LILLIAN HOANG - ARCH1390: September 2009

September 29, 2009

Week 10 Independant Study

A3 Montage

Grid Layout of 3 x A1 posters

September 28, 2009

Week 9 Studio Task - Re-envision Ideas

Screenshots of Progression of Model

Re-envision Ideas (notes)

The re-envision idea is to create a subtle, relaxing & calming place but brings out a mysterious feeling which creates interests to viewers. The idea is to make the place more enclosed so slits of lights can be put in to create little glows. The main source of light would be artificial lighting - up lights to give it a "brighter glow". They would be placed around the place to give guidance to visitors. Concrete is going to be used throughout whole building to give it a nice texture. The concrete is going to be polished, so the lights will be reflected upon the walls and the filtration from the slits also bounces off wall. - It's to help the emphasis of the "glow" throughout the building. Metal (copper) cladding is going to be used to also help with the "reflective" sensation which is trying to be achieved. The colour of copper goes well with the concrete and it stands out more than just stainless steel.

Precedents

David Chipperfield - Des Moines Public Library

Carlo Scarpa - Castelvecchio Museum

Carlo Scarpa - Olivetti Showroom

Reference(s)

David Chipperfield - Des Moines Public Library
http://www.davidchipperfield.co.uk/

Carlo Scarpa - Castelvecchio Museum & Olivetti Showroom
http://www.studiocleo.com/gallerie/scarpa/works.html

September 24, 2009

Vitra Design Museum

Group Members: Tiffany Lau, Sharon Lam & Lillian Hoang

Research

Vitra Design Museum was constructed in 1989 under the guidance of Alexander von Vegesack. The building was designed by Frank O Gehry and it consists of a steady swirl of white forms as the exterior with a powerful interlocking interior. Limiting the materials to only white plaster and titanium-zinc alloy evoked the "Balancing Tools" rules.
The sleek design creates a prestigious image of enterprise with its technical superiority. The museum is not dependent on the Vitra Company as it covers its own budgets through exhibitions and publications of themes of furniture design as the museum hold one of the largest collections of modern furniture designs.

Reference

http://www.design-museum.de/vitra/architektur/index.php?sid=0156492183380fbab3ebd24c3f5943f9&language=en
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The design museum houses temporary exhibitions on themes of furniture design, and Gehry's building makes a suitable host for them - in keeping with the theme, but - once inside - supporting, not competing with, the exhibitions.

The geometry of the building does not feel contrived, or particularly noticeable, as you go around the exhibitions. From the outside it does feel both those things, but it is at home among the other architectural showpieces that make up the Vitra site.

Reference

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/vitradesign/index.htm

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"Frank Gehry has raised the bar for architectural innovation," said Thomas Krens, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. "He has accomplished this because of his openness to the concept of difference and radical juxtaposition. Place two unlikely elements together and Frank will say, 'Why not?' He is a master at transforming the material environment—whether natural or artificial—into architecture."

Reference

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/press-room/press-releases/
press-release-archive/2001/682-may-15-frank-gehry-architect

Sketchup 2D Graphics

Top view

Side view

Perspective

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Further Group Research
The Vitra Design Museum designed by Frank Owen Gehry began from the furniture producer, Rolf Felbaum’s wish to document the roots and history of his craft. And thus following his wish, he commissioned Frank Gehry to design The Vitra Design Museum, which in contrast to other museums, where furniture design is only one subject among many; it focuses principally upon its historical and future developments
Under the guidance of Alexander von Vegesack, the museum was completed and opened to the public in 1989.
The museum design houses qualities of a sculpted building with its steady swirl of white forms as the exterior combined with a powerful interlocking interior. Assembled by distinct volumes of random patterns - spirals, wedges, cubes, crosses and so on, it creates a harmonious structure as a whole, for they interlock by enclosing every shape of the museum together; staircases, vaulted galleries and ceilings. These dynamic shapes allow the museum to have boundless energy all around, from exterior to interior. In addition, the museum’s sleek design creates a prestigious image of enterprise with its technical superiority - a style which has been used by Frank Gehry throughout his designs.

Above: The cubist assemblage of interlocking forms demonstrated in Frank Gehry's Vitra Design Museum.
Cruciform glazed openings from the structures of the building, such as the central roof on the second floor, provide the museum with extensive natural illumination. The use of white plaster also added to the building's vibrance as well as the titanium finishes. This limitation in the choice of materials evoked the "Balancing Tools" rules.

Above: Displays of interior furniture of both special and permanent exhibitions within the building, shows how everything flows together.

Above: The curve structure effectively wrapping and enclosing the staircase inside the building.
The museum is not dependent on the Vitra Company as it covers its own budgets through exhibitions and publications of themes of furniture design as the museum hold one of the largest collections of modern furniture designs. It's one of his successful overseas projects which helped him gain international recognition.
References
- Museum Architecture, Justin Henderson, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1998.
- Frank Gehry Vitra Design Museum by Olivier Boissiere and Matrtin Filler
- http://www.design-museum.de/vitra/architektur/index.php?sid=0156492183380fbab3ebd24c3f5943f9&language=en

Case Study - Frank O. Gehry & Partners, Walt Disney Concert Hall

Summary

Since 1987, the Disney family donated 50 millions at first in hope of bringing people of Los Angeles the best performance venue as a tribute to Walt Disney’s devotion to arts and the amount slowly accumulated to over 100 millions. The dream was realised 16 years later when the construction of Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry was completed in 2003. The Walt Disney Concert Hall officially opened on October 23rd with a concert by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The stainless steel clad concert hall shines in the Southern California and has become the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. The building shape is curved as the top and bottom forms stretch out. The stainless steel exterior virtually wrapped the whole building, providing glimmers which allow the building to literally outshine nearby buildings effortlessly. While there are people that admire the astonishing architecture, there are people who question the durability of the uniqueness.

The extraordinary musical experience can be shared with a vast amount of people as the hardwood-panelled main auditorium designed by Yasuhisa Toyota can seat up to 2273 people at once. The sophisticated design is rated to be second to none in terms of acoustical quality, so there’s no way anyone can eavesdrop on the rehearsals or the actual performances if you’re not in the main auditorium.

The 3.6 acres complex hold its ground as being one of the finest concert halls in the world and has become an international recognised landmark as both exterior and interior are both masterpiece.

References

http://www.laphil.com/about/wdch_overview.cfm

http://www.architectureweek.com/2003/1217/design_1-1.html

http://www.arcspace.com/architects/gehry/disney2/

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/losangeles/A33111.html

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