Science, Technology + Virtual (Page

Science, Technology + Virtual

Architectural Design as Process Urban and Regional Planning as Process

2160536

Amelia Soobramoney

I am a designer, an ar�st, a photographer and a third-year architecture student at the University of Witwatersrand. Conceptualising and visualizing are significant aspects in my designing process. I look to build connec�ons between a building and its city, site, and community. I am intent on crea�ng buildings that spark peoples' curiosi�es and promote comfortable experiences. By co-joining different spa�al programs, I hope to bring people together. Sustainable approaches inform every level of my design process. I aim to design buildings that not only func�on well, but that also relate to their occupants, surroundings and the natural environment.

Today the world revolves around new technologies, supplan�ng the need for analogue products - such as hard-copy books. This limits the connec�on between people to the world, society and the experience of learning. In this new digital world, a library can connect people to each other, to the world, and to the past, present, and future.

These ideas are ar�culated in my design for a 21st Century Library, conceptualised as a cocoon. The Cocoon is a protec�ve hub meant to regenerate and connect society to the old and new as well as protect, and nurture the process of new and exis�ng developments and growth. The building is situated in the City of Johannesburg directly north of the exis�ng public library. The form was inspired by a bu�erfly cocoon. In this design both the exterior and interior spaces are conceptualised in an interac�ve way, allowing people to experience the connec�on between inside and outside, and between large and small spaces. The external skin of the building gives expression to the idea of the cocoon and mediates external environmental condi�ons.

Project Statement

Architecture L I B R A R Y F O R T H E 21ST C E N T U R Y

2193758

Ciara Giannoccaro

The Prism Library’s geometry is mainly prisma�c therefore the name derived from the mul�tude of prism shapes of the building.

The concept of the building was focused on how geometry can create interes�ng and func�onal rooms that are mainly open therefore playing on the largely glazed aspect of the building to create a different experience in each space. The experience of each space is also created by the varying volumes which iden�fies an area to be public or private. The building contrasts in materiality with the lightness of the large glazing being covered and supported by the heavier concrete nature of the structure and shading screen. The main sustainable element of the Prism Library is solar energy.

The Prism Library is meant to be able to cater to the modern and tradi�onal and all those in between users, thus crea�ng a space that invites people with differing needs to use the library where their specific needs can be catered to.

Personal Statement

Ciara Giannoccaro is a 3rd Year Architecture Student at WITS.

Sustainable design is always at the forefront of her focus when designing a new building, as we move through the years, the environmental impact of buildings has become increasingly important to focus on.

She designs with the focus on geometrics and how she can manipulate the geometrics of a building to create unique spaces that are s�ll func�onal.

2 1 7 3 7 8 9

Claudia Glasho

Personal Statement

From a young age I knew I wanted to pursue a career in architecture. At the age of six, I started designing and crea�ng li�le paper houses. Years later, my passion for design has only increased. I am interested in a minimalis�c approach, seeking to create a specific ambience in each space that I design. My inten�on is to cap�vate the building user, crea�ng different experiences as the user journeys throughout the buildings. I believe architecture to be a tool than could inspire our society to do the impossible, and I want to be a part of that inspira�on.

Project Statement

The uKukhanya library was designed to synthesise func�onality with a serene spa�al quality. Boisterous ac�vi�es are accommodated closer to the park on ground level with more private spaces located above. The floors are connected by two atriums, each with their own par�cular character. These atriums allow so� southern light to travel through the various spaces. The circula�on wraps itself around these atriums crea�ng an exci�ng transi�on as the user moves from one ac�vity to another. Seminar Room Public Lecture Venue Mul�-Purpose Venue Staff Administra�on Services Restaurant Exhibi�on Space Recep�on Entrance Lobby Photocopying Room Limited Access Library Online Literature (PC’s) Reading Room Study & Research Area Bathroom Ver�cal Circula�on Library Sec�ons Commi�ee Room