Master’s in Interior Design | Faculty of Design | CEPT University
ID 4015
The Big Rethink:
Interior Materiality Unit Tutors: Prof. Kireet Patel, Rishav Jain & Aparajita Basu Unit Assistants: Chandni Chhabra, Teja Payapalle
Roshni Kurele | PID21291
ID 4015
The Big Rethink:
Interior Materiality
Roshni Kurele | PID21291
The Big Rethink is a series of postgraduate interior design studios focussing on developing a multitude of notions, approaches, positions and arguments with reference to interior design practices.
Master’s in Interior Design | Faculty of Design | CEPT University
ID 4015
The Big Rethink:
Interior Materiality Unit Tutors: Prof. Kireet Patel, Rishav Jain & Aparajita Basu Unit Assistants: Chandni Chhabra, Teja Payapalle
Roshni Kurele | PID21291
Contents 0. About Studio A. Interior Materiality B. Studio Outline C. Structure of the Studio 1. Foundation Program A. Objectory B. Factory 3. Generating and Developing the Argument 4. Role 01 I Representing an ‘Era’ 5. Role 02 I Representing ‘Standardization’ 6. Role 03 I Representing a ‘Collaborative Identity’
‘’If you think of Brick, you say to Brick, ‘What do you want, Brick?’ And Brick says to you, ‘I like an Arch.’ And if you say to Brick, ‘Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lintel over you. What do you think of that, Brick?’ Brick says, ‘I like an Arch.’ And it’s important, you see, that you honor the material that you use. You can only do it if you honor the brick and glorify the brick instead of shortchanging it.’’ -Louis Kahn
‘Interior Materiality’ A concept that concerns the critical aspects responding to the governance and engagement of a spatial system - Loschke, Sandra Karina. “Materiality and Architecture.”
Why Interior Materiality? We design spaces and spatial experiences through orthographic drawing that only provides information about the form, and relegates ‘material’ to the empty spaces between the lines. The process of identifying and detailing form is embedded in our practices, and we fail to examine material beyond its aesthetic or technological capacities and leave it to adapt to the form. - Material Matters: Architecture and Material Practice
Studio Concern The current interior design field/practice has systematically emerged from its allied and specialized disciplines. This poses a challenge for its design professionals to be equally emerged or developed or qualified in order to develop a specific design approach/language/identity. It is important for the professional to possess the ability to develop a position that is professionally recognizable.
Learning Outcomes After completing the Studio,the student will be able to : - Ability to develop a systematic argument/position/approach on the interdependence between materiality and practice - Ability to translate/represent the design argument/position/ approach through 3-Dimensional and material based outcomes - Ability to develop a design position for varied complexity of interior projects - Ability to organise and evaluate the programmatic and pragmatic potential of derived design position. - Ability to build a design vocabulary and test it through the selected context (site/program)
Studio Outline The Big Rethink is a series of postgraduate interior design studios focused on developing a multitude of notions, approaches, positions and arguments within the interior design field. This semester, the third one in the series, the studio challenges the concept of Interior Materiality in interior design. It offers an opportunity to develop a design position in different contexts by questioning preconceived notions of interior design. It emphasizes the relationship between Interior materiality and its expression, identity and design outcomes. The first four weeks are a part of the common FD PG Foundation, where students from all streams work together to develop skills and abilities in drawing and making. The latter part of the studio is divided into two modules: the first builds an argument on interior materiality and the second module explores three key roles of an interior designer with each student working on three smaller projects. Role one focuses on practices that work within the context of an ‘era’, role two focuses on practices that are sited within the ‘standardisation’ of the typical floor plan and role three challenges the boundaries between interior design and architecture. The studio focuses on representing experiential and ephemeral qualities, planning and organising strategies, detailing and construction techniques, through the lens of interior materiality.
“A concept or the applied use of various materials or substances in the form of space making, actualized through the body and senses interacting with the physical environment. A language to articulate vision or make ideas tangible.”
interior materiality
what is the role of an interior designer ?
interior materiality
focus
1 3 ‘era’ ‘standardisation’ ‘collaborative’
roles
Leonardo Da Vinci
premise
1 3 experiential and ephemeral qualities planning and organising strategies detailing and construction techniques
projects
Structure of the Studio
Objectory and Factory
Generating an Argument
Foundation Program, 4 weeks
Module 1, 1 Week
Week 01-04
Week 05
Role 01
Week 06-07 Project Type: Adaptive reuse of an existing historical site Understanding Formal qualities Output type: Photomontage and drawings Focus on experiential and ephemeral qualities
Role 02
Role 03
Module 2, 10 Weeks
Week 08-12
Week 13-15
Project Type: Standardized typical office floor plan
Project Type: Independent design project with no predetermined site context
Output type: Plans, sections, Isometric Drawings
Output type: Experiential views showing construction techniques.
Focus on organizing and planning
Focus on constructing an experience, making and detailing.
Week 01 - 04
Common foundation weeks Objectory: Demonstrate precision by way of observing and representing. The study of tolerance is by way of identifying the materials and assembly of parts, and accuracy by way of exploded axonometric/ isometric drawings. Factory: Explore the ideas of the frame, detail, assembly, tectonics, material as a central core of making. Process and transform materials with precision, accuracy and tolerance for assembly.
EX
01 Objectory Compass
Exercise Brief & Intent: Objectory exercise focused on studying a geometrical compass to understand the concept of accuracy, precision and tolerance through dismantling and analysing each part of object. Before the invention of measuring instruments, we used body parts as a pair of dividers to measure/ compare distances like forefinger and thumb or legs. Compass is largely influenced by this concept, two legs hinged at one end.
ASSEMBLED COMPASS Learning Outcomes: DRAWINGS - Efficiently translating the understanding of physical object into Orthographic and exploded Isometric drawings considering all small big components which completes the assembly of object and makes it work. MATERIAL AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS - Combination of different material with each other, identification of materials through tests and different stages of manufacturing which a raw material goes through to become a component. ENTIRE PROCESS - Historical influences, working principle, identifying different aspects of object to get better understanding, systematic study of components and its assembly, purpose of components and the heirarchy in terms of presentation of the object.
DISMANTLED COMPASS
ASSEMBLED COMPASS - SCALE 2:1
Working of Compass : Compass have two different types of legs. One type is the adjustable leg that serves as the support for a needle, and another is a steady immovable leg which servers for adjustments in drawing circles. There is also a screw on a hinge which holds those two legs in position, and the compass will be more accurate if the screw is tight. On a steady leg of a drawing compass is a needlepoint. The function of a needle the point is to be center point of a drawn circle. There is also a nut that is used to adjust pencil lead to be in place. (Source - http://www.historyofpencils.com/drawing-tools/drawing-compass/)
DISMANTLED COMPASS - SCALE 2:1
DETAIL A : HINGE DETAILS - SCALE 4:1
PENCIL HOLDER DETAILS - SCALE 4:1
ISOMETRIC VIEW EXPLODED - SCALE 4:1
ASPECT SKETCHES
EX
02 Factory Incomplete Cuboid
Exercise Brief & Intent: Factory exercise aimed at making an incomplete cuboid using fixed kit of parts. The learnings from Objectory exercise were the basis to design this cuboid. -The design of the assembly is simple in its appearance with different members running through the faces of the cuboid. -One member guides the other member and a flow is created expressing openness. -A strong wooden base supporting cantilevered metal pipe extending in two axes creates the contrast between the upper and lower layer. -Change of material at junctions is explored at certain locations to experiment with joinery details.
Learning Outcomes: Understanding properties of different materials and their assembly with each other. Also, working with fixed kit of parts and making optimum utilisation.
ISOMETRIC VIEW - SCALE 1:3
Week 05 - 06
Module 01:
Generating an Argument Stage 01: Developing an argument A. Select relevant examples from recent practices of Interior Design B. List down design decisions and analyse the relationship between interior materiality and practice. Stage 02: Stating an argument Develop an argument in reference to the interrelationship of interior materiality and practice based on the list of design decisions and the selected examples.
EX
03
Material to Materiality
Exercise Brief & Intent: The intent of the exercise was to generate argument which will guide all the three roles in taking design decisions. The process started with studying 12 interior design projects and deriving Master argument through various supporting arguments ARGUMENT : “Material Technique can alter the tectonic expression of a space through the concept of materiality.” Aim: To have changing character of the space. Medium: Techniques governed by materiality Tool: Tectonic expression of material in a space
Learning Outcomes: Analysing and understanding minute details of case studies in terms of different aspects. Ability to come up with the argument and based on that specifying material.
EXPLORATION MODEL
DEDUCING ARGUMENT FROM MATRICES
MASTER ARGUMENT
SEQUENCE OF PROBABLE DESIGN DECISIONS
SPECIFIER
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
Week 06 - 07
Module 02: Role 01
Experiencing Materiality The Experience of space is understood through the elements, compositions and moments one may encounter in the space.This is seen through a visual study of how light, texture, color, material and finishes play out in space. Historical practices through a project representing an ‘Era’ Output: Photomontage / Collage
EX
04 Expressions 101
Exercise Brief & Intent: The intent of this role was to give experience in the space using 3 images of existing site and designing exhibition space for Da Vinci’s 15 dream machines taking existing site attributes into consideration. As a functional association to site, the material selected is Thread which is explored in three ways in terms of technique and thereby altering character of the space. Flexible and rigid character in the space is explored using thread(colored/white) on loom. The looms are guided by the existing structural grid of site.
Learning Outcomes: Varying technique on the material can alter the overall character of the space.
ARGUMENT AND DESIGN ITERATIONS
MATERIAL SPECIFICATION
ORTHOGRAPHIC DRAWINGS
Week Week08 06- -12 07
Module Module02: 02: Role Role02 01
Spatialising Materiality Experiencing Materiality Organization andofspace involvethrough the The Experience spaceplanning is understood systematic laying out of space-making elements. the elements, compositions and moments one Considering thatinsome argumentsisand design may encounter the space.This seen through intents anhow arraylight, of elements, while the a visualinvolve study of texture, color, rest require volumetric explorations - this visual material and finishes play out in space. composition leads to more clarity in the design. Historical practices through a project Current modern representing an practices ‘Era’ through a project representing a ‘Standardisation’ Output: Photomontage / Collage Output: Plan, Section, Isometric Drawings
EX
05 Standardisation
Into the Light : Da Vinci’s Vision
Exercise Brief & Intent: The intent of this role was to house 15 dream machines of Leonardo da Vinci in commercial/institutional building. All 15 machines are displayed as physical objects along with other secondary functions needed for Exhibition. Inspired from Leonardo da Vinci’s inclination towards painting, Hands on painting Workshop space is proposed along with Exhibition space. A homogeneous concrete flooring complementing the wooden lattices forms the part of major design intervention. The permeability of existing facade is reflected back in design intervention in the form of lattices filtering and creating play of light and shadow.
Learning Outcomes: Modulating elements on three axes with fixed kop give rise to a module of contrasting behaviour, acting as a visual barrier as well as exhibiting permeability.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATION
Week 13 - 15
Module 02: Role 03
Constructing Materiality Details of elements, junctions and construction assemblies all inform the production of spatial experience as well as organization. Hence,it is necessary that a language of detailing be designed and worked on. Collaborative practices through a project representing an ‘Identity’ Output: Experiential Views, Material specification and construction Details
EX
06
Collaborative practices Into the Light : Da Vinci’s vision
Exercise Brief & Intent: The transition from Role 2 to Role 3 began with expressing experience through abstract illustrations using charcoal. These images were then translated in the form of design intervention in Role 3. The intent of Role 3 was to give sense of character to the space which here is achieved by modulating wooden battens along length and cross section blurring lines between floor, walls, and ceiling. Sleek slender sections of lighter pine wood along with acrylic tubes spreads out into bulky larger cross- section battens of darker color. Play of light and shadow can be seen on the floors by adding and substracting battens from the grid and to establish interior-exterior relationship. As one enters inside the Exhibition gallery the space opens up from narrow to wide open area offering users to decide their own journey.
Learning Outcomes: Gradation of material with respect to size and color shapes the character of the space and also navigates vision.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATION