Art 8 Lego Architecture

1. Scale

2. Space and Section

3. Module and Repetition

4. Surface

Final Project

How did Mass and Density affect you design?

a.     How did “Mass and Density” affect your design?  How will people live, dwell or function in your structure?  How many People? The house is designed for family's of four members or more, due to its larger size. Its for people who make more money than the average person, due to the thoughtful planning of the structure and no other house having the same floor plan. It makes it unique and the added elevator increases the price to more than an average home which is just a copy of hundreds of other houses around your neighbour hood. It is truly one of a kind. 

b.     In what way did you incorporate “Surface” into your design?  Comment on what type of Surfaces you chose (Curved, Textured, Smooth, other…) and why you chose these surfaces. The floors outside the house are smooth to simulate a smooth sidewalk or patio. Then the walls are sleek bricks as it builds up to the level of glass windows, the bricks forming the main shape of a square. (We wanted it to resemble a house more so we started with the basic square shape.) After the windows the next layer is lined, bumpy bricks in order to break up the pattern and make it more interesting. Then when we reach the roof we wanted to change it up even more and take this house to a new level. Making the shape curved and the roof completely flat. In a standard house the roof would be made of flat square pieces forming a slope. But we made it more fashionable by making it smooth and flat with curved edges. We did not make the flat roof square tiles because rain would seep into the cracks without dripping off the surface due to us not having the roof be a slope. With the single solid pieces lining the roof the rain just drips off the curved edges with minimum possibility of it seeping into many cracks.

c.      How did “Module and Repetition” affect your design?  Does your structure exhibit these concepts?  Why or why not. Our house does exhibit repetition. We have the wall showing repetition in its pattern, texture, etc. but the inside is more unique. Being a house each room is different as family members have different interests and parts of the house are used for different purposes. If it was an apartment complex  then more repetition would be displayed, as each room would be the same serving the same purpose as all the others. The upper floors of the house are the rooms and the office for the working parents. The bottom floor has a bathroom and large main living space for the family. The roof has is flat with curved edges to put it apart from other ordinary houses no matter if you are on the ground or in the air.

d.     Explain the rationale for “Space and Section” of your structure.  How will your structure function?  Where would be the best place for your structure? Our structure was a house meant for holding a full family of four or more. It will function in having an interesting structure but also being the most convinent for the landlord to fit it on their square piece of property (Since most of the time that is how land is plotted). It took the similar shape of a square but had a more complex roof and side walls that we tried to incorpret repetition into. We only had a few rooms that were closed off, for in family houses most rooms are all connected around the atrium. Another aspect is the atrium. We chose this to make our structure not only interesting but allow access to the upper levels and brings the whole house together.

4.     Critique- How well did you do?  Which two Architectural concepts did you applied the best to your structure? (explain why these two)

5.     Reflection question:

1.     Which is your favorite architectural structure in Singapore, and explain why?
Out of all Singapore's amazing structures the Lotus is my favorite. Why its my favorite is because of the way it has a smooth surface that curves into the flower petals and it keeps your attention without the use of windows. In our project I saw how hard it was to make an object curved let alone smooth too. The fact that it has no windows but still manages to draw to catch my attention surprises me. Since the way I like to design my buildings requires lots of glass and to have little windows that you can peak inside and see little chairs, beds, or tables. I find the lotus captivating with an unbelievable structure that amazes everyone who comes to Singapore, that is why its my favorite.

2.     Who is Frank Lloyd Wright? Name two things he is famous for.  Provide images of his work.  Do you like his work?

Frank Lloyd Wright is a famous architect who has designed over 1,000 buildings in his life time and completed around 532. His buildings not only vary in style but in places around the world, since he was in such high demand. Unfortunately Frank Lloyd Wright April 9, 1959 at the age of 91. Two buildings that he completed (my favorite) are the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Hollyhock house in L.A. I do like some of his work, as I said his style does vary and I like some more than others. What I really love about his work is that he makes each building unique instead of just basic patterns and shapes. Also the fact that he can use other materials besides the normal wood/stone and how he can make it blend into the culture he sets it in. Such as Falling-water in Pennsylvania.

Guggenheim Museum

The insides even better!

Hollyhock House

Fallingwater