Liam Maley - Arch 1201

Monday, 11 June 2012

Arch1201 Week 12 - Notes

· Site model – “long views” vs “glancing views”

· comparing ‘voids’ in previous year’s models.

· Start with a strategy taken form a significant work of architecture.

· Remember to keep lines and levels of the building(s) in mind. Previous student’s model, which had levels of buildings lined up.

· Have at least 2 staircases; maybe a even lift

· New model – angles based on one of the houses you have studied – criticism is that it didn’t take into consideration the angles of the surrounding house.

· Finally talked about a house – Dr’s house at La Plaza

· Dr’s surgery at front with glazed windows. Very clear separation with the PRIVATE residential part of the building at the back.

· “blurring of public and private” without compromising either.

· “architecture needs many layers of thought”.

· Every room feels like it is surrounded by trees.

· Always something new to find in each room.

· Bathrooms sit like ‘artificial landscapes’ in the building.

· “architecture speaks to architecture”!

· Tree in middle of building – ‘not sure what is inside and what is outside’

· “nothing ever feels like it is predicable”

· Although architect has his own plan and does not let the site dictate what he wants to do, he does relate to adjacent buildings. It looks like it has no relation to the adjacent buildings, but on closer inspection a careful attention has been given to adjacent buildings.

Arch1201 Week 11 - Notes

Lecture – 14 May 2012

· Site visit - The way you see things = “not complicated”. Group site model – have it 80% complete by tomorrow.

· In your site models, practice being in the place – if you’re doing a suburban site, visits other suburban sites.

· Combination of drawings, photographs, models etc.

· “Not conscious” – simply draw upon the material, and deal with it later. Processing the info later is where the conscious thought comes into play.

· Characters that you nominate to live in your place.

· Think about the consequences architecturally.

· Put down ‘pointers’ of what you think are interesting.

· 1:500 model.

Today’s Case Study = House in Castlecrag designed by Hugh Burich

· designed 1969 – 1972

· Edinburgh Road runs through the peninsula – this house is built on a street which branches off it.

· Griffin designed Castlecrag to match the unique Australian landscape.

· “permanent preservation of the pristine loveliness”

· See drawing of house: Large tree – house is a small element off to the side.

· May be a house – but looks like a rock ledge.

· Frank Lloyd Wright approach to relationship between building and landscape.

· Other houses in Castlecrag are low structures, much rock and sandstone façade. ‘Substantial use of Sydney sandstone’

· Many have flat concrete roofs.

· Very low houses, almost buried in the landscape.

· Built as an extension of a small Griffin knit-lock ( pre-cast concrete elements) building.

· Whilst it looks like there are “angles everywhere”, the set-backs are actually simple set-backs from the boundary.

· Apparently the walk-ways mirror the contours of the land

· House has “a constant capacity to surprise you”.

· Takes delight in modern materials.

· Extensive use of repetition.

· Long glazed walls.

· Slate floor was cheap – intended to be replaced.

· House has a powerful weight, but also floats.

· Curved roof may reflect the landscape.

· Architect is having a ‘conversation’ with Griffin.

· Thinking about nature, but making the forms deliberately artificial.

Arch1201 Week 10 - Notes

Lecture was cancelled.

Arch1201 Week 9 - Notes

Introduction to Assignment 3 - (went throught outline and submission requirements) - See other notes for more details.

Monday, 23 April 2012

ARCH1201 - Week 7 Notes

ARCH1201 - Week 7 Notes:

Guest lecturer from landscape faculty at UNSW.

1) Villa Medici - Italian Renaissance at Fiesole, on hill overlooking Florence: long terraces, formal gardens, different heights, paved or gravel courtyards with walls, doors, gates to add ceremony; ornamented with pots, urns etc; loggia connecting villa to outside/garden; repetition of trees; pool; terraces overlooking the view have low walls with parts carved out; a pergola is covered in greenery and is bordered with flowers-informal. Lower terraces have formal patterns of maze-like hedging cut low and shaped trees.

2) Villa d'Este, at Tivoli, near Rome. Also Renaissance era.

High position, has terraced gardens, an oasis in contrast with rather arid surroundings; very elaborate layout; lots of pots; narrow sloping paths with walls and vegetation enclosing the paths, lots of water eg. wall with regular jets from carved animal heads along the base, ferns, fountains; descending series of ponds; further away from the villa the garden is wilder, not so trimmed.

3) Canberra-Sculpture garden at National Gallery, bordering Lake Burley Griffin, native plants, careful placing of sculptures

4) Ballast Point Park, Birchgrove: re-use of metal, rubble; plants used to clean water, remnants of the past incorporated into the park. Different levels, terraces. Small windows in enclosed lookouts frame the view.