Commencing week six I began to make my final model. This meant a trip to the 4D model shop where I purchased various amounts of material. The main material which makes up the structural parts of my model is called hard board. Its quite a nice material to use as it is much stronger than cardboard and much easier to cut than wood. After having designed my laser cutting templates on illustrator, against my tutors word I decided to engrave certain features onto the model. The reason I did this however was not to make it took fancy but simply to demonstrate that the top floor is the only floor above ground. Therefore I also designed a fence which boxes in the light tubes showing that the back area is a garden space. Within the garden space I also decided to have light tubes going down to the floors below. However this does not take up any space in the garden area as the tubes do not rise above ground level. In reality then this aspect of the design would need to be regularly maintained for these tubes to still allow light to pass down them.
Reflecting upon last weeks crit and looking further into a purpose for my building I have decided to make my model a place for revitalisation. This is because of the properties that natural light has upon us as humans and the ability it can have to make someone either better if they're unwell or often just more relaxed. As many of us go on holiday to a sunny place when we want a break this is a much shorter retreat underground. Having the building as a Spa means that I am able to show the true purpose of getting natural light to places scarce of it, to cause revitalisation. Therefore this design is versatile and could also work well as a house. The floor plans I designed show this.
Cameron (2013, http://www.katcameronillustration.com/)
I have decided that I want there to be a large difference between each floor of the house so that the versatilely can be shown. I aim to try and do this one by differentiating between materials I use. Secondly I will also give each floor a soul focus. For example I am likely to have the lowest floor as a swimming pool. This is not only for structural purposes but also means that the bottom floor can be entirely dedicated to this. For example I may want to include things such as changing rooms with showers. As well as something like a jacuzzi.
lovisadegeer (2014, http://bloggar.aftonbladet.se/)
The reason I put this image in is because of the lighting they use. As can be seen the left hand side wall is well lit much like where the light source would be coming from in my design. Moreover to ceiling is well lit and this is the part of the building I would aim to direct the light toward. This is because of the ambiance it creates within the room. Moreover as the lowest floor of my building has quite high ceilings. About four meters high in reality it would create a focal point upon these vaulted ceilings. Moreover having high ceilings also creates a sense of relaxation. This is done by there being an abundance of space. This is also reflected within the open planned floor plan.
Final outcome (authors own, 2014)
Here the two floors below ground are being utilised. Having built the model I do in ways regret not utilising the space where the tubes pass into the back room. This is because I think something interesting could have been made of this space. For example a swimming pool. However for most of this project I have focused all the models I have made on creating an illusion. The illusion being that there seems to be no light tunnels on display within the spaces I have created or on display outside either. Therefore my decision to not utilise that space was one which I felt was in keeping at the time however I possibly should have included that space sculpturally.
Final outcome (authors own, 2014)
From above it can clearly be seen the way in which light would enter the building. Furthermore by having the entire roof made out of glass on the ground floor would allow vast amounts of light in here at all time. This was not originally what I had planned to do. However due to having an excessive amount of this clear acetate material I experimented with where I could use it. Not only would it allow lots of light into what I intend to be the reception area (where all first impressions are made). But also it created gorgeous over hanging areas which create covered porch areas for if anyone would want to stand outside if it where raining without getting wet.
Final outcome (authors own, 2014)
By learning how to use illustrator to engrave into certain materials I was able to etch on doors and windows. Using colours other than red mean that you can effectively draw on this surface. However something I found from experimenting is to change the settings on the illustrator template. By raising the thickness of the line from 0.001 millimetres to 1 millimetre a much clearer line can be seen. However I did raise the thickness past this at points and if it is raised to much it can detract from the look and make it look less well made. Therefore I think in future I will just have to take into account the material I am using and the scale of my model and what i'm trying to convey.
Final outcome (authors own, 2014)
The view of my model being shown here would not be visible from the fencing downward in reality. However I really like this angle of the building. In reality the area below the fencing where the light tube are would have to be boxed in. This is because I would need to stop any debris getting into the light tubes, or onto the angled mirrors. Moreover a problem I could see with this though is that the maintenance of the mirrors could be difficult as they are outside the inside of the building. However after talking to a friend I quickly came up with a solution that windscreen wiper like devices could be fitted on an elapsed timer to go of regularly. This would stop them from getting dirty and mean that no physical maintenance by humans was needed.
Final outcome (authors own, 2014)
By using fairy lights to show how in reality this design may work I was able to pass light down each one of the light tubes. This gives a much more realistic demonstration of how the inside of the building may look by using light tunnels. With the brightness of each light quite low I think it simulates quite well how to sun would act upon each light tube. Of course within my building I may need to use artificial lights where necessary. However as it is a Spa many areas could be quite relaxing if the light was not blinding but just allowed enough light through. It could also help create an ambiance in certain areas of the building.
Final outcome (authors own, 2014)
By using translucent acetate I was able to create how well the visibility of the light tubes are hidden within the building. The only give away are the circle light projections onto the actual window itself. However although this was unintended I actually really quite like it. This is because it very discreetly shows how the light is entering the lower parts of this building whilst also creating quite a visually pleasing pattern.
Final outcome (authors own, 2014)
The small tubes which I left space for from above create these tiny little spot light effects. With the floor plan I will create I intend to use these spotlights as a feature. What I must also remember is that throughout the day the spotlights will mover around and thus will light individual areas of the building at specific times. This could easily be made into a key feature of the building if I design it correctly.
From this week's crit I have not been given many new ideas. However as I already knew it is now time for me to finalise my outcome. This will mean refining the design by creating floor plans. Moreover I will need to try and exploit my not so great yet developing photoshop skills. In order to put my building into perspective I intend to show in a very crude way how the lower two floors would be underground. I may even not do this in photoshop and just do this using coloured pencils. After having talked to one of the tutors it has been brought to my attention that it may be beneficial for me to look into an architect named Peter Zumthor. He has designed an underground spa in the swiss alps and apparently may have been designed with a similar set of materials. If what I find is that the building he has designed does have the minimalist and open planned feel I want within mine I may use some of his imagery to show how I would like my finalised design to look.
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