Final Design

Below are the plans and sections developed for my young, trendy map maker. I am really happy with the final design, as I believe that it fulfils the concept that I developed and contains a strong connection with the key elements of Mies' work as demonstrated in the Brick House and Barcelona Pavilion. I think that I have embraced the need of the client and the neighbourhood while keeping in tact the delicate site.

In my mind the key design features are the glass map display area and the clearly defined zones, including the T-shaped living/gallery space, the expansive studio and the public garden area. I think that the three storey, hanging may display area at the entrance would create and exciting welcome for a visitor to the studio. It is then through the combination of glass and purposefully placed walls that the downstairs living area, including two decks, is constructed and creates a path through to the more private gallery space. This space is opened up by the double storey roof to the right side of the room, which lets natural light in through small windows that open to the public garden allowing for neighbours to get glimpses of the map maker's work. As the right wall of the map maker's second storey studio is also glass, he is able to look down too. The studio also, comprises of a wall of book shelves and an adjustable desk that changes in size depending on his needs. This studio then opens to a lovely private yard with a tranquil long pond that stretches the length of the back of the property, past a wall into the public garden space which is lined with benches.

Proposal Two

This design was inspired by the townhouses that surround the site. I wanted to keep the skinny street frontage and modernise it! I was inspired by this picture that I found in a magazine.

I was imagining a stylish, metro sexual, young guy, map maker by day graphic designer by night. This studio is as much a social place to him as well as a place of work, given it’s vicinity to Sydney’s night life.

Initially the downstairs area was centred around a large T intersection that ran through the house from one courtyard to another on the north and south sides. This was accessed via a skinny corridor that created space at the front of the house for the kitchen and bathroom. The other side of this living area, was a large exhibition space.

Similar, to my first design the map maker’s personal studio was quite distinct from the social area downstairs. Access was via a set of stairs, at the entry to the building. The double ceiling height of the living area below, meant that he could look down past the maps hanging from the ceiling. His large work area, had one wall for display and one with 3.5m high bookshelves, accessible by ladders. It then opened up on to a very private back yard.

I really liked the Mies’ inspired qualities that this design included with it’s multiple courtyards, inspired by the Barcelona Pavilion and the variety of spaces created by simple walls. However, when I built the lower floor plan up in sketchup it felt incredibly claustrophobic! I decided I needed to move the bathroom and kitchen and open up the living space. However, given that I was quite attached to the idea of a large T living space and the idea of artfully hanging maps I needed a plan that would maintain these elements within my desired shell.

I went through a lot of tracing paper fiddling with different layouts. Ultimately, I decided to take Mies’ love of courtyards further and also to take his direction on the placement of the bathroom, offsetting it from the rest of the building.

I then, rebuilt this up in sketchup and found that the street view was incredibly imposing. I found inspiration to solve this problem in Peter Zomthor’s building Kolumbia. I embellished that facades with brick detailing, a feature that I think would also be very interesting inside.

Another area for which I sort inspiration was creating an architectural public space. I really loved the feel of the following images and embraced the concepts of the designs within my own.

Proposal One

I approached this idea with the aim of keeping the existing topography. As such, I designed a pair of buildings, one more social and public, the other a quite personal studio.

A visitor to the map maker’s studio would enter via a large deck on the north side of the lower building. This deck has adjustable screens for privacy from the neighbouring park and pub. Large glass doors into the building create an indoor-outdoor living space. You then enter into a large exhibition space, behind which is access to the studio, a kitchenette and bathroom.

The office space, depicted in the perspective below, is surrounded by bookcases. It has a sloping roof and large pull back doors that open the space to an outdoor courtyard that looks over the park.

Although, I enjoyed developing this design I did decide to pursue it as I did not really feel it had a Mies quality. Although it embraced the open plan of many of Mies’ buildings I think that the extent of the openness, which was necessary given the special requirements did not create a variety of different areas, rather to distinct areas.

Site Analysis

The two key concerns that I identified upon my visit to the site where shadow from neighbouring buildings as well as privacy and noise. Both of these are demonstrated in the following diagrams and photographs.

Privacy and Noise Diagram

Shadow Diagram

Photograph Collage One

Photograph Collage Two