M Pavilion
Inflatable Seat Design
The concept that this pavilion is based on is that of inflatables. I explored inflatable architecture as a panel infill as well as a seat. The seat have been designed to be inflated from the concrete panel slab as seen in the detail above. It can be either inflated as a seat or retract below the floor to leave an open space. This allows for the area to have several uses and seating arrangements, thus meeting the brief of a lunchtime seminar and evening concert. The northern edge of the space is the main performing space and is thus clear of seating, with the Yarra and city landscape as the backdrop to the space. However, this isn't the only option as it can be changed to be on the south particularly during the day, when the sun is at it's highest and the shade panels are fully stretched.
Inflatable Panel Design
Continuing the concept of inflatables, the roof plane has a similar treatment to the ground. This time the inflatable component is working on light and shade to inform how the space is used. The inflatable panels are anchored at the corners of the triangle panels and this is where the air comes in and out depending on the desired function of the pavilion. For example. during the day, to provide greater shelter from the sun, the panels are fully inflated providing shade to the presenter and those listening to the lunchtime seminar. During other parts of the day, the shelter aspect can be modified to allow more light and visual connection to the sky by deflating the panels. This is yet again another dynamic aspect to this project
Seating Layout
Above is a few sketches that outline how the shadows of the roof line has informed the seating arrangement and how the seating can be changed to suit the function. It's also important to note that the seats have been arranged in the curved rows due the way the roof structure cast shadows on the ground when it is noon at the site. This was information gathered from research from a site visit conducted at the start of the project. I also wanted to look further into the shadow, thus when working out how to place this roof form on the ground, decided to use contour wood panels to create shadows. The wood contour effect also encourages people to circulate the pavilion to see how they hide and show the interior depending on the angle at which you are at.
Exploded Isometric
This diagram is looking at the site and how the pavilion relates to it. The circulation has been highlighted and this is based on where the site is from when I visited the site. This also gives a description of where the presentation renders where taken from as well as the model section cut. Along side the technical elements, this diagram has established how there is a hard threshold in the ground plane crafted by the contrasting materials, the surrounding grass and the concrete panel floor.
Reflection
Digital design has exposed me to new design processes, particularly the idea of generating designs through iteration. In each module, I focused on taking the taught content and then pushing it further to uncover new possibilities as seen with the exploration of inflatables in the final module. To conduct this, it required an understanding of the content provided and then how it can be manipulated to included elements that I researched, thus my designs were more an exploration of the process to get the end result.
At the start of the course in module one, we got the chance to uncover the architects design thinking in terms of thresholds and circulation when it came to a select group of Pavilions. I conducted research on the Radix Pavilion which was designed by Portuguese brothers, Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus. As I researched and analysed the site, it became apparent that it was paying homage to the surrounding industrial context. The brothers utilised materiality to show this as well as encourage patrons to engage and move through the pavilion. There consideration to experience that the patron has from the approach to being with in the pavilion was what makes this a powerful pavilion. It also played with the concept of solid and void which was a component in the next module. The following module focused on learning new techniques when it comes to parametric software with grasshopper. This is were iteration was a major component and can be seen with the matrices in this portfolio. It wasn’t just about creating loads of variations though, it was about analysing each and looking at how it could be altered. The concepts that I focused on here where curvature and fragments. Upon completing several variations, exploring how these could be used in a the real world at different scales unlocked how digital design processes are used to create design that are hard to visualise without computer generation. Moving into the final module, it was combining the learning from both to create a pavilion that could hold a lunchtime seminar and a evening concert in a 5x5x5 meter box. Continuing to push the possibilities of the programs, I look into inflatables and their potential. This exploration was combined with the second modules concept of curvature with the roof shape and fragments with the dynamic panelling of the roof. However, the key concept was inflatables and this provided challenges with grasshopper scripts crashing, delaying the design process. However, this enabled the script to be refined and utilised in an effective way in the end. Thus, I utilised it in two very functional uses, as shading and seating which are key to the brief. The inflatable concept also enables the space created to be multifunctional. Moving forward, I hope to continue the development of my skills in CAD as well as digital representation. I also have learnt through the projects to ensure I have a clear concept and stick to that one.