Week 4, draft models

Week 4, physical model design

A series of hexagonal prisms which each have fragments of the markers on them that are rotated and turned to form the whole markers.

Week 4, animation sketches

1. Physical fragmentation

Take the grid and literally break it into pieces

2. 3D transformation
Bend, twist, disconnect and reconnect the grid to create 3D forms

3. Architecturalise the form

4. Section showing interior

Links

http://www.4shared.com/zip/RGWfQ6hs/z3374550_McMahon_Bethany.html?




Forgot to include the plagiarism declaration, here it is

http://www.4shared.com/office/4r9ONMqr/z3374550_McMahon_Bethany_Plagd.html

References

Adam Friedberg, "Cooper Union, Morphosis," http://c214206.r6.cf3.rackcdn.com/files/profiles/2011/header/600:w/a1.jpg


Iwan Baan, "Cooper Union, Morphosis," http://www.arcspace.com/architects/morphosis/cooperunion2/cooperunion2.html


Iwan Baan, "Cooper Union, Morphosis," http://www.archdaily.com/40471/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art-morphosis-architects/


Morphosis, "Cooper Union," http://morphopedia.com/projects/cooper-union
"Morphosis: New Academic Building: Cooper Union," http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=12454


Jayne Merkel, "Morphosis Architects' Cooper Union academic building, New York,"  Architectural Design, 2012 Mar-Apr v.80, n.2, p.110-113


Zoe Blacker, "The Cooper Union New York," Architectural Review, 2011 May, v.299, n1371, p.31


C. Sullivan, "Morphosis: new academic building, the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York City," Architecture, 2004 Dec, v.93, n.12, p.68


Sketches, diagrams and renders courtesy of Morphosis, http://www.morphosis.com

Composition

Left

Right

Introduction / reflection

Morphosis was founded in 1972 by architects Thom Mayne, James Stafford and Michael Bricker. The firms philosophy arises from an interest in producing designs which absorb the culture and context which it was made for and creating architecture with challenges and abstracts traditional forms and uses unconventional shapes, proposing the concepts; fragmented and amorphous.

Fragmented; state of being broken, fractured, or ruptured.
Amorphous; no definite form or distinct shape.

The Cooper Union avoids the use of a standard linear form, instead having a fractured and folded facade which resembles the free-flowing nature of air and water. The building's semi-transparent skin creates a play of light and shadow, dynamically revealing and concealing the interior, reorientating the ambiguous and amorphous nature of the design. The interior consists of a jungle of overlapping surfaces and lattice, which although stems from a geometric form, appears fluid and random.

I translated the design seen in the Cooper Union and other works by Morphosis by creating a conceptual model of amorphous fragmentation. My 3D model is an organic and undulating hexagonal mesh and an obscure tangled mass. Materials were added in bright blocks of colour to reflect the Morphosis' representational diagram style. The models were rendered using a 3DS Max plugin called "Illustrate!" which allowed for a cartoon style image. I used different render effects to explore ideas of ambiguity and undefined form. For some of my renders, a spherical lens filter was applied giving them a warped, distorted and deformed appearance. Other renders had a wire frame filter applied.


My posters were designed to be laid landscape side-by side forming one long spread. My composition is titled "Cryptic Visionary". Cryptic being; having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure and visionary being the imaginary. On my poster images were placed mainly across the centre of the spread. I superimposed the images and altered opacity settings to give them a distorted and offset appearance.