Project 3- Art Gallery

Project 3- Art Gallery at King St, Newtown


Site Map
(Green pointed arrow indicates my proposed site)

Site that I've chosen

I found that the site is in strategic location. There are few reasons why I've chosen this site:

1. Convenient:
There's a bus stop opposite the building. Buses will stop right in front and will draw those bus passengers' attention. Visitors also able to stop their cars at the nearest carparks which are not far away.

2.Surroundings:
Various restaurants located along the streets. Visitors may stop by and take a glance at the art gallery after having their treats.

3. Adjacent buildings:
The height of two shops in between are relatively lower than the proposed site. Able to utilize the side by adding windows.

4. Rear Land:
Easy to access and to load art works conveniently. There's a mini park at the behind. It becomes a scenic area for visitors and the owner.

The art dealer will be dealing with Contemporary craft and design which are ceramic and glass work. These two types of art works will not be easily damaged if they were to expose to abundant of sunlight.

Floor Plans

Elevations and One Section

Showing how does the light and shadow works in one of the room's art gallery

Site Model- scale 1:1000

Exterior & Interior Perspectives

Images below showing how visitors attracted to the art works from the front glaze facade. It's noticeable where visitors get to walk down and up through the stairs and the display of artworks at the level1 storefront.

The building has integrated with a commercial art gallery and also to serve as a living apartment unit for the dealer to work and live. My perception of this design is to divide two different spaces into public and private usage. Soon I've developed my idea and came out with this concept-integration.

1. Public / Private
2. Gallery / Home
3. Formal / Personal
4. Concrete / Timber

These pairs above provides a ''play of opposites''

I've picked two types of material to suit and provide functional to this building. Grey concrete material can be commercialized and its flatten texture able to make these art works to stand out vividly. Timber gives the sense of intimacy and cozy feeling which is suitable for a living area. When two different kinds of material meets, it gives a very strong contrast. The living unit area has its own private stairs and access where the outsiders are prohibited to enter. Wide windows are inserted to the bedroom and living room to overlook the mini park at the rear.

My design scheme uses a linear idea, with the structure adjacent to a full-length courtyard. There are 3 courtyards available in this art gallery which are at the front, center and the rear. It's flexible for an art dealer to change the art works from these 3 courtyards.

An overhang roof, created a pocketed elevations that are sheltered from the summer sun. Thus it forms strips of lights and shadows at level 2 and partly at level 1. It's clearly seen from the section model, showing the contrast of shadows, bright to dark and from dark to bright.

There's an entry at level 1 in between the art gallery and living unit area. The kitchen is situated at level 1 where the dealer could provide some treats and drinks for certain occasion easily. Every floors of the art gallery is not completely enclose. One's could overlook from level 1 to ground level or from level 1 to level 2. These 3 levels able to tie together and form an interrelate and connectivity space.

Ceiling heights are played at the ground level. High ceiling at courtyard welcomes and gives the sense of celebrations. After passing through the courtyard, will lead you into the a low ceiling height art gallery room. It brings you from huge, spacious space into an intimate space. The level of ceiling plane defines a path of movement through it and articulate zones of space within a room.

Image below shows the rear access for visitors. A long strip of glaze supported by series of beams to allow partially sunlights admit into the rear passageway. It does serves as a shade on the other hand. Furthermore, skylights able to penetrate into the ground floor and gives glow to some of the art works at the middle courtyard and becomes more conspicuous.

Project 2 - Room and Narrative

Project 2- Room and Narrative


A Painter in His Studio by Jan Miense Molenaer, Berlin, Gemaldegalerie.

The image above shows the painter himself, depicts the unusual moment of a pause in the painter's activities as his group of models seem to take a break from posing- they cleverly reappear on the unfurnished canvas tied to a stretcher on the easel at the right. The artist whom Molenaer depicts at the actual author of the unfinished painting stands at a workbench at the far left, preparing to add new paint with a knife to his palette. He chuckles at the dwarf- a frequent, droll inhabitant of Molenaer's paintings who dances with a dog to the accompaniment of a hurdy-gurdy played by the old man in the background.

My Narrative : A witty painter illustrated his models' gesture on a canvas in his art studio.

What has inspired me was the models' gesture. The painter depicted the activities, actions and motions as well. Each of every gesture has different characteristics like standing, dancing, talking and etc, but to create a complete and interrelate scene. My idea towards this project was to form movements within spaces and forms.

My initial design concept

By looking at the plan, there's a passageway will lead you directly to one of the rooms. One would prepare to experience, see and to utilize the rooms. There are 3 main points that I've made to form movements within these rooms:

1. Circulation space - a person able to move from one level to another level by using the staircase

2. Forms being rotated - The disposition of square forms been rotated to create different edges/corners of a room.

3. Optical rotation - When one's revolves around the rooms, he able to perceive a change of angle as walking up and down from one room to another room.

Windows

1st level - Using opaque glass and photochromic windows to allow partially lights into the room.
(photochromic windows respond to changes in light much like sunglasses that darken when you move from a dim light to a bright one)

2nd level- A translucent glass allows half of the light into the room.

3rd level- Two openings of both sides. Nature light pours in from both sides and top to give a heavenly illumination.

For the shape of plan, I exerted from the art easel and projected into abstract gesture on the top level.

Poche + Parti Diagrams

Mother's Venturi House by Robert Venturi


Poche drawings

Plan

Section

Elevation

Parti Diagrams

1. Circulation
   
2. Geometry
3. Enclosure
4. Program
5. Structure