The Illegible Close-up & The Legible Faraway
Material & Proximity
Akhil Mathew
Thesis Advisor : Peter Testa
MultiPlace II
Contents
Multiplace Material & Proximity
Surface & Site Conditions
01
Digital
27
-Creases, Lines & Stripes
Shading/
Multiple
arrangements
-View Based Effects -Multiple Compositions
Individual Stories
39
Proximity | Wholes | Material
53
Material Mock-ups
79
Wholes Close up
93
The Illegible Close-up & The Legible Faraway
101
-Selected Multiples
-The MultiPlace Complex
-3 Chunks
-6 Multiples
Surface & Site Conditions -Creases, Lines & Stripes
1
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06. 2
01. Factory 01 02. Factory 02 03. Factory 03 04. Factory 04 05. Factory 05 06. Factory 06
3
Stripes & Lines . Shader 01
4
The material strategy stems from a surface condition that is tied to surface normal-to-view angle. The materials switch between digital representational patterns (hatches) and physical surface paint (stripes). Both shaders take on physical attributes like height, weight and imperfections.
5
01 . Factory 01 . Stripes &
6
lines
01 . Factory 01 . Stripes &
7
lines
02 . Factory 02 . Stripes &
8
lines
02 . Factory 02 . Stripes &
9
lines
03 . Factory 03 . Stripes &
10
lines
03 . Factory 03 . Stripes &
11
lines
04 . Factory 04 . Stripes &
12
lines
04 . Factory 04 . Stripes &
13
lines
05 . Factory 05 . Stripes &
14
lines
05 . Factory 05 . Stripes &
15
lines
06 . Factory 06 . Stripes &
16
lines
06 . Factory 06 . Stripes &
17
lines
01
.
Site
Organization
18
.
i
01. Config The initial configuration on site followed a strategy similar to that of the massings themselves, i.e. Tightly packed, almost one where the massings appear to fit together. The Multiples take on the role of 6 nodes of a complex system of buildings that are interconnected.
19
02. Config The second configuration works off an open center. The massings are arrangle around this empty centre. However, here the massings appear interchangable.
20
02
.
Site
Organization
21
.
ii
Stripes & Lines . Shader 02
22
23
03
.
Site
Organization
24
.
iii
03. Config This configuration uses one of the massings as a centre. The scale of the massings are still similar and only form informs site positions and orientations.
25
Digital Shading / Multiple arrangements -View Based Effects -Multiple Compositions
27
28
The digital view is then tested as a tool to decide relative location. This brings proximity and view angle in as guides. The materials are purely view based, with colors used as a reference.
29
Material effects like reflectivity are triggered based on proximity to other massings. These effects produce subtle results and might not be translated to physical material properties, i.e. they function purely as design tools.
30
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Intuitive arrangements are also considered. The following drawings illustrate the various intuitive organizations attempted before physically moving the project to site. 01. I.A. (left-top) 02. I.A. (left-bottom)
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34
Intuitive arrangements are also considered. The following drawings illustrate the various intuitive organizations attempted before physically moving the project to site. 03. I.A. (left-top) 04. I.A. (left-bottom)
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36
Intuitive arrangements are also considered. The following drawings illustrate the various intuitive organizations attempted before physically moving the project to site. 05. I.A. (left-top) 06. I.A. (left-bottom)
37
Individual Stories -Selected Multiples
39
Factory 01 As the factory that stands on the edge of site, closest to the primary entrance, the building acts as an iconic entrance. The massing comprises of both small scale volumes and large space semi-open spaces that are tightly configured and overly articulated.
40
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Factory 02 One of the two large buildings in the complex, this massing has a defined front and center. The massing pushes out from this centre, reaching to the northern edge of the site. The building also houses multiple workspaces, immaterial manufacturing spaces and a mix of semi-indoor/outdoor volumes.
42
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Factory 03 The footprint of this massing is rectiliner and the form follows the long span nature of traditional warehouses and factories from twentieth century Britain( a number of which populate the adjacent plots). The massing serves as a visual and formal link between the old traditional factory with the machine as the nucleus and the speculation of the future factory with no or multiple nuclei.
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Factory 04 This massing links the Thames river to the production complex. The massing is iconic and protrudes out of its primary formal axis. Multiple volumes are nested together to give its generative appearance
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Factory 05 The satellite factory sits just adjacent to the main complex. The massing is formed by wholes that are arranged around an empty center that doubles as an indoor courtyard. The stout massing is clearly unlike any of the other factories further reinforcing the ability of the workflow to produce significant difference.
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Factory 06 The largest, tallest massing sits in a made up middle on the site. The massing grows out from the center appearing to reach out towards the surrounding buildings. The massing serves as the control center and hub of the complex with all office spaces, multiple lecture halls and workshops.
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51
Proximity | Wholes | Material -The MultiPlace Complex
53
The material shading is directly linked to the proximity of a whole within the overall massing. The gradient is based on the physical scale of bricks, mortar & panels. The gradient is highlighted by stripes that act as surface effect.
54
Wholes and Proximity
55
01
.
Factory
56
01
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57
02
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Factory
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02
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03
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Factory
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03
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04
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Factory
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04
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05
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Factory
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05
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06
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Factory
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06
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Factory 02 The next set of drawings play on proximity as a representation device. The zoomed in close-up appears illegible even though the amount of information in the drawing increases. The tectonic aspect of the material overwhelms the massing.
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Factory 01 The close-ups also illustrate the hyper resolved aspect of wholes. The wholes appear stable and dissolved within the massing.
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Factory 04 The illegibility of the drawing is developed into a drawing style. The drawing works in tandem to the overly legible, resolved set of faraway axonometric drawings.
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At this stage the scale of individual factories is resolved and their immediate locations and neighbors are fixed. This allows the multiples to begin informing site strategies and circulation.
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Close-up view of the material. The digital shader informs the physical brick/masonry tectonic strategy that is applied in tandem to the ribbed cast concrete material. The digital mapping of the bricks follows physical scale. The pattern also uses a traditional panelled aesthetic to manipulate its reading.
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Material Mock-ups - 3 Chunks
79
01
.
Chunk
|
80
Factory
02
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01
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Chunk
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81
Factory
02
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01
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Chunk
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Factory
02
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01
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Chunk
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Factory
02
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02
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Chunk
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Factory
06
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02
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Chunk
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Factory
06
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02
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Chunk
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Factory
06
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02
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Chunk
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Factory
06
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03
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Chunk
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Factory
03
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03
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Chunk
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Factory
03
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03
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Chunk
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Factory
03
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03
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Chunk
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Factory
03
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Wholes Close up - 6 Multiples
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
The Illegible Close-up & The Legible Faraway
101
01
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The
Illegible
102
Close-up
01
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The
Legible
103
Faraway
02
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The
Illegible
104
Close-up
02
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The
Legible
105
Faraway
03
.
The
Illegible
106
Close-up
03
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The
Legible
107
Faraway
04
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The
Illegible
108
Close-up
04
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The
Legible
109
Faraway
05
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The
Illegible
110
Close-up
05
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The
Legible
111
Faraway
06
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The
Illegible
112
Close-up
06
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The
Legible
113
Faraway