Sunday, October 31, 2010

Site Selection and Documentation

This is the first attempt to consider a site influenced by the concept of my thesis...


Statement




11/17
The essence of modern architecture is based on the boundary between continuous spaces with seamless connections. In architecture, this boundary is captured with the defense of the building skin to the exterior conditions of weather. Atmospheric architecture adapts the relationship between the physical boundaries of walls and the separation between inside and outside zones. The goal is to capture the essence of tangible architecture linking the conditions of exterior atmospheres with the built environment of interior conditions. These results directly depend on the unpredictable phenomenon of weather and the influences by the natural atmospheric conditions of the site.
 



11/1
Atmospheric architecture creates a controlled experience that reflects the interior and exterior atmospheres as one. Regenerating this relationship between a building and weather will provide a sustainable environment capable to portraying ideal interior and exterior conditions. Combining these forces of natural exterior atmosphere and artificial interior atmosphere will transform a total natural atmospheric architecture. Atmospheric architecture will allow the relationship between the built environment, enclosure and the weather to create social interactions in a comfortable condition. 



Criteria
The criteria for my site must fit in a urban context with a strong relationship on to the water. This will allow the site to thrive off more extreme conditions rather then a site inland. The specific weather conditions of the site will play a strong role. The weather must contain fog, rain, wind, snow, sun and seasons to full prove aspects of my thesis.

Site #2- Sargent's Whaft, Boston, Massachusetts

Site Analysis



Site Data

Site #2
Site #1- Newfoundland, Canada

Site #1

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Program

What is program? The idea of program and how it can influence your design process is what the intension of this part for the development of our thesis idea. The experiential narrative is intended to discover how the program influences my design process.

Thesis Statement (updated)

In architecture, this boundary is captured with the defense of the building skin to the exterior conditions of weather.  Atmospheric architecture adapts the relationship between the physical boundaries of walls and the separation between inside and outside zones.  The goal is to capture the essence of tangible architecture linking the conditions of exterior atmospheres with the built environment.  Stimulating this interaction between atmospheric conditions will provide a sustainable environment capable of portraying ideal conditions of thermal and adaptive comfort.  These results directly depend on the unpredictable phenomenon of weather and the influences by the natural atmospheric conditions of the site.  Allowing this relationship between built environment, enclosure and weather to break down boundaries and become a hybridized intervention of atmospheric architecture.


Specific Program Ideas




The relationship of the interior conditions to the exterior atmosphere will enhance the stimulation of the mind while shaping social experiences. The use of fog will allow the transformation of my architectural program With the use of natural lighting, interior conditions will become interactive though fog. Fog will be seen to have no visible limitations. What the user perceives will be altered by this event of nature. Windows will be used to blurred the boundaries and transform as beams of light. There is a change between light as a tool for visibility and now becomes interactive. The fog transforms the architecture.

A large part of thermal adaptation to interior and exterior atmospheric conditions relate closely to clothing. Clothing allows the user to control their own adaptive experience by allowing regulation to the body in a space. The idea is that adaptive control of thermal comfort levels can be seen through clothing within artificially controlled atmospheres.

Fashion merchandising and fashion design will allow fog to shape the design of the building. This specific programmatic conditions

            -Fabric and Trim Storage Room
            -Sewing/Production Room
            -Merchandising Offices
            -Visual/Manikin Display Rooms
            -Showrooms
            -Technical Offices/Labs
            -CAD Computer Lab (Computer Art Design) 

Experiential Narrative: FOG
The fog is has settled everywhere. It emerges and weaves itself within the architecture creating an eerie feel as it seems to engulf. It physically hovers over and around anything in its path. The fog fills the entire scene creating a heavy overcast. It appears as an object in the distance as a unique and distinctive shape. It morphs over until it begins to break up and disperses itself into other state of matter. This is the point where fog becomes the architecture. Fog interacts within the architecture making aspects vanish and reappear. It takes over buildings exposing only what it leaves untouched. The fight though the vaporized maze feels thick and heavy yet consists of light mist. There is a sense of warm air yet the fog leaves a cool touch. Inside the fog seems to submerge as the walls create a barrier between inside and out. The windows allow access to views that seem to reveal nothing. As the exterior atmosphere infiltrates the interior, the line between inside and out becomes blurred. Walls no longer separate the exterior atmosphere from the artificial interior. Light filters through the fog and appears as beams. The light becomes interactive though movement in the fog. The visibility appears as layers of vapor screens with no end in sight. The fog has no visible limits. What we perceive is altered by the events of nature. The inside is designed to create separation but cant control the fog. Windows used to view outside become blurred as only to show a beam of light. There is a change between light as a tool for visibility and now becomes interactive. The fog transforms the architecture. Sound gets lost in the thickness. Fog transforms space as a void and reveals that space is anything then empty. As time progresses the fog is lifted due to the warming of the sun. What is left behind are beads of water taking over every flat surface exposed. The visibility becomes clear resulting easier movement. The exterior atmosphere has once again affected the artificial interior.




Architecture was born out of the need to shelter one from the elements of weather. Beyond its necesity, weather symbolizes everything that architecture is not; formless, dynamic, ephemeral. This creates the tension between interior and exterior conditions that my thesis is looking to blue. These concept diagrams represent the idea that architecture can be more then the building skin protecting the interior from exterior elements. Architecture needs to embrace the elements of the interior as a tool for design.

Issues of Adjacency- Blurring the line between interior with exterior in a way they work together. These three examples show the possibilities for interconnection the relationship between interior and exterior atmospheres. 



Circulation and Activities- The idea behind these images captures the relationship to activity inside and outside of architecture. My thesis deals with the idea of connection the interior and exterior atmospheres that work together to creat ideal, adaptive control. 
This image represents the use of fog to enhance the activity within a building. On the left, Fog controls the exterior leaving the interior artificial and unnatural. The right, fog interrupts the interior creating an atmosphere that mimics and relates to the exterior. 

The circulation through the concept of my thesis is the movement from outside, to inside, to outside with no recollection of atmospheric changes. The black line symbolizes the connection between both interior and exterior conditions. The idea is that programatic functions are still possible within controlled atmospheres.
Precedent- Pierre Huyghe, creater of the exhibition "A musical at the Kunsthaus Bregenze" is an example of creating a controlled environment with the use of fog and lighting. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Thesis I-Idea Mapping


Idea Mapping for cloud seeding

Weather and Architecture 

Weather, by definition is the state of the atmosphere at any given time and place.  The conditions of the temperature, pressure, wind, humidity, cloudiness and precipitation are all basic elements of weather that affects daily interactions.  Weather has always been considered a strong opposing force to common activity.  In addition to food and water, it is necessary for man to find shelter to be protected by the elements of weather.  The idea of shelter has evolved to adapt to certain conditions and atmospheres while allowing the building skin to provide an ideal interior condition.  Weather and architecture have a close relationship due to the fight of opposing forces.

A form of weather modification called cloud seeding allows changes to the amount of precipitation that falls from clouds that are intended to increase precipitation, both rain and snow, and suppress both hail and fog.  These advances in weather modifications allow us to take the unpredictability out of the natural weather.  Cloud seeding is used to increase rain in places of drought, reduce hail in thunderstorms, reduce fog at airports and clear the air of pollution.  In other words, weather modification techniques allow access to ideal weather conditions for the good of mankind while eliminating the natural process.  A utopia, by definition, is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.  These permanent ideal conditions will lead us slowly into the utopian society where our architecture will transform to the new need for enclosure. 

Friday, October 1, 2010

Collection of Images

        Exterior                                                 Interior        
This is the first attempt to put organization to my collection of images. 

This collection of images is a visual list demonstrating the concept of movement and threshold previously used for my colleges. The concept behind my thesis is the effects of weather on architecture and how today we create architecture to protect the inside for a comfortable environment. This image collection demonstrates photos that reflect the inside and outside of a series of buildings.  

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Visual Abstract Idea Mapping

This second attempt to visual abstract my thesis and involve the concepts of movement and threshold. I used the original image for my visual abstract but added a grid and organization. The reason for doing this is to separate the image into different experiences. Within the image is different images of weather conditions, landscape and building typology that work together to form one total image.
First attempt to organize my critical thinking through visual organization and visual abstract idea mapping. This image is a literal example of my thesis as an image as I was beginning to develop my thesis.