparison with the anonymous and homogenous proceedings of a repetition of modern ideals.

Of interest for you should be now only the misreadings of modernist architecture by the neo-avantgarde, which distinguishes itself for not using icons and copies that are typologically driven. This is not a mere repetition, which relies on the ideal or identity through historicist replication as in postmodernism. It is also a process that does not refer directly to an origin as did Corbusier’s use of industrial products of the time (ocean-liner, automotive etc.) to generate design ideas and in this sense was proto-machinic, but one should operate distinct from the functional-formal dialectic of modernism and all its reconstructions. You should localize the inherent characteristics in your design process of “repeating with difference”. In this sense one adheres to certain rules of an existing language or an pattern armature, but trangresses the underpinnings of the project referred to.

One precisely needs to define “the problem” to engage into the disciplinary discourse. The discourse of architecture often referred to a series of dialectics such as inside –outside, vertical – horizontal, center – periphery, frontality – rotation, solid – void, point – plane, figure - ground etc..

Note: A close reading of architectural examples (Palladio –villa Malcontenta, Corbusier – villa Garches, Mies – Glass house , Eisenman- Houses 1-10) helps to understand the discourse of other projects. This supports you to understand and delineate your design and clarify your employed formal design strategy.

For this initial step is not concerned with function or structure, nor with the social context, technology, economics, but simply with the formal manifestations revealed to the eye.

“Only that which is alike differs” (Deleuze)

Students are supposed to search for the generating diagram, to construct “the abstract machine” as an evidence of dynamics that give the decisive change to the process of developing the project. Related to project aspects of past pattern developments.

The next step is to look for its material configuration. There is always a certain relationship between the information it contains and the transformation it instigates. Which are the critical patterns to be implemented for a successful evolution? What is the underlying principle that activates the diagram? How does one isolate and direct its strategy of transformation?

In order to understand its specific operational technique, an organizational prototype is developed in several sequential stages where parameters change to test the performance before it is mapped onto the studio project.

The students will assemble their own proposal that will develop from physical 3D-pattern models.

Students are required to make digital 3D-parties displaying the process of the design evolution; Importance is laid onto the recording of each successive step, the parameter changes that lead to differentiation between the models.

ref.:

1. B.Tschumi: Glas video-gallery, Groningen
2. P.Eisenman: pavilion Groningen
3. Coop Himmelblau: pavilion Groningen
4. Toyo Ito: tower of the winds
5. Diller & Scofidio: slow house, Long Island, NY
6. Zaha Hadid: Mind Zone, Millenium Dome, london

Assignm.:

Description/ Program:

Site:

The whole site development ( “island masterplan”) envisions areas of offices in the center and mixed use at the beach front, both dedicated for the longitudinal stem at the bottom of the island.

Student groups are supposed to locate their clusters in the respective area at the east part of the island/ mixed use area, taking into consideration other groups already in place.

Volume_form_shape concept;

Each student develops the spatial distribution of program (axonometric diagram); plans (scale 1:200, 1/16”); infrastructure, circulation (axonometric diagram);

1. diagrams; plan & section ; initial scale 1/32”~1:500;

2. mass models/ 3D-pattern models/ parties; scale 1/32”~1:500; minimum 3 schemes; materials- wood, foamcore, acrylic;

3. sketch drawings, draw up your first concept thoughts! the concept has to sit! plans & sections (what is necessary to explain the scheme); rough door swings & fenestration as notational process; scale 1/32”~1:500 & 1/16”~1:200 (xerox enlarge or CAD plot larger)

You will receive extra bonus, if you can already move up to the next scale!

4. diagrams; plan & sections diagrammatic - scale 1/16”~1:200 to illustrate the sketches;

Print:

11/2x17” sheets

Digital:

in .pdf in letter size, saved to the folder.

Dubai & BRANDspace

Why is Dubai undergoing a singular unprecedented city expansion?

How do we generate an innovative spatial concept that appeals to brand labels, without reference to the popular eclectic, the Disney revival and the vernacular?

In order to continue the project on Brandspaces, we will invent a Brandspace package, as an environment featuring a unique combination of program and spatial tectonics to satisfy the leaders of the Made in Italy “label-league”. The major criteria is certainly the consumer behavior. For a lot of shopping sectors, the most striking changes are found in the consumers themselves, who are increasingly asking for “shopping experiences” that are exciting and emotionally attractive, as well as functionally convenient to their requirements. In many sectors, merchandising with a range of tactics offers the solution to requirements of this nature.

The studio will critically inquire the recent phenomena of Villa Moda, a brandscape development and fashion mall concept, spreading across different cities like Dubai, Kuwait etc..

Assignm.:
Make yourself familiar with the developments of Dubai and the potential site on The Palm Deira;
Look into the development of the retail concept for Villa Moda, and analyse their typical program composition.

The class work will proceed in creating a multibrand agglomerate, a village type new retailing concept with clusters of individual showrooms or pavilions, all having their own program. These pavilions will have same volume but differ tectonically from each other and allow to design-customize the brand labels appearance, which are located next to each other.
The class project in a common effort will contribute to a unifying urban strategy for the placement of the individual showrooms/pavilions. In a first step, students will layout single showrooms (initial footprint of 1400 qm, 26x54m, app. h 7.5m) and their potential program composition as a conceptual diagram, and then continue to design preliminary massing and plan strategies;

Groups of students are encouraged to form planning clusters to coordinate the position, integration or distance of their respective showrooms/pavilions.

Ref:
www.villa-moda.com
www.thepalm.ae
www.theworld.ae
www.nakheel.ae
www.emaar.ae
www.dip.ae

of totally another scale:
http://little-people.blogspot.com

cad-file of pavilion size in ARCH_Pongratz_3502 on 'archlab': 0-example-folder-pongratz\2cp-2D_plans: VF-pavilio.dwg

Print:

11/2x17” sheets and suitable for presentation

Digital:

sheets in .pdf in letter size, saved to the folder.

structure & material/ pattern & building

Could these figures be scaled from ornament to structure and then to full building structure?

What if these single initial components are three-dimensional solids, and have intricate joint-work like in wood joints, in order to allow for a structural assembly. And then, if we look for a derivation of self similar variations, like changes in size and shape, would the joint-work stay the same but the rest of the form change, or would the whole component undergo evolution, being similar to the parent and proliferate into a certain number of child components. What are the consequences in transmitting structural loads, what about relationships and behaviors of these components?

…. continued

b) The other direction to be explored more in depth, is load bearing, structural stone. Here the design will deepen the potential of selected pattern geometries and develop a structural cladding system of particular cut stone blocks and slabs.

The research is supposed to establish or refine design rules according to the experiments with constraints of individual geometry, shape change, module size change, joint position and detail solution etc…
Reading:
-Mostafavi;
-Toyo Ito;
-Herzog & de Meuron

Assignm.:

Material selection & single component design (assembly and composition must be made clear and readable with additional drawings, renderings) & fabrication of one potential pattern application as load bearing façade and exterior wall cladding, which plays on the theme of light-filtering screens.

Print:
11/2x17” productsheets and 36x48” presentation sheets
Digital:
productsheets in .pdf in letter size, saved to the folder.