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Becky Stansfield- 16941506

Abstract:

My project explores the ways spatial inventions can add to/ transform an existing building, the focus being towards the site and finding ways to connect the Arataki visitor centre as one. Background research was done to develop a improved brief/ final proposal. At present the Waitakere Ranges are undergoing a Rahui as kauri trees in the area are dying, as a result people are unable to use the walking tracks. With no one using the walking tracks, the Arataki centre lays untouched. In order to entice visitors to the area a new purpose is needed. My project explores an experience you can have with the outdoors, a fluid design combined abstract/fun features to really enhance the space and connect the existing building.Techniques (formal & conceptual) were used to create and explore design ideas, modelling, drawing and writing to form conceptual ideas. While computer programs and more detailed models/ drawings to create the final design. Using other designers work as context to develop and learn new techniques. To meet the requirements of the brief i made sure to connect the terms bridging and rising into my work, explore all spatial options, look into context and have a focus on the Waitakere ranges and the outdoors.The solution to the problem at Arataki was found by using the background information with the skills i have learnt in my studio practice to develop designs that enhance and give purpose to the site. From this i decided the turns i wanted to take to create my final design. The final design is called Ascending Horizons it consists of fluid platforms connecting all levels with unique rising aspects, the design has beams suspending through the platforms to focus on the connection the centre has with the forest floor. To me the design is a platform, a structure, a lookout, an entrance, a purpose to the site.

Essay:

The design is called Ascending horizons, to form ideas and developments certain influences and context were used. The design follows how spatial inventions can transform existing sites, and how influence from different designs and texts add to a work and extends thinking. When i was coming up with my design I found it really useful and important to use these texts to gain new ideas and techniques. Three texts were used to help situate my final design, the first text was my main influence and was a previous design done by Christopher Kelly and the Architecture workshop. This design was of a visitors centre in Waitomo and focused on the innovative use of timber. The second influence was the text ‘hermit in Paris’ by I. Calvino, this text helped me to form creative ideas and relate to personal memories that really helped to make developments. The final text that I took influence from was one from the annotated resource kit of a episode following Ilse Crawfords design practice.

The main influence to my studio project is a design by Christopher Kelly from the Architecture Workshop, the design is a visitors centre for the glow worms attraction, the attraction is a partnership with the local iwi so maori values were important when designing the work. This design was very helpful for me as it is a similar project to my own, it showed how to incorporate maori values into a design as well as adding to the surrounding environment. The centre is a ‘structurally innovated laminated veneer lumber grid shell that forms a lightweight canopy over the paths with the amenities placed in-between’ (as cited in Kelly, C, 2008).  

I enjoyed the combination of timber with transparent materials, the use of timer and wood is important in my own design.This is because I want a focal point to be on timber to have a connection with the surrounding forest and have an understanding of the Rahnui. This design let me think bigger for what I wanted to do with the Arataki centre, due to how innovative and creative it is. This changed my design thinking in studio to fix a bigger issue rather then focusing on something small. I gained techniques looking into the drawings and conceptual models of the design to analyse the text through my practice, this helped me to gain new techniques and address the importance of modelling and drawing to develop/form ideas. In the early stages of my project i made models after models to explore all possible outcome. Another important factor to this design is how in connects all aspects  together, it engages with the site and cultural concerns, it gives a purpose to the site rather then just being a visitors centre it is a dining area, exhibition area and theatre. What i took from this design to help and influence me with my own is the creative use of materials, not being afraid to design something bold and the maori cultural aspects.

When thinking of inspiration for my studio project a text came to mind, A ’Hermit in paris’ by I Calvino. The text has social influences which I thought would go well with the current studio brief. There is a playful creative nature that I liked about it as it let my imagination really flourish, a section from the text I got my main inspiration from was ‘The first years of our existence, not the places of our maturity, shape the world of our imagination,’ (Calvino, 2005). The site where my studio project is based is the Arataki visitors centre, this is relatively close to my home. Childhood memories of visiting the centre and the west coast beaches is still very vivid to me, the phase by Calivino takes me back to thinking about my childhood. These social contexts that I have pulled   from the text as well as personal memories helped me to create a project that had a imaginative fun expressive nature that all ages would enjoy. Another inspiration that I took from the text that helped me to engage in context and explore the site was the phrase ‘Stay half in the clouds with just one foot in the city’ (Calvino,2004). This influences my actions to model/ draw many playful and imaginative ideas to really draw out my imagination of what could potentially fill the site. I wanted to express and play on how everyone could see something different in the site therefore have a different experience and relationship. I also took this quote quite literal as the site is one foot out of the city and in the beautiful forest, the idea of being up in the clouds I really enjoyed which is why i wanted to give my design some height.

The last text that influenced my work was an episode that I annotated in the previous assignment, the series was called Abstract: the art of design and the episode follows Ilse Crawfords interior design practice. I took influence from this as Crawfords approach to design was very poetic focusing on materiality and the wellbeing of an individual. A phrase that Crawford would say is ‘Design in a tool to enhance our humanity’ (2017), to use this in my own design I played around with materials first and how a material would improve the experience of someone visiting the centre. For example a steel structure might make visitors feel unconnected to the Waitakere ranges and perhaps quite daunting. Whereas a timber environment would express feelings of being stable and connected to the forest. As well as how a material could express feelings I wanted to research how colours can, I found that cool blue represents tranquility and a serene environment, and white representing fresh and calm. The episode inspired me to research other information to add to my design, from this I started thinking of creative ways to incorporate colour into my material choice. Crawford focuses on wellbeing and sense, which is a very poetic way to think. I wanted to incorporate these ideas to my design in a spatial sense, to create a space that would incorporate all visitors needs. To engage tourists in the New Zealand culture, to express a learning environment and to welcome people into the site.

My project ‘Ascending Horizons’ focuses on how spatial inventions can transform existing sites and draws on three influencing texts and designs. My main influence was Christopher Kelly’s Waitomo visitors centre and his innovative use of timber. I found it particularly notable that he was able to connect with local Iwi and Maori values and this created a sense of purpose with the surrounding environment and cultural practices. His work is very much one with the environment and not an isolated and draughting piece of architecture. I drew inspiration from Kelly in terms of his innovation, creativity and interconnectedness with the environment and Maori. This has provided the purpose and courageousness in my work. I. Calvino’s ‘Hermit in Paris’ was similarly important and I was influenced by the personal memories and vision in his article. I live close to the Arataki centre and my design is one that reflects by childhood memories and draws upon the immense imagination of children. Finally, I was able to utilise Crawford’s poetic focus and draw upon wellbeing and materiality of an individual. This shows in the different materials I use in my design and the connection this makes with the environment and flora. My design successfully engages with the NZ culture, conditions and welcomes visitors to the site.

Bibliography:

Kelly, C. (2008). Waitomo glow worm caves visitors centre. Retrieved from http://architectureworkshop.co.nz/projects/waitomo-caves-visitors-centre/

I, Calvino. ‘Hermit in paris’, in Hermit in paris. Autobiographical writings, trans. M. McLaughlin (London vintage), 2004.

Dadich, S. (Creator). (2017). Ilse Crawford: Interior Design. [Television series episode]. In Dadich,S.,Neville,M,.O’connor,D,.Kamen,J,.Wikes,J,.SpingarnKoff,J,.Contor,B,.Nishimura,L,. Abstract: The Art of Design, RadicalMedia. 

[beckystansfieldtheory]

Evaluating Abstract examples:

At first the abstracts were hard to read and a little confusing, so i started to brake them down by highlighting the start of every sentence to see what information the sentence was going to explain. 

Some of the abstracts made no sense to me at all so i chose to evaluate a few. 

Example 2- Jerome Frumar:  ‘Finding form in the age of information technology’

This abstract was a little hard to understand but tried my best to evaluate. 

Key words were used throughout for example: architecture and requirements, the problem was identified and he used context to explain the research for the ‘requirements & consideration’ needed. I couldn't find a solution to the problem in the abstract, but everything else was there. 

Example 3- Susan Thomas: Fashion, sustainability & Buddhist Ethics. 

I really liked reading this example, i found it easy to read and understand what she was talking about. The abstract starts by introducing a question/ problem (does the ethics in fashion design serve the industry as well as humanity and animals), then using key phases to explain the research. Her context was talking about Buddhist views, she doesn't say how the problem will be solved in the abstract but does imply it will be addressed in her research. 

Example 5- Hellen Sky: ‘The cellular data body’ 

In this example the sentence starters helped to check through the criteria, each sentence addresses a different point. 

- My practice based research is to...

-The project explores...

-The communication between the performer and the audience is...

-The work therefore seeks to find a...

-This project connects the field of...

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[beckystansfieldtheory]

Week 8 Homework:

Reading:

Tanizaki, Junichiro, (1977) In Praise of Shadows, U.S: Leete’s Island Books, p. 20-23.

Junchiro Tanizaki was a famous writer in modern Japanese literature. 

The term Tanizaki uses ‘Mysterious Orient’ is referring to the silence form very dark places, and the chill you may get when seeing a place that has no sunlight. When the lights shut off invisible details start to appear such as depth to walls/ objects. Lastly gold works in dark places due to the distance glimmer it picks up giving a glow to a room/space, drawing the light from the darkness. 

[beckystansfieldtheory]

4/5

Week 5 Exercises:

Reading: Solnit, R. (2005) “Orbits of Earthly Bodies.” Writing Places, edited by Paula Mathieu, et al. New York: Pearson/Longman.

Questions + answers:

The irony about living/ holidaying in the countryside Solnit points out is that you still have to bring the suburban lifestyle with you and cant fully experience a ‘country lifestyle’. For example transportation, still having to use her car to travel around the holiday home to experience the nature.

Ranchettes are a Ranch home with land surround them necessarily not used for farming but own personal use, she's talking about how they are a waste of land and don't connect the community together.

New Urbanism is about environmental friendly habits (walking instead of driving), and creating spaces which equips these new habits, Solnit is ambivalent about it because they are only dressing it up rather then creating a permanent solution.

Solnit believes we define nature as things to look at to feel natural rather then an environment that many species including ourselves life in, many of us would say the city is our natural habitat.

Solnit compares city activities with hunting and gathering in the wilderness because we are going our collecting things to live on then bringing them back home. She says New York is the most natural place in America because not because of the nature but the city can co-exist as one.

The problem with pedestrian-scale as it focuses on pedestrian activities not human activities, as humans are pedestrians when not in a vehicle.

Annotation (draft):

Rural, city, nature, wildlife, ranches, natural, transportation, countryside, urbanism, pedestrian, habitat.

Solnit talks about a few things in this source, how the countryside will never just be the countryside as we bring the suburban lifestyle with us for example cars. That the land in the country is wasted due to the lifestyles people want, having ‘Ranchettes' for just personal use and not including the community. She then talks about the city and how she believes they are natural due to how humans as a species co-exist with each other, also mentioning how ‘new-urbanism’ hasn't been successful. She is expressing her thoughts and ideas on how you define nature and the difference between the city and the wilderness.

The source was somewhat useful, because i think it was more a opinionated type of writing not open enough to make my own opinion. In saying that i did agree with some points she was making that we only feel fulling in the nature if we have no evidence of a suburban lifestyle with us. That cars and transport makes us un-natural. I don't agree when she's talking about america being natural because humans can co-exist there, natural to be is being green and looking after our environment not making cities on top of them.

Soloist research helped me shape my own opinions on issues that she brought up, not necessarily agree with what she was saying but thinking of my own approach. It introduced me to new design methods for example new-urbanism and pedestrian-scale. A main idea i got from the source was making a city feeling natural, and how we feel at home with the surrounds we are used to.

[beckystansfieldtheory]

3/4

First Draft Annotation: Beyond Wilderness & Lawn by Michael Pollan (not correct reference) 

wilderness, lawn, gardening, cultural, landscape, environment, america, history, nature, development, protect

Michael pollen has written about the controversy between a front lawn and a wilderness preserve, thinking about the future of gardening and its effect on the environment. Not able to move forward in improving the american landscape without improve the divide between the two. The divide is culturally not right, weather or not to dominate nature in terms of civilisation or to leave the wilderness un touched.

I found the source useful but also eye opening, a point made by Pollan was ‘ some 8 percent of the nations land has been designated as wilderness, while the remaining 92 percent has been deeded unconditionally to civilisation’ (1998). This made me think how without realising we as people have taking up majority of the environment to live in. I agreed with what Pollan was saying that the lawn and garden is important to the design of a city and the american landscape, but does overpower the wilderness landscape that they already have. The issue is finding a finding a ‘middle ground’ between the two. 

The source was helpful for me and my design practice because it made me think about how architecture and infrastructure can take away from the environment, living in New Zealand where the environment is very important to us. This source was also important for my current studio brief, as the site is the Arataki centre in the Waitakere ranges. Thinking of a way to make the centre better without taking away from the environment. The problem between lawn and wilderness isn't a big problem in New Zealand but still brings an important message to always think about. This is going to help in my design practice by opening up a divide between design and environment, and creating ways to pull them together. 

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2

Week two exercise:

Reading: Gell, A. (1988). Technology and Magic. Anthropology Today, 4(2), 6-9.

Alfred Gell was a British social anthropologist (a study of humans and human behaviour), his main work was around art, language, symbolism and ritual. He received his Phd at the London school of economics in 1973, and held lectures at several universities before being appointed the ‘reader in Anthropology’ at LSE. His writing consisted of articles and books a few mains books being, ‘Metamorphosis of the cassowaries’ (1975) and ‘The anthropology of time’ (1992). 

In the reading Technology and magic the three technical systems are, ‘Technology of Product’, Technology of Reproduction’ and ‘Technology of Enchantment’. Magical thinking is a belief that one persons ideas/ thoughts can influence the external world, creating a link between ones personal experience and the external world. Magical thinking might have a place in my own practise because it could help to imagine how designs could function in the real world, or how to make a design have a connection between myself and the world. 

[beckystansfieldtheory]

1

Week one exercise: 

Reading: Bachelard, G. (2002). The dialectic of imaginary energies: The resistant world. In Earth and reveries of will: An essay on the imagination of matter (K. Haltman, Trans.) Dallas, TX: Dallas Institute Publications (13-26)

Gaston Bachelard was a French philosopher, his work was on poetics and the philosophy of science. He was a professor at Dijon before coming the inaugural chair in history and philisophy of the sciences at Sorbonne (paris).

The term dialectic is used in the reading where Bachelard is arguing that ‘Hard and soft are the primary qualifies of the resistance of matter’ (Pg.13), and that there is a dialectic nature to this. Dialectic meaning a debate of opinions, when two or more people have different opinions about a subject and wanting to find out the truth. 

A material that suggests a ‘hypocritical hostility to softness’ could be a softwood for example, pine or cedar. Because it is very hostile and still until bent into shape using steam.  A material that is on the opposite end or shows a ‘Provocative invitingness to hardness’ could be concrete as it can move before its set but once set into place it is very solid.  

In studio i have worked with a variety of hard and soft materials, some techniques not going to plan. For example trying to bend plastic to a certain degree, it either is too much of a bend or too less, where as with working with wood you can cave it into the exact shape you want. It is all apart of a learning and experimental process.

Psychoanalysis is a theory related to the unconscious mind, making you aware of unconscious thoughts. This helping us to understand the relationship to the material world as it brings new connections that we wouldn’t of thought about before giving us a better insight.