EXP 3: FINAL SUBMISSION

SKETCHUP FILE: http://www.mediafire.com/?pb2k55a91195k86

NOTE: Unfortunately, all of my CryEngine files became corrupted whilst transferring the files from my own laptop to the Red Centre computers. I then lost my USB whilst travelling back home which made recreating these rather difficult. I have worked to try and recreate my elevator today however a more recent file has also became corrupted. At the risk of receiving a greater late-penalty, I have created my screen captures from images previously recorded from my model prior to these issues. Unfortunately, I only took still images and no video recordings - an aspect of my assignment which I hoped to complete before submission. I understand that this is unacceptable, however it was an issue which was unavoidable. I have included my Sketchup model of the elevator/folly parts (in addition to my bridge/school model) and a screenshot of an earlier flowchart for my CryEngine elevator. I hope these are sufficient.

                         

EXP 3: CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Architect and planner David Pearson proposed a set of rules regarding organic architecture, among these include the following points:

                   Let the design:

• be inspired by nature and be sustainable, healthy, conserving, and diverse.

• unfold, like an organism, from the seed within
• satisfy social, physical, and spiritual needs.

• "grow out of the site" and be unique.

• express the rhythm of music and the power of dance.

I want my design to satisfy these rules, both in the bridge design and design of the university spaces. The flowing movement of the bridge's pathways/framework is inspired by the roots of a tree, and is to appear as if it has literally grown from the edges of the valley's mountains. In the last studio session, Ro suggested considering the functionality of the pathways and the bridge's overall connection to the mountains. As such I have developed the pathways of the bridge so that the ends of the pathways come together closely at each mountain, but spread out in the middle of the bridge to allow the formation of voids which will allow for organic-shaped buildings to be placed within the 'web' of paths. Thus, the bridge unfolds and 'grows' from the site, whilst the curving/rising-and-falling nature of the paths expresses the rhythm of music, creating a flow of lines similar to notes on sheet music - an important idea to me as I have been reading sheet music and playing piano for almost all of my life. 

On a less aesthetic notion, in the development of my idea, I began to consider the social and cultural connection of the bridge to the landscape. As this site is a world heritage-listed site, any development of this nature would realistically be impossible, however in this proposed design, I wanted to ensure that the site was not damaged by the bridge/university. Thus, the proposed bridge ends will meet with lookout points which are realistic developments that promote tourism as well as access to the university. The bridge ends, where all the pathways come close together, and particularly the main walkway (the walkway which is based off the assigned plan/sections) will meet these lookout points and thus will focus on minimum connection to the actual mountain, but rather to these lookout platforms. Additionally, the bridge will not use any supporting frames touching the valley floor so as to minimise impact on the landscape. Thus, where the university buildings are placed (where the bridge expands in the centre) the only space which is being taken up was already void space. This will allow the bridge to aid as a promoter of tourism - a big focus in Australia - by both providing access across the valley but also providing exquisite views across the vast landscape.  

EXP 3: PLAN AND SECTION DRAWINGS AND S/UP MODEL

My chosen plan to work with is shown below. The curved walls reflect the curving stairway 'pipes' of my bridge both in plan and section, so this was a useful plan to develop from.

Below are my plan and section drawings based from my tracing of the original plan. Whilst they are still fairly undeveloped, the exercise was useful in determining potential spaces to define to each space, and the shape of the void formed between these tubes - for example where a narrow vertical room would go and where a wide horizontal space would go. 

Below are two images showing my further developed sketchup model, in which I attempted to replicate the paths of the curved tubes in my section and plan drawings. the second image shows how the pipes act as stairways by having a path cut into them.

EXP 3: INITIAL PLAN FOR BRIDGE

Below is a very undeveloped S/up model of my bridge. The long curved lines represent the organic form extending from the land and bridging the valley. The large white walls at each end represent the valley mountains for the purpose of this demonstration. The cubes represent the spaces which will make up the university rooms. I am still assigning sizes to each of these spaces based on their requirements for functional size. I also intend for the long curving lines to take on a very random nature and also to be circular tubes, possible used as stairways to access various parts of the university. I am struggling to make circular curved shapes in S/up so will ask my tutor how this is possible.

EXP 3: DRAFT FOLLY

I have created my draft folly in S/up from one of my 'F shaped' prism combinations. Below is an image of the model alone and another using different colours to indicate the F shapes.

After tidying up an area of my valley floor using ground cover vegetation and a clearing of trees, I created a space directly in between the two main valley mountains where I shall place my folly. Below are two images, the first showing the folly from afar on the valley floor, showing its relationship with surrounding vegetation, and the second showing one of the main mountains in the background.

EXP 3: MASHUP

An architect takes on what others have left subsequent generations. The relation between the parts to the whole were characteristic to him, every part has to have its own identity but at the same time be inexorably chained to the whole. That abstract saying form and function are one is the center line of architecture, organic. It places us in line with nature and enables us sensibly to go to work. We are shifting in what we live now; we don't really live in it.A useful point of departure is to disentangle it, if only momentarily, from the word organic. This analogy between nature and architecture already occurred in works of the artist Horatio Greenough in the middle of the 19th century. Perhaps in realizing this, in later writings Wright occasionally punctuated the relationship between organic architecture and nature, emphasizing that they are inseparable. We don't really understand what it is to live in an organic building with organic character. A building should appear to grow easily from its site and be shaped to harmonize with its surroundings. Any building which is built should love the ground on which it stands. Wright sees every building as something special, related to the location where it stands and as part of the landscape, nature. Wright always thought that we should live with some connection to nature – he said that it was more humane, that it was, in fact, in our nature.

EXP 3: CRYENGINE LANDSCAPE

Here is the landscape which I have modelled from the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains of Australia. This particular image looks quite bad as the vegetation in the background is not appearing, and yet the shadows of the vegetation are. This is quite frustrating and I will try to figure out a solution for my next fraps images. 

At the moment the valley is still quite undeveloped and only really consists of the parts of the valley shown in the image I posted last week - it's also viewing the valley from roughly the same point as in the photograph. I hope to gather some more aerial and circulating views of the valley in the coming weeks so that I can properly develop the surrounding landscape. I intend to develop my bridge crossing the valley from the two largest points of the mountainous valley edge (shown in the foreground of this screencapture). Work on the colours is also still needed but overall I am happy with my progress on this landscape.