Lack Of Ground Space Leads To Rooftop Fields

The world is getting more and more populated with people, buildings, and technology ! Grounds are becoming scarce within cities and people are expanding outwards and upwards......I came across this picture recently of how the problem of space was solved !

TRACK FIELD IN CHINA

SOURCE:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-09/02/content_18529444.htm

A primary school in China has its sports field on the roof due to lack of space on ground. The architects LYCS, incorporated a 200 m track along with a basketball court to its right.

SOURCE:http://www.designboom.com/architecture/lycs-architecture-tian-tai-no-2-primary-school-rooftop-running-track-china-09-29-2014/

FOOTBALL FIELD IN JAPAN

SOURCE:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E4TN_TZnxXy4-u1QBy7BOU_EdtcWrqne8udT77-giLz8LAp3YqC8KX7tYz7wSfYtEHdXJoOgr4nIKREHuyYSeTOulBXKgnsQwRbipm2mNL1b8JIkCaMq9N8M5dO788SB1pnx9KW3AMw/s1600/Tokyo_rooftop_football-croop.jpg

A soccer field in Tokyo which sits atop a departmental store. 

GREEN ROOFS

This got me thinking on what else, roofs where being used as nowadays......

The  primary use of roofs are the purpose of climatic equalizer. It helps for insulation, energy conservation, generating electricity etc.

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY,SINGAPORE

        SOURCE:http://www.time-tolose.com/uploads/posts/2011-11/1322605761_green-roofs-33.jpg

Designed by CPG Consultants, it looks like a tarantula, closing its legs! Stereotypical to the Singapore buildings, it follows the green roof concept, but in this building, it looks difficult to figure out where the floor ends and the roof begins.The roof seems to dip at one portion where I assume the sunlight must be the most direct, generating heat to the maximum.

KAOSIUNG WORLD GAMES STADIUM,TAIWAN

  SOURCE:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/WorkdGame2009_Stadium_completed.jpg

The roof is made of numerous scales of solar panels which help in solar generation and energy. Each of the panels are tilted at an angle to give maximum exposure to the sun.

 SOURCE:http://sites.psu.edu/kauman/wp-content/uploads/sites/4944/2014/02/Solar_panels_on_a_roof.jpg

Now even ordinary houses have solar panels installed on their roofs.I have seen many houses here, in Nottingham with these panels. In the night, they all seem to be glowing.

   

Nottingham Contemporary Vs. Wakefield Hepworth - A First Hand Experience

Researching art galleries for my project II, I went through many many galleries to see which galleries ticked with the people? How circulation worked ? The relationship between the people and the displays? the relationship between the people? The various display spaces, the exterior and the interior spaces,.....etc.
   
Nothing tells us more about spaces than actually visiting them and experiencing the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery and the Wakefield Hepworth Gallery  was an eye opener into the world of art and their spaces.


The Nottingham Contemporary sits on a corner of a completely Victorian setting architecture, with restaurants, a smallish plaza and a tram line on the side of it. Looking from the back side of the gallery, we see it sitting on a high pedestal along the skyline of the buildings as the site slopes downwards behind.

SOURCE : me

On the other hand ,the Hepworth Gallery sits on a quiet site that belongs solely for the purpose of  a building that would act as a landmark for the city of Wakefield. As you approach the gallery, it looks like a angular sculptural monument that is framed by water and landscaped on the other side. It was like a beautiful piano composition with the right balance of harmonies!

SOURCE : me

Entering into Nottingham Contemporary, the entrance is emphasized by a projecting canopy, which leads into a lobby with the reception and a whole lot of books and other sale-able items....and leading to the galleries.

   The first thing I noticed about the arrangement of the galleries was that the lobby leads to three gallery spaces named Gallery 1,2 and 3. I feel the problem with choice in a gallery is that, you tend to miss out or may avoid one of the galleries if you are bored and galleries are places where you come to see art and thereby visit all the displays. One more unavoidable fact was that , I had to keep coming back to the lobby space to enter into the other galleries.

                                                                                         SOURCE : me

 The Hepworth Gallery has a clear circulation within.There is a main axis from the entryway to the stairs leading to the galleries above.It was simple and clear ,for me to know where to go from the entrance.The reception led to the other rooms like the shop and the workrooms,the toilets and the cafe etc which were all across from each other ,thereby giving clear sight lines between the spaces.I felt that the Hepworth was way easier to navigate.

 SOURCE : me

The galleries in the Nottingham Contemporary had a main breakoff space (lobby) which connected to each of them individually. Some of the spaces were connected to each other while others could be accessible only by coming back to the lobby.The display spaces were huge rooms with white bland walls where, the only source of light was from the skylights above.There was no connection to the outside from the galleries except for one of them which had a glass wall looking through to the entryway and into the entrance outside.

                                                                         SOURCE : me

While , in the Hepworth, there is a processional pattern of movement between galleries. There is only one entry and exit point, so you do not tend to walk into the same spaces again , hence, making sure you visit all the rooms. I really liked this passage , because there was a natural flow from one gallery into the other and I did not even realize that I had reached the end! There was also a variation in height of the rooms,giving me a feel of different quality of spaces from intimate to public.

There were also beautiful picture windows that framed the outside views at strategic points. The architect made sure that the magnificient surroundings were not wasted from the inside.

Looking at the fascade of the Nottingham Contemporary , I got the feeling that the architect was trying too hard to make the building stand out. The green concrete texture and the gold glossy , shine metal created an odd combination that was further enhanced by the convex form of the surface. It looked like a last minute attempt to connect the gallery with the surrounding history. The lace pattern was barely visible unless standing very close.

The Hepworth , meanwhile, was a monolithic block of sculpture made of grey concrete stone.

Overall,I felt that the Hepworth Gallery was a more ideal design for a gallery compared to the Nottingham Gallery , due to its easy circulation , its setting and the maximum use that the architect made of the surrounding context,therefore not overpowering the building with respect to its surrounding , but finding that right balance between the two.

Tado Ando - Architecture At Its Rawest

Tadao Ando, is a Japanese architect who's background has nothing to do with architecture. This may have been the main reason, for shaping his raw and minimalist style. Being self -taught, all his work has a clean and simple design that evokes a sense of awe in all his buildings.

CONCEPT

He gives great importance to the play of light and shadow in all proportions. From small openings to linear to circular, he's tried it all. He's mastered the use of sunlight in his work , which emphasizes the other elements of his design. His use of concrete , gives an unfinished look yet a polished feel to his interior spaces. The core of his design is the connection and experience that the visitor feels to the function of the space like his famous Church Of light (my personal favorite), Modern Art Museum, Church On Water.....and many more.

"When I design buildings, I think of the overall composition, much as the parts of a body would fit together. On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that space."- Tadao Ando

SOURCE:http://www.arcspace.com/features/tadao-ando/sayamaike-historical-museum/

  

SOURCE: http://www.modernnow.com/tadao-ando-sketches-for-the-modern/

sketches by ando
                                       
CHURCH OF LIGHT:

This is a masterpiece by Ando that shot him to fame an an architect. He has used the essence of the christian cross, not through a physical element but through the play of light. Form and function have been balanced out beautifully in this building where neither overpowers the other. You feel an utter sense of calm, when you enter the building, which is just one huge room, high ceiling and dim. The main powerful lighting is from the cross shaped opening on the wall facing the seating.

SOURCE: http://architectsimet.com/2013/11/04/san-francisco-i-en-i-joanne-duka/

   

SOURCE: http://mela.iuav.it/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/church-of-the-light.jpg

Looking at this picture, I get the feel that the cross stands prominently with the only source of light coming form it.The space is narrow as well as high, giving it a sense of vastness, reaching for the skies. It makes me want to sit and contemplate without any distractions due to its lack of colour and simplicity.

I guess the meaning of the cross goes, during nightime, due to the lack of natural light.

SOURCE: http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=339

                                          SOURCE: http://www.architravel.com/architravel/city/osaka/

For my current design studio project, we were asked to design an art gallery. My inspiration was Ando. Many of his interior spaces, held my attention and created an impression on me ....... 

SAYAMAIKE HISTORICAL MUSEUM,JAPAN

I loved this passage, on the side of which water from the overhead body fall along its side.

SOURCE: http://www.arcspace.com/features/tadao-ando/sayamaike-historical-museum/

SOURCE: http://archintern.tumblr.com/post/63040733824/tadao-ando-a-lesson-in-experience-design-tadao

LANGEN FOUNDATION,US :

Use of a strip light to highlight the passage to the main display across.

SOURCE: http://abduzeedo.com/architect-day-tadao-ando

CHIKATSU-ASUKA MUSEUM,JAPAN :

The narrow staircase gives a sense of mystery 

SOURCE: http://www.architravel.com/architravel/architects/tadao-ando/

A- CHAIR :

                  SOURCE: http://sv204.xserver.jp/~cd-inc/concept-design.jp/shop/D64690497.jpg

Similar to his style,the chair shows prominence in scale and simplicity.The colour is also plain and monochrome.

One of my favorite architects of all time, I feel Tadao Ando's style is the true meaning of Mies Van Der Rohe's "Less Is More" saying !

Ethnographic Research

MEANING

Ethnographic research is the method of studying a settlement or social group, by direct observation or through questions and interviews. It involves analyzing the beliefs, traditions, culture and other social customs related to them.

 "Ethnography consists of the observation and analysis of human groups considered as individual entities (the groups are often selected, for practical and theoretical reasons unrelated to the nature of the research involved, from those societies that differ most from our own). Ethnography thus aims at recording as accurately as possible the perspective modes of life of various groups." -  Structural Anthropology (1963), by Claude Lévi-Strauss.

TECHNIQUES

SOURCE : http://archives.rockpaperink.com/content/article.php?id=1039

AN EXAMPLE FOR ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN

In my final year of under graduation, we were given a project to study the urban fabric of our city(Chennai,South India). An area of the city was given to us, which was the very chaotic Central Railway Station Junction, and we were asked to propose a design solution for the given project problem.

The area was the most congested part of the city with poor pedestrian crossing ,as a result traffic jams occurred on the main roads, hawkers selling stuff on the roads, almost empty , isolated underpasses and overpasses due to their unreasonable locations, taxi and auto stands on the road center and lack of proper resting areas and pavements. Another important fact was that, the stretch contained several historical buildings that were under conservation.

Problem - Designing a circulation solution to reduce the congestion and chaos of the area.

Site Photos : 

                                                                                SOURCE : me

Videos taken on the site recorded the circualtion pattern of the various areas

We mapped out the different circulation paths and hotspots .

this shows the density of people in the various areas

the important buildings on the site

pedestrian and vehicular movement

Segregating the different problems in layers helped in studying each individually.The problem with the area, is the coincidence and interlocking of the various layers into one frame,therefore creating tension on the main level.

As a result of this study, we were able to record and document the nature of the circulation and the source of the current situation of chaos. This helped us in coming up with a solution that would leave a mark on the city due to its prominent location and importance of the landmark. Undergoing this sense of intimate and detail research,  was able to indentify the main problem and therby, the final answer to something that would leave an impact on the people. 

Interviews and Questionnaires

INTERVIEWS AND QUESTIONNAIRES FOR MY DESIGN

In my Year II of architecture, we were asked to do a rural project. This project involved students in groups travelling to rural areas within the state, studying their respective settlements and design anything which was missing and could be of help to the people there.

It was truly a different experience, being out of our comfort zone, language barrier and location barrier. We asked many questions and interviewed the villagers in order to develop a design for them.

Some of the questions asked to the villagers:

1. Is there anything required in your village?

2. How do the children go to school?

3. Is there a market here?

4. How do you get water supplied?

5. Do you have electricity?

6. Is there a place of worship for you?

The questions helped to decide what to design for our project. We designed a school building within the village since the children had to walk a few miles to go to the nearest school. Due to time constraint, location and resources available, a detailed research could not be done

Project I - Origami Study Lamp (Design)

All the research and study helped me summarise what I wanted in my design......

INITIAL SKETCHES

I made origami models to decide which form is the most ideal for the design. The light had to be contained in order to produce the most directed light for the study task. For this purpose the origami had to be closed.

Finally I came up with a form that was easily makeable and closed at the same time. My deesign involved designing a light with a personal touch to it.

The lamp evolved as a functional product that connected to me personally in the form of providing confidence and reassurance to me in my times of struggle by reminding me of my mom who was my guiding light since my youth!

My main material was metal due to the fact that it could be bent and still be stable. Metal also allowed me to create an embellishment on its surface which could be reflected on it thereby creating a pattern on the light. 

FINAL SHEETS