Project 2: Final Model

Project 2: Final Presentation and Drawings

At top-right is my final parti. The top drawing is my plan and under it is my section.

I divided my rooms to 3 part, each with different mood and function where the woman will experience. These 3 rooms also differ in its ceiling height, from low to high on each subsequent room. Even though they are different they are interlocking to one whole component, with a purpose of creating an atmosphere where the woman can sit and think thoroughly.

- The lowest room, where it will be totally buried underground and made with concrete is where 'isolation' happens and she is escaping from outside world.
- The middle room, built from timber is where a part of it will be cantilevered out of the cliff. Given the vast view available she will wonder on how important she is compared to the vast world. I call this room 'contemplation'.
- The final room, the topmost room is the 'enlightenment', where her state of mind is finally peaceful. It is made with concrete, a heavy material suspended on top of lightweight material of timber, creates an effect of floating and free from any burden.
If my design consisted of only two lowest rooms, there would be a sense of imbalance, as if they would be falling down to the chasm. Therefore my topmost room balances them, perceptually and spiritually for the woman herself, as she would find peace in there. Overall the shape of the rooms represent a fragile state of mind of her.

At below are some storyboards on what the woman will experience, as well as the light quality at each level.

- To the left is a scene on the lowest level. There is a seating area dug out of the wall, intensifying the isolation and is built from warm material timber. It is contrasting with the cold surrounding of concrete and it allures the woman to sit there.
- At the middle is the stair connecting the second level to the third level.
- To the right is a cross slit opening on the wall of the third level, inspired from the Church of Light.

Axonometric views
Scale 1:100
- On the third floor there is a cross-shaped slit opening and a small niche dug out of the floor, where the woman can sit facing the cross. The placement of the slit opening is at the top of the room, designed for the purpose when the woman sees it she has to tilt her head upward just like the position of praying.
- On the second floor there is a big opening one meter high, touches directly to the floor. It is purposely designed so the woman has to sit if she wants to see the outside world. But by doing so she also places herself in risk of falling. The dilemma is created to give the woman a thought more to herself, on how important she is in this vast world.

Plan 1
Scale 1:50

This plan shows the first and second level. The stair connecting this two level is designed to be smaller at the top, for the purpose of directing the incoming light from the second level into the first level. This little glimpse of light, compared to the absolute darkness of the first room, is what going to allure the woman to go to the next room.

Plan 2
Scale 1:50
This plan shows the design of the topmost room and also the entrance from outside to the underground lowest room.

Section 1
Scale 1:50
The ladder connecting the entrance from outside world to the lowest room is purposely chosen to intensify the feeling of isolation, and a bunker. It also allows the smallest opening needed for the woman to enter the room, which means the smallest amount of light entering as well.

Section 2

Scale 1:50
It shows a niche dug out of the floor for seating area and an opening on the ceiling, as well as on the wall of the third floor. The large window opening on second floor is also shown here.

For this design all the seating types are built-in, the building itself becomes a furniture for the woman. It is designed so for the purpose to reflect nothingness on what the woman feels.


(P.S. Please note the quality of the drawings uploaded here has decreased and lost its depth due to scanning).

Project 2: Site selection

Chalk Cliff, England

I chose a cliff with sharp angle (almost right-angled cliff) for my site because it gives a tense feeling of danger and it allows one of my rooms to be buried inside (like a bunker), another room is projecting outside and almost cantilevered out where the strongest feeling of danger can be sensed, and the final room to be suspended, unattached to the ground where it represents the woman is free from any burden.

Project 2: Initial design

Project 2 : Painting selection & Narrative

'The Automat' by Edward Hopper

Automat (1927) is a painting by Edward Hopper which portrays a lone woman staring into a cup of coffee in an automat late at night. Art critics often cite the work as an example of urban alienation.

A young woman sits alone, the chair across from her drawn in close to the table. Her hat is pulled low over her forehead; her eyes are fixed on her coffee cup. Dressed in the armor of fashion, she wears her good clothes: a winter coat with fur at the collar and cuffs and a spring cloche with a brave bunch of cherries at the brim. But hat and coat do not quite go together, and, like the young woman herself, seem a bit tired and not quite up to date. The woman looks self-conscious and slightly afraid, unused to being alone in a public place. Something appears to have gone wrong. Not only her attire but also the organisation of space subtly suggest the uncertainty of her social position. Seated at the table nearest the door, she is at a carefully calibrated remove from the social flow. The restaurant seems vast and strangely empty; the window behind the young woman reflects nothing in the restaurant except the round ceiling lights--and they recede into an indefinite distance, while illuminating nothing of the world outside. The window becomes a dark void, sucking the light in. It reflects nothingness.

From there I developed my narrative into :

A small woman who sits introspectively, she confines herself in her sanctuary, perched at the edge of the cliff.