W O O D CHENG A R C H 1 3 SPR I NG 201 W A S H I N G T O CAL POLY SL
3 6 N O
Born in Hong Kong, raised in New Zealand and now studying in the US, I am the embodiment of a cultural melting pot. I hope that I can use my varied background to create architecture that brings people together, no matter where they are from. When I’m not playing the architect, you can find me playing soccer, hockey, piano and with my friends. Also drawing as well. I love drawing. Wait, that’s still architecture. Dammit...
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DESIGN VILLAGE
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HOUSE 02 THE WALL 03
DESIGN VILLAGE
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E
W APPROXIMATE SITE LOCATION
N 6
S I T E A N A LY S I S
sl o pe : 1 4. 7 °
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SITE L A N D SC A PE sw I SO M E T R I C PE R SPE C T I V E
N E ACH CONTOUR L INE = 1’ EL EVATION
s l o p e A N A LY S I S
two connection methods to sup port ‘accordion’
i nd i v i d u a l p o d s . . . be cause john wa rn e d u s h e snore s
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foldable and backpackable
initial ideas
ANTHROPOMETRIC STUDY
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M ORNING
AFTERNOON
EVENING
m a r c h 2 1 st sun path M A R C H 2 1 ST SUN PA T H
SUN STUDY
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section
SITE PLAN N
CONTOUR LINE = 1’ ELEVATION
1
2
3
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ca n o py
F RA ME
E X T E N DA B L E L E G S
TRANSPORTATION
CO L L A PSI B L E J O I N T B E DDI N G S TRAP S
CANOPY A T TA CH M E N T T O B E D S T RA P A T TA CHME NT
EXPLODED DETAIL
canopy to bed PEGS
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CANOPY PIVOTS
GRINDING...
burning holes and bolting straps
construction PROCESS
drilling the legs...
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...testing extendable legs on slope...
...ATTACHING THE TARP
fully collapsed and stacked for transport
OPEN
COLLAPSED
configurations
CLOSED
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REFLECTION The most difficult part of this project was to create something that not only looked good, but was structural and transportable as well. That meant using materials that were lightweight and strong, yet affordable. While our project was by no means the lightest, we did eventually get it up the mountain with relative ease, and the image on the left is evidence of the stability of the framing. Teamwork was really important here. All of us discussed freely about what we did or did not like about the design, and found little difficulty about coming to agreements about compromises we had to make due to materials or tools not being available. In the end, everything worked out well. The quality of our project was reflected by the fact that everyone in our group actually slept in our project (even if it was a little cold). In fact, we sheltered two additional people whose groups had abandoned them, meaning that each of our ‘pods’ was supporting as much as 350 pounds overnight!
breuer | chamberlain cottage 02
BIOGRAPHY Marcel Breuer was born May 22, 1902 in Pecs, Hungary. At 18, he received a scholarship to study at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, but feeling unsettled, enrolled that same year in the newly-established Bauhaus school of design in Weimar, Germany. He was quickly appointed director of the furniture workshop by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius. It was here that he produced one of his greatest works - the Wassily Chair, constructed primarily of tubular steel. The great economic crisis of 1929 in Germany dealt a blow to Breuer’s intentions of becoming a practising architect. Despite setting up office in Berlin, then Budapest and London, Breuer’s architectural commissions attracted little recognition. In 1937, Breuer was invited to teach at Harvard’s School of Architecture. It was here that he met up again with Gropius, the two again setting up office, now in the United States. Breuer’s career subsequently flourished, his houses making a prominent impact in the American architectural community. 30
1902
1920
1925
1940
1947
1961
1961
1980
Bor n i n P ec s, Hu nga ry
A t te nds B a u haus
Wassily Chair
Chamberl ain Cottage
Breuer H ou s e 1
IB M France
S t. J o h n ’s A b b ey
A t l a n ta Cen t r a l P ub l i c L i b r a ry
TIMELINE
BREUER’S prominent WORKS
background WAY L AND, M A 4 2 ° 2 3 ' 2 8"N 71 °21'40"W
f o r c l ie nt s
CHAM B E R L A I N COTTA G E he nry + m ar gar e th ch a mb e rlain a q u i et w eek e n d re tre at
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MOORE RD ENTRANCE
SITE PLAN N
CONTOUR LINE = 1’ ELEVATION
COLLAGE
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FORM/ENVELOPE
E N V E L O PE ST R U C T U R E FO U N DA T I O N
CIRCULATION
PRI VA T E
M A I N FL O O R
KITCHE N
BAT H
CL OSET
BED ROOM
LIVING
B A SE M E N T
W ORKSHOP PUBLI C A C C ES S 36
PR I M A RY C I R C U L A T I O N SEC O N DA RY CI R CU L A T I O N
EXPLODED
‘G OA LP O S T ’ F RA M E
B A L L O O N FR A M E
L OA D B E A R I N G WA L L S
STRUCTURE
...USING THE SAME L AMINATIN G PR O CE SS A S T H E BREUER L OUNGE C H A I R . . .
. . . FOR MI N G T H E ‘CA N T I LEV E R SA N D W I C H ’
8 - foot c a nti lev er wi thout s tee l fr ami ng... 38
RENOVATION
UPPER LOWER
PORCH
KITC HE N
L IVING R O O M
RENOVATED FLOOR PLA N
BATH
CLOSET BED ROOM
O R IGINA L F L O O R P L A N
RENOVATION
FLOATING in 1940...
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. . . a n d g r o u n d e d c u r r e n t ly
REFERENCES Breuer, Marcel and Tician Papachristou. Marcel Breuer, New Buildings And Projects. New York: Praeger, 1970. Print. Davies, Colin. Key Houses Of The Twentieth Century. New York: W.W. Harrison-Moore, Abigail and Dorothy C Price. Architecture And Design In Europe And America, 1750--2000. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print. Lavine, Sigmund A. Famous American Architects. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1967. Print. Masello, David. Architecture Without Rules. New York: W.W. Norton, 1993. Print. Pearlman, Jill E. Inventing American Modernism. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2007. Print.
IMAGE SOU R CE S: http://breuer.syr.edu http://theredlist.com/wiki-2-18-392-1335-1345-1348-view-german-bauhaus-2-profilebreuer-marcel-4.html https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/ah2002-vat/deck/16881274 http://architectuul.com/architecture/breuer-house-i-new-canaan http://www.curbed.com/maps/remembering-marcel-breuer-and-his-unique-brand-of-modern http://weburbanist.com/2016/01/04/brutalist-wonders-or-blunders-architecture-by-marcel-breuer/3/ http://the189.com/architecture/marcel-breuer-design-and-architecture/ https://www.bukowskis.com/en/auctions/553/782-a-marcel-breuer-lounge-chair-forisokon-england-laminated-beech-upholstered-in-a-green-fabric http://www.smartfloorplan.com/orders/bin/shell2.php?folder=il/ http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/chamberlain_cottage.html
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REFLECTION This house study taught me a lot, both about structure as well as diagramming. I was fortunate enough to find all the original blueprints for the Chamberlain Cottage, which meant I could go into my investigation of the house in great detail. I discovered how structural systems work, and the materials that are correlated with each type of structure. But most of all, I learnt that an architect’s work is never in vain, because they can always revisit an older project to innovate something entirely new (in Breuer’s case, his cantilever system). The greatest skill I learnt from this project was diagramming. In presentations it is so important to display information clearly without using chunks of text. By studying architects’ drawings, I was able to produce my own set of diagrams that are simple and easy to understand. Diagramming also helped me to grow familiar with multiple programs - Rhino and Sketchup was used to produce the digital models, which were then edited in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
THE WALL 03
ac r os s
ov er
int o
t hr ou g h 46
th r o ugh
circulation studies
PARTITION WAL L - SE M I -T R A N SPA R E N T
WA L L - o paq u e fo l da b l e do o r
PARTITION WAL L - SE M I -T R A N SPA R E N T
P O ST S - T R A N SPA R E N T
mov i n g th r o u g h pl a n e s tr a n spa r e n t se m i -tr a n spa r e n t o paq u e se m i -tr a n spa r e n t
initial concept
f o c u s on guiding p e op le t hrough wall
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developing concept
se m i-o p e n - ra mp 3 c l o s e d - wa l l
se m i-o p e n - ra mp 2
o p e n - ra mp 1
P R O GR A M DE F IN IN G CI RCU L A T I O N
final concept 50
ARC
TWIST + cr o ss
seeing wal l as more th a n a two-dimensional PL AN E implied movement F ROM al l F OUR sid e s arc + twist and cro ss
SL OPE
sl ope indicating mov ement over stem wal l
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REFLECTION The house project we did before really helped a lot. From the beginning I wanted to design a wall unlike conventional ones that are flat and uninspiring. I also placed a lot of focus on how people passed through the wall, eventually drawing on Breuer’s idea of using program to dictate circulation. The final model was finished to high craft, though I wished I used a wider palette of materials. This came down to time - I spent so long making sure everything was lined up perfectly in this complex design that I didn’t have enough time to experiment working with materials other than bass wood and piano wire. Neverthless, I feel that I had a strong concept and was pleased to find that it came off well. From the close-up model photos I can see that I have created a pseudo-space that invites and guides people through the wall.
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final reflection So, one year down, only four more to go! Even though studio has always been infamously gruelling, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Throughout this year, many people have remarked that I am “crazy� for spending so much time on architecture, and often ask how I could physically put so many hours into it. My reply is always that I love what I do. I love seeing my ideas come to fuition and I take pride in my work. No doubt the professors inspired me to achieve what I have, constantly pushing me so that I can create better, more thoughtful designs. I think the greatest lesson this year is teamwork. Because no matter how much architectural knowledge you have, or effort you put into a project, in the end there is no way you can do a project all by yourself. I have learnt the importance of trusting teammates, and listening to their ideas. Only then can we stimulate each other to create a refined, meaningful group project.