Orthographic: University Dorm Room
ARC100: Drawing and Representation I is an introductory course for first-year undergraduates. Students are introduced to the theories and techniques of visual communication and representation used in the design disciplines.
In this assignment we were required to create Orthographic diagrams of our bedrooms. I chose to focus on the historical aspect of my room by implementing intense details on the coritheian columns found on the door-frame and fireplace. The room was unfolded to show all walls and the unique historical detailing each had on their windows, doors, and wall framings. To illustrate the corithean columns I used a reference image to ensure the accruancy and scaled it accordingly to the fireplace and doorframe.
Axonometrics
The 3D rendering of my room was created using Rhino. I found this to be challenging because I still wanted to incorporate the Corinthian columns on the doorframe and fireplace, as well as the carvings in the window frames as I had done in my previous assignment. To obtain this affect I used modelling techniques such as bending the surfaces, and splitting the decorations into fragments to which allowed me to create my detailed columns. Using Illustrator, and Photoshop I create shadows, décor elements, and outdoor sky scenery.
Composite Drawing
I wanted to take the audience through my eyes and how I interacted with the house, my room included. The architectural drawing call-outs show a day in my life, using isometric, perspective, elevation, and plan views. I have activity in house through my housemates sitting, socializing, doing game nights, and coming back from the classes. I wanted to illustrate the supportive community of housemates I have become a part of. This house was completed in 1892 meaning it has beautiful Corinthian columns and framing that decorated the walls, door frames, and windows of the house, giving it this warm-homey feeling. While this is one of the main aspects I focused on for my final, it was also the most challenging because of all the tiny detailed work.
Below I have also attached the Rhino linework prior to when I went into Illustrator to start adding décor elements. All of the linework was made 2D from my 3D model. I found that although I was challenging to model the entire house in 3D it allowed me to challenge myself and really learn the software by being able to break down these beautiful framing designs into simple geometric shapes.
Visual Studies: Photography Collage
My Collage was called “Tian Gao” after the model who was not cited for her work in the magazine I had taken themes and material from. Inspired by women in the crafting industry discussed in my ARC181 class. The materials used were magazines, crochet yarn, foam baseboard, and clips. Considered a feminine hobby, crafting was utilized to articulate the notion of confinement that continues today. Women who desire to expand their horizons cannot do so based on society’s strict classification. This patriarchal culture makes it difficult for women to escape their enclosed borders even when wearing a crown of achievements. This piece acknowledges the mockery of imprisonment, depicting how it has been beautifully objectified in crafting.
ARC200 –Walkability in Yorkville Ave.
Walkability in Yorkville Avenue
The chosen research topic for our site of Yorkville Avenue, Toronto was walkability; which measures how friendly an area is to walk for amenities in high-density neighborhoods. Walkability is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport corridors designed for maximum vehicle throughput. What makes our street more walkable is the presence of quality footpaths, sidewalks and other pedestrian right-of-way.
The absence of heavy traffic, such as street cars and car parking, allows a better maintenance on the road conditions. The unique urban context that continues to grow while remaining practical and accessible for all pedestrians. As shown in the Top diagram Yorkville Avenue is located in between Avenue Road and Bay Street, which are some of the most well-known streets in Toronto. The vast green areas and limited transit lines within the vicinity are shown in the bottom right diagram.
Social Nodes of Street Street Block Network Aerial Photographs of StreetARC200 –Street’s Spatial Code
In the diagram to the left, Yorkville Avenue was examined and represented in a 3D model in addition to using Google Earth and Google Maps were used to better understand what building types were located in this area. A diverse range of buildings were found consisting mainly of hotels, restaurants, apartments, stores, and even art galleries. The primary building type on Yorkville Avenue are elegant shopping and dining restaurants, making it a desirable street to visit. This consequently enhances it walkability since people are walking to them.
Street Sections
Yorkville Avenue is a clean and safe environment where people feel comfortable
In the diagram to the bottom right the street is shown as a break from the busy streets of Toronto and acts as a threshold. It is rich in history and the money put into maintaining this street is evident. What makes our street walkable is the lack of cars and public transit, making it unlimited for pedestrians which is illustrated using varying icons of trees, pedestrians and cars in the bottom left diagram.
Front and Rear Typology Street IsometricARC200 –Research Scenario 1
To further our research of Yorkville we decided to focus on specific spatial conditions and elements related to walkability. (3b) The uniqueness of the street consist of the diversity in density in terms of building uses, services to the public and specific public targeted highlighted in the bottom left Diagram. It creates seamless boundaries with porches, planters, benches and stairs downwards for entrances. In the top diagram illustrates the different street entrances create an unique relationship between the street threshold and front to attract walkers.
The street’s prime location attracts people and materiality is a crucial factor which is illustrated in the bottom right Diagram. The street is aesthetically pleasing. The details in metal railing, and using wood planks to give privacy to an open terrence shows how people’s pleasure are the first priority. These traits make it a successfully desirable place for people which we have illustrated by highlighting the greener, the detailed-vast-expensive materiality, the cleanness, and absence of transit.
Social Nodes of Street Street Block Network
Aerial Photographs of Street
Concept Diagram Rock Garden
Explores how forms and spaces were generated based on existing attributes such as trees, topography, and the streamway within the Rock Gardens by Carl Borgstorm.
Material Collage Aluminium
Research was conducted on the ALCOA Garden, a landscape architecture project by Garret Eckbowhich used Aluminum. This material was notcommonlyusedin landscape architecture which inspired my to create a material collage to illustrate the projects creative and abstractness. The collage is placed within vegetation along a pool deck, representing the actual aluminum wall along the pool deck.
Twisting Tower
This tower with circular call-out window sections on a polygon plane focuses on viewing. The Marilyn Monroe towers were the inspiration for the organic tower twist. The circle
call-outs at each verticewere inspired by the Amazon Capital Diamond Tower. The theme of was to focus on a solar sustainability profile. Each plate is a polygon base with circles centered at each vertex, allowing a semi-full view of the city (Diagram to the left). A limitation was also put on the number of side segments to not have the circles overtake the tower’s sides. The polygon shapes offer structure and light reduction, with the circular windows being the primary light source.
Triple-glazed windows are the most suitable material since they cut back on energy use while keeping natural illumination, heating, and biophilic design. The walls between the windows would be solid, designed with a triangular mesh pattern extruding upwards.
In my variations above, I illustrate the organic shape of the tower. The over-rotation in V2 looks inorganic and too manufactured with each plate’s exaggerated pull towards the right side. In my chosen variation (V1), the subtleness of the rotation makes the tower more organic and balanced. This emphasizes my concept of minimalism and harmony between manufactured elements and the natural world.
Twisting Tower -Grasshopper
The tower's concept was to extrude upwards using the Graph Mapper component to rotate and twist the tower. During the building process the plexidowels were snapping even with a heat gun. Upon critic discussion, the tower would be modified to extruded 10 stories more, changing from a height of 2.5m to a height of 3m while keeping the floor thickness of 0..32m. This would lessen the strain put on the acrylic plexicolumns. Two variations are chosen below with the applied feedback. V1 was chosen.
Modeling a Monumental Window
My single-hung window, accompanied by old wooden flooring, was inspired by the 50-meter red ceremonial cloth that bore the names of each indigenous child and the schools they attended commissioned by The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The cloth was created to break the silence over the fates the thousands of children who disappeared during the decades the Residential Schools operated
I altered the cloth to be hung as curtains on both sides of the window, which is my main object. The window is a single-hung, which is the same window-make you would find at many Residential Schools. The frame, head, rail sash, and stool are all constructed with wood, while the grilles are made from thin paper. The rest of the wall is left blank –contrasting. The subject of the gaze is positioned with the school, attempting to put them in the shoes of the deceased children.
ARC201 –Plan
Pavilion Base
I designed a series of 7 spaces within the illustrated site to the left using only vertical elements and openings based on a chosen verb. My Verb is “to breathe.” Light breaths in terms of how air breaths. It loosely defines spaces. My initial thought process was to create a light, unenclosed space and challenge the concept of a wall. Is it something that is vertical or can you walk through it? This guided me into the direction of having my walls more as walk-through decorative frames.
Pavilion of the verb: “to breathe”
ARC201 –Design Diagrams
My 7 spaces are defined by different walls heights mainly with the larger exterior spaces having a height of 6, my middle spaces having a primary perimeter wall of 5.5m and my smaller spaces having a height of 5m. The spaces are also defined by placing some of the walls in the middle of a frame supporting so people can’t actually walk through them. So while they are physical wall boundaries, they are not hard ones since you can walk through them.
Extruded Diagram of Pavilion Sections of Pavilion
Plan of Pavilion
ARC201 –Physical Model
I view breathing as something natural and easy to do. I felt this pavilion should reflect that by having the round columns made of wood, a natural material that produces air, that do not connect to the walls. This was done intentionally to ensure viewers did not feel confined even within a space that had walk-through walls. The columns were also kept at 6m to over tower the viewer so they focus on being within the pavilion and not feeling out of place from being too big. They are downsized into a breathable space that allows them to explore. I wanted to ensure there was no thought of confinement, only structure to the ground. Additionally, this pavilion has no hard boundaries, making the space non-constricting, and thus breathable pavilion to walk through. People are able to enter a space and exit through a wall! The Physical Model pictures to the side emphasize the lightness of the pavilion. This is achieve by using thin materials like sheet paper cut finely with an exacto-knife. I have also added individuals to illustrate how they would utilize the space.
Physical Model of Pavilion: “To Breathe” Close-up images
Section: To Breathe
Expanding upon the previous assignment “Line: To Breathe,” this pavilion focused on how to represent the verb through multiple levels and stairs. A series of levels were created to illustrate horizontal surfaces and links between them (such as stairs). My horizontal platforms do not exceed the boundary space consisting of twenty-one 12m high columns on a 8m by 4m with a depth of 4m foundation base. Within my pavilion I have 7 spaces are defined by whether they offer a space to breath or are a transition platform. Most are connected with one or most links made by stairs. They are in practical locations to allow continuous flow of movement. This is outlined in the grayscale Diagram abovethrough paralineand plan drawings to emphasize the difference between a space vs. platform within my pavilion.I wanted to create a very light and delicate platforms and stairs within my pavilion. The lightness of them exhales as you get closer to the top since they are less levels or spaces obstructing you. There is more spacing between the levels are you climb higher up the pavilion. I view breathing as something natural and easy to do. I felt this pavilion should reflect that by having riserlessstairs without railings that lead to platforms with cantilevers.
Plan and Sections
The highest platforms stretches out and is to the farthest side of the pavilion, allowing the viewer to not be distracted by others. Additionally, the base also acts as a way to breath. While some people may find stability in going up and being uncaged others breath in a more sunken aspect. Here I have allowed visitors to descend into the base of the pavilion and look up to the sky through large openings between the riserlessstairs and platform.
Physical Model
This pavilion also is not a linear journey they are two ways to enter. One is linear since they are not derivation but the other path in the back has variations of where the pavilion will take you.The columns are made of wood, a natural material that produces air. The platforms are thick, providing stability for visitors as they walk through. I decided to not have my columns at the 12m height and instead cut through platforms and instead only use they as support beams. They are made from wood and square to enhance the oneness of the straight edge vocabulary. By cutting them down to support beams, the columns ensure no view is obstructed and thus no though of confinement, only structure to the ground. These would be more gestural spaces.My stairs are made from paper and I did this intentionally because I wanted to make them with a very light quality material, as if they were floating.
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