Pictured below are rendered images of my final model. The stairs have been changed to run in a straight line. The whole structure has been streamlined and windows have been added to underside of the roof lining. The aged copper has been used to clad the strong shape that wraps around the east and west elevation. A structural column has been used to support the underside of the cantilevered top level. A mesh screen has been applied to the north façade to create the private room and also obstruct views.

The structure has become a very quiet dark which aligns with my characters mysterious personality in which no one ever really knows him. This was to do with design constraints of having seven neighbors as well as the way in which he likes to live.
The open plan area through the lounge, kitchen and bedroom area takes advantage of the natural light where the underground areas will rely on mostly active systems for lighting.

This is the first sketch model that has been made using the previous model as a template. The design has been altered to include a sunken courtyard next to the bathroom. The void in the ground has been wrapped around the structure to further illustrate the void as an extension of the strong line on the east and west side of the building. The line isn’t viewed in these pictures as the roof and floor have been emitted in order to read all levels of the design.

The change from a card model to a digital model has made some elements change and design problems more noticeable. The internal programming has been started and it has been recognized that the internal spaces may be harder to design inside this particular shell than originally perceived. This is pictured in the plan where the two bedrooms placed side by side among other things. The northern end of the building has become very boxy and large and it is my opinion that the design needs to be a little more streamlined in order to become visually appealing.

At the moment the ‘garden space’ is on top of the roof which will become a grassy undulating surface and the sunken courtyard. Tit may be preferable to re align the structure closer to the western boarder to allow more room on the side of the property to possibly adjoin with the neighboring property.

At this stage the materiality is becoming a concern as the grassy plane will need materials that are either organic or have some amount of aged texture to it such as corten.

Pictured bellows are Images of the first card model I created in week ten. The model describes the dynamic relationship that I am trying to achieve between the ground plane and the structure. The Issue of verticality has been a concurrent theme throughout ADS4 being a pivotal design element in morphing both private and home life into a design solution. In the third assignment the verticality has been concealed by placing one third of the building underground. The staircase that joins the horizontal planes within the building is expressional of the verticality in his working environment.

The strong line of the east and the west façade is something I wish to further develop. The sunken element that is visible at the northern end of the structure is the bathroom placement and is intended to provide filtered light in to the lower levels.

Ariel View

West Elevation

North Elevation

Internal View Hallway Looking Into Storage

Internal View From Underground Level

East Elevation

South Elevation

Design Development Brief:

Sketch up Design I In evaluating design solutions for the Lightning man who’s occupation is to install lightning rods. The idea of vertically has been explored, in particular the vertically as it relates to roofing. As you can see from the Sketchup 3d modelling bellow I have used simple expressive triangulated forms to articulate an undulating ground plane. Areas of habitation remain completely horizontal, meaning that all angular planes are planes of transition. The undulating surface washes over chiselled out caverns meaning that roof planes reversed in some situations have become floor planes. The residence is suspended off the ground by four wedge shaped pillars maintaining the angular form of the structure. The main tower has very little use in this design an seems somewhat as an eye saw but uses a carefully angled mirror to reflect the inhabitant of the private room.

The Lightning man has an extremely active working life and efficiency in his home is essential. The house planning has purposely been arranged to emulate a closed circuit of electricity. When navigating through the house the longest travelling to any particular room is half way. This form restricts movement in a mostly singular direction at any one time. This brings to mind a rather interesting analogy of the possibility of “off and on” “positive or negative” entities that could be explored.

Sketch up Design II
The second Sketchup design has moved away from the angular undulating form but has retained a few features of the first. The structure is still suspended from the ground plane but now with the introduction of using the space underneath as a public space in which people can use for shelter or children may play. This structure remains very open in a manner to maintain the feel of being free in open air as if on a roof. This is achieved by the large outside voids and glass atrium located towards the rear of the structure. One of the main new developments is the reflection space situated in the centre of the building on a raised platform. The Mirror suspended off the main tower is only visible from this space. A 1500mm partition draped around the exterior boundary of the building excludes distracting views, providing a private place of reflection without the need to be closed in.

Sketch up – Analogue Design III
The move from digital to analogue proved quiet difficult especially at the form of 1:200. Using the material thickness an altered version of Sketch up Design II the ground plane was simplified into geometric shapes leaving partitions out and focusing more intensely on the structural qualities and basic shapes. The internal programming has been tweaked to become more inviting. One of the main changes was the reflection room. The platform was lowered into the building once again and a multi angled mirror was suspended from the tower that allowed viewing of the sky as well as ones self. This is a poetic gesture of placing ones self in the context of something larger such as the sky or even the cosmos.
Analogue Design IV
The final analogue design I wanted to explore the Sketch up design I further. Using white card I devised a repetitious 2000mm wide (in scale) beam. In the interest of exploring the triangular forms from the first design, this beam was then bent to form a triangular shape when affixed to the ground plane. By altering the length and position of the bend I was able to devise an interesting formation of rooms and transition places. This design still had the circuit arrangement of rooms but now it is becoming less obvious. The tower was changed to a carefully crafted tensile structure with a mirror fixed to the top of it facing down. The roof structure is a draped high density plastic fixed to the exposed roof beams on the model. The form of the model has become more organic in form by becoming fixed to the ground and curved shaped being introduced that was only explored when using the expressive nature of hard modelling.

-Lightning Man-

He went insane and ran through the town

hurling rods into thatched roofs of

houses, Igniting the straw.

Schizophrenia

• 
  
  Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia is associated with dopamine imbalances in the brain and may have an underlying genetic cause.
  


• 
  
  A situation or condition that results from the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic qualities, identities, or activities: the national schizophrenia that results from carrying out an unpopular war.

Taken from Answers.com

Excluded by choice was no mistake.
From within he stays and waits. Memories of old and new, evolving and changing they become askew.
Pulsing through time and place, feelings dance and exchange each place.
Trapped from within is now his state, feeling so blue and far from safe.

LIGHTNING MAN

In stepped a shadowy figure, tall in stature supporting a skinny wire like composition. Hollow sounding footsteps echoed as the man moved towards the centre of the room. Now partially illuminated the face of the man could be sighted. Shadows in the shape of swirling rivers cast over his face lit by the dim light of the open fire. “Can I be of service” sounded the raspy voice. Sprawled on the lounge room chair a young woman jumped up startled. “Who are you and what are you doing here she quivered”. “I have been informed that you are in need of a lightning rod, and by looking at the reverse of you cottage it seems I’m even a little late”.

A man wise beyond his years has been weathered by society. The Lightning man has reacted by limiting his social niceties to a minimum, when he deems suitable, which can often be wrong. Addiction is not new to him, bad habits are picked up at the drop of a hat. In some way he knows this is partly due to unresolved issues he but on the other hand he doesn’t care. This turbulent undercoat in which he wears is not recognisable to many. Like a chameleon he can skilfully change his colour to suit any situation.
Like electricity he is a body continually in transit moving quickly but carefully. His installation is a fixation of beauty in which he takes great pride. Admiring an installation brings a smooth smile to an otherwise worn face. Often vertical and elevated he spends most of his life off solid ground and often in precarious positions. Many before him have come to an early demise for their patience and demeanour proved to be their undoing.
At the age of 42 he has no offspring but considers his young apprentice like the son he never wanted, but wishes he did. Once his business shoes are off he enjoys a night out with his friends and has recently started seeing a new lady friend for the first time in a number of years.
Could this be the start of something new? Only time will tell.

Lightning Pictures

Architecture Design Studio 4 Blog

Architecture Design Studio 4 Blog:

Character: Lightning Man.

Purpose: To install lightning rods.