Technical Concepts Emerging from Developing the Canopy Section

Further Exploration of Fractured Canopy Forms

Beginnings of Exploring Shattered Form as a Canopy Structure

Fracture, Function & Site

Methodology - Exploration of Fractured Form

Methodology - Fracturing the Street Patterns with the Context

Cathedral Square Buildings - Order to Chaos

Breaking Things #2

Breaking Things #1

Site & Programmatic Analysis

To come once I've scanned the work in...

Review 2 - (Sketch Designs or Something Resembling)

So currently a slightly different tack than was previously promised in the way I was going to develop work for this. I've been a bit more hesitant at getting to a design stage but I feel better that I have developed a framework of ideas I can take forward.

Sheets (& Models!!) for presentation - they are very sketchy with little high end formatting for this review as it is not neccessary and gets in the way of actually doing work. (below initial shooting from the hip sketch designs - very very sacrificial)

The Individual and the Community

An interesting concept came from some discussion this week which could be brought out in this work. That is the notion of the individual and the community and how these elements could be fostered through the integration with a wide digital infrastructure. I have been interested in the notion of the wiki as a paradigm for the built environment giving the individual power and control in the community.

A building which could connect to a communications infrastructure would allow for a physical manifestation of what is now a virtual forum, creating a central public location for ideas to be posted, discussed and events to be organised. Connections through video systems such as THOLOS or through web portals could allow disparate groups to converge. Imagine a place where you could post an idea in the public realm where a vastly varied group of people could contribute to the ideas. One idea which came up in my earlier theory seminars was the idea of incorporating some form of public broadcasting (think YouTube) further linking activities, discussion and debate to an even wider community (think people without immediate web access etc - could be through digital TV etc). There could even be a connection with the print works from this.

The designed infrastructure could integrate this information layer into the infrastructure as well as provide facilities for activities and groups to be nurtured in conjunction with the infrastructure provided by the public library. I forsee an active and lively area where the function and appearence of the building could respond to these changes - almost an ideas marketplace - bringing the market back to the Bigg Market.

Study into Functional Programme Morphing

Partly inspired by NOX's 100 Houses and OFRAMBRA's work into actuated tensegrity structures, this abstract study investigates the idea of programmatic change upon a form.

The idea is that depending upon day to day events and environment, the building's functional programme and uses will change, responding to individual and group activities as well as individuals in the vicinity.

Initial State of Activity:

Changes in activity change the form in a direct response:

This activity simplifies spacial characteristics into a number of shapes which change over time based upon changing attributes of the functional programme. The overall form, made up from cross sections of these shapes, therefore changes in response to the functional programme changes - which could be based upon different levels of response to change in functional programme such as the effect of a large group of people gathering at a certain point, changes in the weather or of course differing activity and spacial usage patterns. These changes should not just be considered as physical/aesthetic changes as this sort of change could be considered in a wider holistic manner of a building.

I would like to include the Paskian notion of interaction where there is a two way process between the user and the environment. For example the characteristics of a meeting place (like Monument in Newcastle) varies according to the time of day, local and national events. Differing numbers of people gather and use the space based upon outside factors. Therefore the nature of the physical space would be changed and reconfigured actively based upon the relationship both with the building and the context but also through people interacting and responding to the building itself - a dialogue.

Aims for Review

• Functional Modes Sacrificial Designs - For overlay in developing designs
• More Urban Design Studies - Night/Day Changes
• Investigate Overlaying Elements of Present Buildings into design
• Develop overlayed amalgamated NON-STATIC Schemes - Exporing FUMESSS - Remember FUNCTION, FORM, SCALE, MATERIALS & COLOURS
• Begin to explore relationships between these modes through studies in MORPHING between modes.

Events & Modalities

For clarification to myself, I am developing sacrifical schemes for these modes/building events:

• Library, Education & Outreach & Careers
• Evening/Night-time - Restaurants, Taxis, Clubs
• Large Scale Public Events eg Festivals, Theatre & Media Events
• Arts & Performance Facilities & Events
• Government & E-Democracy

More suggestions or ideas on these are very much welcome!

The Site (In Progress)

(Click above to enlarge - its a cool image)
Overview of the Bigg Market Site (model from which sections and all that jazz can be generated from). I am currently working on sacrificial functional concept designs for different usage types with the aim to understanding the relationships and overlapping nature of these programmes. My current thought is to investigate the generation of form through transitional forms based upon different arrangements and uses of parts of the building throughout the day and throughout different functional modes. I am would also like the building to be capable of directly responding to users and the changing environment (pseudo-realtime).

Review and stuff to do...

I need to enagage better both with my site and building programme to develop some form of developed sacrificial scheme.

• Sections of the site to get into whats going on and serve as a basis for developing the rest of the work - understand the historical nature/grain/development of the site.
• Develop sketch schemes for different modes of operation - these can be seperately designed schemes as it is the design for the function that is important. - sections, pla
• Investigate their overlays and how they interact with one another
• Consider spaces not only in visual/aesthetic terms but also from the range of human senses - investigate a more dynamic environment

Cedric Price - Sheep Dip

Sacrificial Schemes

Sacrificial Designs (if you can call them that)- I have issues with all of it but through these issues are coming out which is good. -Click the images to enlarge them-