FINAL DESIGN & panel
After a month of this project, which seemed to be much longer but it could have been even more, as the final design representations came rushed. This project for me was so interesting, intriguing, at one point in it it even became close, care for by me, and because of this little, additional details, things to do rose, things to spend a lot of time on. But this combination of necessary and additional, despite the rush, is especially satisfying now that Project 3 is done.
The final design saw little changes in the layout. The authors part of the house was mirrored, the bedroom, dressing room and bathroom now rested at the lower wall of the house, to increase ceiling height in the living room. Pathway design was applied in the courtyard, with paths counteracted by greenery spots. A timber shades wall was introduced in the courtyard as well. Movable timber slabs, as super sized shades, would be used to control the amount of light intake thorough this elevation of the house as well as the privacy levels. This wall opened up would allow the occupants of the house to see, connect with the park outside, but if they would wish to remain unseen by by passers, the wall could be closed up.
When deciding upon finishes in the house I chose to keep the main spaces of the house neutral, with white painted brick work and rich coloured, lush dark oak parquet. This applies to the living room, dining room and kitchen, where bright coloured furniture would be used as accents, the courtyard and to the child's room. These spaces are active, aesthetically functional enough on their own, they do not need active colours to boost experience of those. Walls and floor finishes serve more of a canvas function. Upon entering the house and advancing through it, a slow colour shift is form the exterior deep blue to the white of interior if evident, as some of the spaces nearer the entrance are not yet neutral and adopt the colours of outside. To create a different experience, to create notable change of space (apart from a door) whilst keeping the nature 'theme', the larger bathroom is set in a green colour scheme. Dark, alga green walls, sand yellow floor and fittings in between. The bedroom of the author is light grey coloured with lighter shade parquet. This space needed to be more relaxed, subtle and with less contrast, as this a a space of sleep and maybe escape from the activity outside it. The wardrobe is white, to keep this small space lit, and the furniture is wooden, as it is in most of the house. The child's rooms wooden block structure is of wood colour and green tint on the horizontal planes of the space, a carpet of greenery. The rather dull space in shape, TC's wardrobe and the utility rooms are bright orange and red, energised. His bathroom is a bit more playful, but still posses the water set of colours.
As an addition to the interior design chairs were designed by me. These to chairs are based on the golden ratio, Fibonacci Spiral, as their planes are constructed on the diagonals the spiral, which gives them nature proportions.
The environmental solutions light-wise are the large amount of wall and roof windows and the courtyard opening, which provide light tactically in unlit spaces. The windows on the park-facing elevation are risen to 2.5m level, so that privacy is not invaded. These work as ventilation solutions too, but mechanical exhausts would be introduced in bathrooms and kitchen, where the environment would be especially humid otherwise.
Now finished, this project has introduced and thought me a new way of approaching a building, both in a designing and emotional way. Passing by this Christopher Wray building every time to University, I cannot help but try and imagine my design ideas in it. A tree poking out from the roof, set of lit windows, a child living in his own world, climbing and crawling, and a writer, cooking diner maybe, the kitchen steaming, warm and filled with a joyful smell, or siting in the courtyard, with a cup of tee in her hands, and a peeking eye on the people in the park, me, or maybe she sits in her office writing, watching her character live. A space to bring characters to life.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Going into the stage of making the layout of the house I had decided to develop the idea of a tree at the heart of the house. The east most end of the house TC's rooms were placed, Melissa Harrison would occupy the west end. The first layout featured TC's room a cube structure to crawl in, climb it, from the top of which a slide goes down, ending at the bed. On top of shelves, closets a pedestal was placed in half-level height on which TC's desk would be placed. In the north-east corner of the space bathroom was placed. Advancing through to the next room west the kitchen and dining room was placed, continuing through which the internal courtyard was placed. Following a spiral path around the tree, corridor connecting to the master bedroom, dressing room and bathroom would be entered. In the south-west corner of the house the office was placed next to which the living room was.
To eliminate unnecessary corridors and connect the main spaces I moved the master bedroom to the highest wall, as well as I moved the kitchen across, next to the living room. I introduced glass walls, to improve the light distribution through the spaces. I put a door in the middle of the courtyard outside wall, as another entrance, from which one could travel to either part of the house. On the right of which TC's space still is. It is composed of multiple cubes, movable, climbable, crawl-under-able on which TC could sleep, hide under, live in. The utilitarian rooms for TC are placed in a 2 m wide space from the far wall.
PRECEDENTS
The collect precedents for the Home of Clay I created a Pintrest board on which I pinned designs of different functions and for different reasons in my design throughout the design process. I have compiled these here explaining briefly, why chosen:
CONCEPT IDEAS
Having decided upon nature as being the connector between the author Melissa Harrison and the character TC, I set to come up with and put down conceptual ideas of how could I achieve an optimal design for both of them living together. Integrating nature elements, natural materials and such forms was my goal. Rather early I decided to dedicate an end of the house to each of the clients, having a shared space in between.
A tree for a heart |
tHE GREEN CURTAIN |
The floating tree house |
Space division |
The first idea. Why don't just put a tree in the middle of the house, if I need a nature element? It would grow, change and show the nature of change and change in nature, as it has been done quite effectively in the book 'Clay'. An internal courtyard would be a very private, mini-park, personal, beautiful for the writer, excellent playground for the boy.
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This concept included a corridor like structure with walls being the nature element, made of climber plants and/or vegetation motive pattern structure. As a precedent for this kind of flat, wall-like, nature inspired, or its simulation, structure I used 'Algue' by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. This kind of curtain green, transparent, light would enclose a park-like space. With benches, at which to meat and have talks between the two, or sit on ones own, take in the smell, and let the green mantle, and wonders take over.
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An idea derived from an sensitive approach to the existing building and interest of this technical solution. Placing timber slabs with spaces in between would alter the sense of space, not clear depth of the wall would expand volume perception, similarly as in New York shoe store by Jordana Maisie. Using the same material furniture could be built, similar to the walls of Bernd Riegger's see-through Forest Refuge cabin.
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Based on the needed spaces, determined in the client profile, bubble diagram of space division was created, illustrating the minimum size of each space. Initially, I had allocated each client a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Harrison was planed to have an office as well, and both would have a relatively large shared space of symbolic, rather than functional use.
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CLAY, MELISSA HARRISON & TC
I read this book on the train, going to University and home. I found it to be a drawing-in book, it looked at a simple, everyday setting in a lively, emotion filled way. The story is is set in London, it is carried out by a park, its people. There is an old lady, who has watched the park all her adult life, there is her daughter and granddaughter, living just around the corner, in a wealthy neighbourhood. There is a polish immigrant, working next to the park, there is the 10-year-old TC, practically living on his own. Their characters have little in common, different backgrounds, different ages, Melissa Harrison ties them together using nature. They all adore it in their own, different ways. For the old lady nature is something to take care of, as her husband has passed away, for her daughter its a reminiscence of her childhood, her fathers love, the pole has grown up in a farm, nature- the one thing he knows best and loves, similarly for TC nature is his only escape, something that does not scream, but opens up for him, takes care of him with its peace. The park, its nature brings people together.
This pronounced knowledge, understanding and love of nature clearly comes from the author Melissa Harrison. She lives in London, but her London seems not to be the concrete massing, stubborn but roaring, but the breathing spots of green, oasis, sudden peeks of vitality in the maze of built. She explores the parks, the urban nature in number of writing and photography, for newspapers, magazines and in in her blog (linked below).
Nature, the connecting factor of the author and his character, of Melissa Harrison and TC. I suppose TC is the embodiment of Harrison's childhood, her love for nature then, and as this affection has not faded it is one that could be easily shared between the two. In my client profile, sketch version, first I try to define a brief of the main characteristics of the two. TC, a 10-year-old living with his mother, who cannot find motivation to take care and interest in the boy. School is not easy for him, he is poor and therefore cannot fit in, he has no friends. He has three things dear to him- his father, or rather the idealised memory of him, before TC's mother kicked him out, TC's book about animals and 'his' park. Apart from the explored above, Melissa Harrison can maybe be characterised by her creations, her characters, nature lovers. She has a dog, usually writes in the evenings and has a good lot of writing prizes. Second, I match the two clients characteristics and basic needs, with rooms they would need. Third, I connect and take the two apart. Trying to understand what would bring them together, what would they understand in each other, to figure out what spaces they should share. Defining the differences of the two, like their age and gender, or how TC is particularly shy and likes to keep his 'work' in secrecy, to know what spaces they cannot share, how much privacy there should be. I search for the characteristics that the author and her character might not share, but might improve their connection, like Harrison's dog, for example. Finally I study their bodily dimensions, based on averages, to know what should I allow in the design
BEGINNING
The final project of 2015, the first individual project, and all were truly excited. We have been given a building, a 20th century addition to a more than 300 years old Georgian town house building, on Bartholomew Row, Birmingham. Latest function of the coupleChristopher Wray Lighting factory and shop, which supplied the whole country. Our first task- measuring it
We had a quick measuring session there, on site, sketching taking photos and putting our measuring tapes to all that can be measured, not knowing what we will need or will use, partly because it was our first time, partly because of the excitement. After having done that we returned to the studio to be split up into four groups of drawers and model makers. We were to draw up elevations and plans of the building we’d use and the surroundings of it and make two models of that as well, which would helps us in our individual work later. I found myself having to draw an elevation of a part of the Christopher Wray building complex, half of the Georgian town house, as each of our 15 people elevation group had to draw one elevation of the site. To do this I returned to the site after the studio session to take measurements of all the detail I could.
As I did not have technical drawings of this elevation available to me, so I used the photo I took of the building to draw my drawing. I straightened it, scaled, matched it up with the measurements I took, and measured form it dimensions I could not get to on site, first floor window size, position etc. On the next studio session we aligned our drawings to have the whole elevation of the site, whilst others were doing the models. As I had finished my drawings earlier I hopped on the bush modelling train and we came up with, what we thought were bushes of a strong character.
That studio session we were introduced to the brief of Project 3. We have to design the interior of the existing Christopher Wray Lighting building, to accommodate the author and one character of a fiction book. This project would be split up into two phases, during first of which we cannot change the volume of the building, but during the second phase we are allowed one structural change of volume, to enhance the building experience. The book I chose is 'Clay' by Melissa Harrison, and the character is a 10-year-old TC.