Final Presentation Layouts and Models

Designed as a tribute to the work of German architect Adolf Loos: the Kings Cross Artists Residency incorporates the old perspective of Loos ideas on space and reshapes them into a landscape very similar to that of his most famous commissioned work- the Villa Muller. Situated at 123 Victoria Street, Potts Point; this multi-layered collection of spaces houses two artist residencies and a public studio space. Further included in the design was a public outdoor functions deck connected to the public studio space with numerous private and public gardens and spaces intertwined within the buildings foundations.

Figure 1: Presentation Logo and Write up

Figure 2: Presentation Layout 1- Perspective renders, Elevations and Sections

Figure 3: Presentation Layout 2- Conceptual Sketch, Plans and Site Plans

Figure 4: Presentation Model with conceptual model on left.

Figure 5: Presentation Model Scaled at 1:100

Presentation Plan and Site Plan Drawings

Six presentation plans and site plans were included in the presentation layout as detailed below:

Figure 1: Presentation Site Plan drawing, Scaled at 1:200

Figure 2: Presentation Lower House Level 1 Plan, Scaled at 1:100

Figure 3: Presentation Lower House Level 2 Plan, Scaled at 1:100

Figure 4: Presentation Studio Space and Public Functions Deck Plan, Scaled at 1:100

Figure 5: Presentation Upper House Level 1 Plan, Scaled at 1:100

Figure 6: Presentation Upper House Level 2 Plan, Scaled at 1:100

Presentation Elevations and Sections

Four presentation sections and elevations were included in the presentation layout as detailed below:

Figure 1: Presentation South Elevation, Scaled at 1:200

Figure 2: Presentation West Elevation, Scaled at 1:100

Figure 3: Presentation South Section, Scaled at 1:100

Figure 4: Presentation East Elevation, Scaled at 1:200

Perspective Drawings

Six rendered perspective photographs were included within the presentation layout as detailed below:

Figure 1: The Lower houses cantilevered open-plan living room.

Figure 2: Artists central public gallery and studio space.

Figure 3: Studio Space and Upper House Walkway

Figure 4: Upper House Living Room

Figure 5: South-West Perspective

Figure 6: West Perspective

Project Three: Double house and a Garden

For Project three we were asked to design a building or 'Double house' in relation to a carefully considered constructed Landscape of Garden. We were told to focus on the architectural relationship between the two dwellings and each of their relationships to the shared garden. Furthermore, there would be the added addition of at least one public space and we were to keep in mind the architect we had studied in the last two projects when designing our building. The imagined life of the house(s) and the relationship between public and private spaces was of particular importance.

For my concept, I imagined a life of my building as an artists residency in the very young and trendy suburb of Potts Point in the heart of Sydney City. For my imagined life of the house(s) I pictured two singular artists living in separate houses yet sharing common studio spaces, function spaces and garden spaces for both themselves and their public audience.

To develop my original concept, I used a series of wooden cubes as spaces and placed them in odd formations to understand how the spaces would work on the very narrow plot of land that we had allocated. I wanted to design a building that took a modern day approach to Adolf Loos' ideas of space and a blurring between spaces, levels and rooms.

Figure 1: My conceptual model showing my original spatial plan intended for the building after testing dozens of spatial combinations.

Figure 2: My original conceptual sketch of the artists residency showing my scheme for an upper house, lower house and central public studio space/courtyard.

Project Two: A Spatial Analysis of Adolf Loos Raumplan

“My architecture is not conceived in plans, but in spaces (cubes). I do not design floor plans, facades, sections. I design spaces. For me, there is no ground floor, first floor etc.... For me, there are only contiguous, continual spaces, rooms, anterooms, terraces etc. Storeys merge and spaces relate to each other. Every space requires a different height: the dining room is surely higher than the pantry, thus the ceilings are set at different levels. To join these spaces in such a way that the rise and fall are not only unobservable but also practical, in this I see what is for others the great secret, although it is for me a great maer of course. Coming back to your question, it is just this spatial interaction and spatial austerity that thus far I have best been able to realise in Dr Müller’s house” Adolf Loos, (Shorthand record of a conversation in Pilsen, 1930)

Figure 1: A 3d and plan analysis of the overall collection of spaces created within Loos' Villa Muller with the larger public spaces colour coded Red.

Figure 2: A 2d representation of all the spaces found within Loos' villa muller with the spaces ordered from Plan 2 at the top down to plan 6 at the bottom and largest spaces left to smallest right.

Figure 3: The collection of spacial analysis models.

Figure 4: My architectural proposition for a residential housing complex that explores a re-interpreted version of Adolf Loos' Raumplan using all the spaces found within the Villa Muller as a new building proposal. Through my conceptual proposal I explored the new ways/forms that the spaces of the Villa Muller can be intertwined and joined and how the allocation of larger public spaces towards the front can be mixed with the more private housing spaces towards the back in this imaginary landscape.

Figure 5: A 3D exploded model of the spaces found in plans 5 and 6 of the Villa Muller.

Figure 6: A 3D exploded model of the spaces found within plans 2, 3 and 4 of the Villa Muller. The aim of the exploded models was to really emphasise to the viewer the intricacy of spaces within the building and how they relate together yet operate as separate entities and spaces. Public (Silver), Private (white)

Figure 7: A 3D levelled model of the spaces found within the Villa Muller and how the public (silver) and private (white) spaces relate and exist together on a level basis showing that most of the spaces lie on the different planes and follow unique lines.  

Project Two: Circulation Analysis and its formation around the Villa's Structural Raumplan

My minor study analysed how Adolf Loos' use of the Raumplan influenced his design of walkways, stairs and the overall circulation structure of the building. Loos' allocation of spaces as shown in my main analysis was a huge influence on how all his circulation structures were planned as can be seen within my diagrams.

Figure 1: An inverted coloured diagram of the circulation PLAN within the house. This diagram displays all the different pathways that can be taken throughout the house as well as the general flow to the public spaces along the North elevation of the Villa that consequently has the most ideal views.

Figure 2: A diagram of the circulation STRUCTURE within the house showing its primary staircase, circulation walkways and Raumplan influenced secondary staircases and walkways.

Project Two: Window Placement Analysis and their Raumplan influences

My overall aim for this analysis was to:

a) investigate how Adolf Loos' use of different levels and the Raumplan has influenced his placement of the buildings exterior windows

b) What types of sunlight enter the building at different periods in the day.

c) A physical light analysis of how light enters and exits the building using a model to analyse what inhabitants would experience in real life.

Figure 1: An analysis of how light enters the buildings windows using the physical model of the Villa Muller

Figure 2: An analysis of how light exits the buildings windows using the physical model of the villa muller.

Figure 3: CAD interpretation of the different placements of windows within the NESW elevations of the Villa Muller, showing how Loos' Raumplan has influenced their placements and what light intensities these windows experience during different periods of the day.

Figure 4: Physical interpretation of the different window placements within the NESW elevations of the Villa Muller, where placing light in front of and behind the elevations can show how the light intensity enters and exits the building. 

Figure 5: The Physical model of the Villa Muller used for the light analyses photographs displayed in figures 1 and 2.

Project Two Body of Work- Analytical Program and Studies of the Villa Muller

PROJECT TWO: BODY OF WORK and PRESENTATION THEME

My overall aim within my presentation was to draw a strong connection between all three of my topics of analysis and to explain to the viewer; be they someone experienced in architecture or a complete novice, what makes the Villa Muller such a unique building when compared with the majority of buildings in the modern era. I explained within my presentation how through viewing the circulation levels, window placements and space allocations/levels one could visually see Adolf Loos' interpretation of the Raumplan and how it shaped his building design and made it unique.

Model Photos

Here are some photos of our final model. Overall it was an incredibly complex model to build that required a huge group effort. Everyone in the group worked extremely well as a team and somehow we got the mammoth task that was the Villa Muller (model scale 1:50) completed.

Model side on

Right section internal

Model front on

Left section external with Xiou in background

My presentation

Here is a photo of my presentation layout for assessment 1, I will be uploading scanned images of some of the drawings once they have been marked.

Update: I have now uploaded scanned copies of my presentation drawings. I did not get a chance to scan them until they had been marked but in future I will scan any hand-drawn files before presentation.

Kind regards,
Kieran

Image 1: Overall Presentation Layout

Image 2: Analysis of the Structural Systems of the Villa Muller

Image 3: A spatial analysis of the Villa Muller focusing on Adolf Loos most architecturally distinguishing feature- his use of the Raumplan.

Image 4: An analysis of the circulation strategy employed within the Villa Muller. I edited the drawing using a negative colour scale.

Image 5: A further visual analysis of the Circulation Strategies employed within the Villa Muller.

Image 6: An analysis of the Villa muller and its relationship to the landscape. (Medium: Hand drawn with use of watercolours.) A2 scans were very expensive so unfortunately the copy is in black and white.

The model making process

I have uploaded some photos of the model making process for our groups section model (scale 1:50) of the Villa Muller. Our Group Patrick 1, Patrick 2, Xiou and myself have been working in shifts over the last few days very effectively and the model has progressed in leaps and bounds. Today will be the last day hopefully of working with the model and this will give us a few days to finalise our drawings/ work on other assessments. :) Furthermore, I have inserted the National Assembly Building of Bangladesh by Louis Kahn as my background for the blogs just because I think it is an architectural masterpiece somehow built in one of the poorest nations on earth and also because it would be an amazing building to do the kind of model that we are currently doing with the same complexities of layerings and spaces as the Villa Muller.