PLANS & SECTION

Started development a program, and organizing it on plan this weekend. A lot of things hand been stripe down from what it originally used to be....less grade changes, less levels, so a much more simple approach to it. When designing this, i asked myself why i do it, how to do it, and what type of experience i want the users to feel. Three things i want to do is to frame the people, frame and square, and frame the art. Inside the art gallery, canvases of art are on display, at the same time, the people and the square is on display as well. People are the moving objects that are part of the political subjects on the square.

my motivation to work!

Although not much done in terms of drawings and details, had been doing a lot of research lately.



Especially on type of sensors and how it will work.



Type of SENSORS



Another great site: aether architecture





okay, gotta start the details soon!!

Sensor: work in progress

Thanks Luke for coming up with the laser sensor instead of the pressure sensor.
The laser sensor are much better solution to this, becuase it incorporates the elevated walkway and it solves the problem in winter (snow). Next step, figure out the netting size and how it all really works.

Seems like it's going well...

Connection from the square to building

Ideas for the interactive skin of the building.



Idea i - FACES (remembrance)


People like to be remembered, be seen and be heard. That's what drives our shopping/fashion industry, we like to be seen and attract others. As people skate on the square, it captures their truest moments. They are not posing for a picture, or making funny smiles (like those on grad pics where u tilt your head and force a smile). That's why I want to plant camera around the reflecting pool where most of the activities generally happen. The camera will take pictures of the people there and send it a pixelized version of it back to the "building skin". Every pixel will be a round fluorescent tube, pretty much like our LCD monitors, only with big pixels (like the Friendly Alien project by Peter Cook in Graz. As people skate to the music, or sit around the pool in summer, they will be seen and be part of the square.

However, I think this idea only works around the reflecting pool, which doesn't involve the whole square. The interaction between the people, the square, and the building is still quite minimal.


Idea ii- LED Pressure Sensor (fun and interaction)


The sketch to the right explains the idea. The interaction between the building and the square is demonstrated. People can explore the whole square and see a response through the building. I'm still thinking of the winter condition for this installation when there is snow on the ground...


Idea iii- Weather Sensor (sweat and shiver)
This idea came from the different responds we have to the weather. When we are cold, we shiver our body and our teeth being to shake and make sound. When we are hot, we sweat and smell. When it rains and the sky turn grey, it makes us feel gloomy. This idea is still stands by itside and does interact with the square.

Snow Wishes

http://rss.semitransparentdesign.com/2006/12/snow_wishes_interactive_interi.html

what if this was on the skin of a building??

When visiting the square, a lot of the "fun" come from the people that go there. Remembering visiting New York... a group was gathering along the streets, when taking a closer look, they were gathering around a group of hip hop dancers . . . walking down the subway, there was a group of drummers performing. That's why I want to create/design a skin that responds to human motion; making people want to move, jump around, show themselves off to others and just have a great time with other strangers on the square. Already existing on the square is the skating rink that brings people together. . . but that only happens at a tiny portion of the square, if that relationship between people can be strengthen, allowing users to influence the urban environment it creates connection between the space and the users.

work in progress

working on site issues :

interactive between the square, people, the building

TODAY's READ

trying to connect the square with the building
looking for some precedents . . . . .

i like how this book is packed with info and diagrams from different places around the world

Site Visit

Under a temperature of -20 oC, I still managed to get to Nathan Phillip Square. To my surprise, a lot of childrens and young lovers were there skating. Around the Square is the New City Hall, the Old City Hall, Osgoode Hall (place for justice), the Sheraton Hotel, TD bank pavillion, Eaton centre, and other commercial buildings.


What i like most about the square is the skating rink in winter. I enjoy watching people skate to the soft music on the square under the sun. But i feel that there needs to be more interaction between the people and the square. The music does interact with the people, but something visual would be nice. Although today was so cold, almost 1 school bus of people were there. People made the square, without them, the square is nothing. What i did'nt like was that i had to sit on cold benches....maybe they could provide benches with heating installed to make the winter experience more pleasant.

One thing I thought of was moving the skate rental into the building i'm proposing, and giving it a better place. Cause right now, the skate rentals is inside a poorly design box no different from portables from primary school.


And there is this amazing collection of how the square was built inside the city hall, i never would have realize it if i wasn't looking for a hide out place from the cold.

FIRST ENTRY

thesis blog








Documentation of my thesis project on the relationship between object and subject in architecture

The project began back in September 2006 with an idea based on philosophy
Objects and subjects are always embedded in architecture. Subjects are the thing doing something, objects are the thing doing something being done on. Then, is architecture and object or a subject, are the people inside the objects or the subject? With this question in mind, the development of the project continued with choosing a site, designing programs and having a building... An appropriate building type to carry this idea is an Art Gallery. Often in Art Galleries, art works are being displayed. When we view the art work, who is the subject and object? The relationship between object and subject is fluid. There is no definite answer to this. To complicate things even more, I want to design a Digital Art gallery, because it has not been done before in Toronto. An approach to designing a Digital Art Gallery is to make the architecture interactive. As an architect, I feel that architecture always have to be subjective, it always needs to be doing something. Understanding a subjective architecture can be hard. In simple terms, a subjective architecture is responsive architecture.

Over the past 4 months, a lot of research has been done. Research regarding interactive and responsive architecture. Different architects and designer choose to represent interaction differently. A focus I had was to carry out the interaction between human and architecture through perception. A theory by Maurice Merleau-Ponty is that Perception is made strong when it is in motion and in action. Someone standing and looking at something have less of an impact then someone walking and looking at something.


In September...manifesto , site chosen (Nathan Phillip Square)
In October...pre-limnary design
In November...development of schematic design
In December we had our schematic design presentation. Work in progress.... (hard to put 4 month's work in ONE single entry )