Architecture Case Studies of Phillips Exeter Academy Library

INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN PRINCIPLES AI113

PORTFOLIO

EXETER'S LIBRARY

LEONG WAN YI 1002058284 Diploma in Interior Architecture

about

intro duction.

This portfolio compiled all my architecture case studies for approximately 4 months. It is about my understanding & analysis based on the building that I selected which is Phillips Exeter Academy Library, designed by the America's foremost living architect, Louis Kahn.

SELECTED BUILDING

PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY LIBRARY

CONTENT CONTENT 0 3

0 2

0 1

ANALYSING DESIGN ANALYSING DESIGN

DESIGN PRINCIPLES POINT & LINE PLANE &VOLUME

ORGANISING ARCHITECTURE FORM & ORGANISATION ORDERING PRINCIPLES QUALITY OF SPACE & CIRCULATION

Name of architect & origin Architect’s 3 other’s projects The location of the building Ideas behind the design Issues or concerns tackled Materials used What's interesting about the project • Understanding about architecture

: dessucsid eb ot scipoT

• • • • • • •

01

ANALYSING DESIGN ANALYSING DESIGN

Louis Kahn Country : Estonia (emigrated to United States when he was 5 years old)

Three other projects

01 National Assembly Building of Bangladesh

02 Yale Centre for British Art

03 Palazzo dei Congressi

Location: Exeter, New Hampshire, United States of America

Ideas behind the designs

Four corners of the building are like cut out, this made the building less bulky

A brick exterior to match the Georgian buildings of the school

Interior with the ideal environment for study by using natural light

Library with a square base so that visitors can easily understand the plan

1

Early designs were rejected Richard Day found designs by other architects to be unsatisfactory

Louis Kahn was chosen because of his sympathetic use of brick and his concern for natural light

2

Issues/concerns tackled

Insufficient budget Cost for the construction exceeded the initial budget of $2.5 million The top floor was supposed to be eliminated in the design It was restored by the funds raised by committee

Brick

> 700 0000 bricks are used

Teak

Exterior woodwork

Travertine Marble

Materials Used in This Project

White Oak

Poured Concrete

Used on the floor of the central hall & main entrance staircase

Interior millwork

The two large cross beams at the top of the central hall

02

What’s Interesting?

Coexist of different materials

Reader is able to read the book by natural light

01

03

�

Rejected bricks are used all over the building

8

What is Architecture?

1

When you want to give something presence, you have to consult nature

2

Knowing the nature of the materials and respecting that

3

An architectural space must reveal the evidence of its making by the space

Point Indicates a position in space.

A point extended becomes a Line with properties of length, direction and position.

An abstract using Point & Line are hand drawn to emphasize the internal spaces of the building.

02

DESIGN PRINCIPLES POINT & LINE

represents

two large concrete beams on top of the central hall

represents

circular openings around the central hall

2 different thickness represents

2 main materials used

shows

sympathetic used of light

02

DESIGN PRINCIPLES PLANE & VOLUME

Horizontal Elements Defining Space • Base Plane • Elevated Base Plane • Depressed Base Plane • Overhead Plane Vertical Elements Defining Space • Vertical Linear Elements • Single Vertical Plane • Four Planes: Closure

UMMARY

BASE PLANE

CUT-OUT PART

- SQUARE BASE RESEMBLE A TEMPLE

VISUAL CONTINUITY IS MAINTAINED SPATIAL CONTINUITY IS INTERRUPTED

MAIN ENTRANCE OF EXETER'S LIBRARY. ELEVATED PLANE

DEPRESSED

BASE

PLAN

BASEMENT 1. MICROFILM ROOM 2. EXHIBITION PREPARATION 3. RECEIVING ROOM 4. JANITOR'S ROOM 5. STORAGE 6. MACHINE ROOM

- CREATED FOR

EXTRA STORAGE

ELEVATION SECTIONAL

D A E H R E OV

CEILING :

E N A L P

ALLOWS THE NATURAL LIGHT TO COME INTO THE BUILDING

VERTICAL LINEAR

ELEMENT

COLUMN GRID

COLONNADE

BRICK COLUMNS GET NARROWER WHEN THEY GO UP SINCE THE LOAD THEY ARE CARRYING GETS LIGHTER

SINGLE

VERTICAL

PLANE

FREE STANDING ELEMENT = PARTITION

PROVIDE PRIVACY

PARALLEL PLANE

DEFINE A CIRCULATION

BEARING-WALL STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

WALLWAY OF EXETER'S LIBRARY

BUILDING IS ALMOST FULLY ENCLOSED

SKIN SYSTEM A FEELING OF SURROUNDED

BY BOOKS.

FOUR PLANS : CLOSURE

03

ORGANISING ARCHITECTURE FORM & ORGANISATION

Shapes & Formal Collison of Geometry Dimensional & Subtractive Transformation Form Grouping • Interlocking volumes Spatial Relationship • Space Within A Space • Adjacent Space Organisation • Centralised

UMMARY

Shape PRIMARY SHAPE : SQUARE

ARCHITECTURAL COMPOSITION

PRIMARY VOLUME : CUBE

2 1

1 - OUTER AREA 2 - MIDDLE AREA 3 - INNER AREA

Formal Collision of Geometry

3

OUTER SPACE CAN RECEIVE THE ATRIUM TOTALLY WITHIN ITS VOLUME

24

33

33

DIMENSIONAL

ALMOST CUBICAL SHAPE

Transformation

DIMENSION : 33 X 33 X 24 M

SUBSTRACTIVE

CORNERS ARE CHAMFERED

INTERPENETRATE EACH OTHER

Form Grouping

OUTER AREA ATRIUM

INTERLOCKING VOLUME

THE "DOUGHNUTS"

ENVELOPING SPACE SERVE AS 3D FIELD FOR THE SMALLER PACE CONTAINED WITHIN IT

Spatial Relationship

SPACE WITHIN A SPACE

ADJACENT SPACE FIRST FLOOR GROUND FLOOR

SPATIAL CONTINUITY - INTERRUPTED VISUAL CONTINUITY - MAINTAINED

CENTRALIZED ORGANIZATION

ATRIUM

INCREASE CENTRALIZED FEEL SECONDARY SPACES

FIRST FLOOR

Organization

03

ORGANISING ARCHITECTURE ORDERING PRINCIPLES

Axis Symmetry Hierarcy Repetition / Rhythm Datum Abstract Composition

UMMARY

GETAWAY

OPEN OUTWARD TOWARD A VIEW

W A L K W A Y

ITS LINEAR CONDITION - INDUCES MOVEMENT - PROMOTES VIEWS LONG ITS PATH

AXIS

SYMMETRY

MULTIPLE SYMMETRIES

SYMMETRY OF BUILDING IS MAINTAINED

RADIAL SYMMETRY

H I E R A C H Y

INNER RING DIFFERENCE PLACED IN STRATEGIC LOCATION

IN SIZE ACHIEVE VISUAL EMPHASIS

OUTER AREA

REPETITION

CIRCULAR OPENINGS

FACADE COLUMN

CHARACTERIZED

BY A PATTERNED RECURRENCE OF ELEMENTS AT REGULAR INTERVALS.

D A T U M

OUTER AREA COLLECTS THE PATTERN OF ELEMENTS WITHIN ITS BOUNDARIES & THE ELEMENTS ARE ORGANIZED ALONG THE PERIMETER OF THE INNER RING

IN VOLUMETRIC FORM

Abstract Composition

create strong sense of repetition

represents datum

represents hierachy

& create motion to shows there is repetition on every floor

2 different thickness

represents symmetry open outward toward a view

03

ORGANISING ARCHITECTURE QUALITY OF SPACE + CIRCULATION

Qualities of Space • Degree of enclosure - Openings within planes - Openings at corners - Openings between planes • View • Light

Circulation • Approach – Oblique • Entrance – Recessed • Configuration of the path – Composite • Path–space relationship – pass by spaces - pass through spaces • Form of the circulation space – open on one side + stairways

UMMARY

OPENINGS WITHIN PLANE

SKYLIGHT F A C A D E

- FORM A UNIFIED COMPOSITION

OPENINGS BETWEEN

PLANES

OPENINGS -

WEAKENED THE BOUNDARIES OF THE VOLUME

OPENINGS AT

CORNERS

- ILLUMINATE STAIRS

LIGHT

HIGH WINDOWS PROVIDE LIGHT FOR MEZZANINE & LARGE READING TABLES

SMALL WINDOWS FOR CARREL SPACE LARGE READING TABLE

SKYLIGHT LIGHT IS REFLECTED INTO BUILDING

LIGHTING ENVIRONMENT

CARREL DESK

FIREPLACE

v I E W

SKYLIGHT

VISUAL ATTENTION

DIFFERENT PATHS TO ENTER

OBLIQUE

APPROACH

HIDDEN BEHIND THE BRICK COLUMNS ENTRANCE

RIGHT

LEFT

RECESSED

RADIAL COMPOSITE

SPIRAL

LINEAR

PATH

PASS THROUGH SPACES PASS THROUGH THE WALKWAY AXIALLY ALONG ITS EDGE

PASS BY BOOK STACK SECTION TO REACH CARREL DESK

PASS

BY SPACES

OPEN ON ONE SIDE VISITORS CAN ENTER AT ANY DIRECTION

FORM OF THE CIRCULATION SPACE

STAIRS ELEMENT IN THE INTERNAL CIRCULATION OF A BUILDING

SPIRAL

STRAIGHT-RUN STAIR

L-SHAPED STAIR

thank you. wan yi