Rendering Nature // Making the Invisible Perceivable

Laura Seymour Architecture 101 // Final Learning Portfolio CCSF // Instructor Jerry Lum // Spring 2015

Site Analysis For our final project, we were tasked with Rendering Nature: making the invisible perceivable. To do this, we first had to select an outside area, in or around the courtyard of Batmale Hall in which to design and construct a full-scale site specific installation. Our design was also to respond to the significant aspects of the site in creative, credible, and relevant ways while harnessing the natural forces present.

As we moved to examine the courtyard, I was thinking: What is important to us and what is important to nature?

This initial question kept repeating itself in my mind. Outside, I was seeing it the courtyard with new eyes, there seemed a limitless amount of possibilities. Seeking a niche that possessed interesting features but might normally be overlooked, everyone in the group agreed that the fir tree in the courtyard was an interesting place to start. Looking back, I can see now that this was the first big decision that impacted our thinking and final design.

We finally chose our site up the hill, a place between two eucalyptus trees overlooking a greenbelt to the west, with views of the city to the east. It was windy and beautiful up there, elements we knew we wanted to utilize and emphasize in our final design and as a whole, the site possessed a more naturally inspiring backdrop for us to explore.

Further site analysis up the hill yielded these important discoveries that we chose to utilize and uniquely shape our design:

•  strong winds •  the two trees, and their existing spatial relationship •  exposure to experience nature and the elements •  understanding our environment (though experience) and our values (through discussion and research), determining how we will respond through our design

Theme and Concepts Considering the emphasis on nature within our objective, it seemed counter-intuitive to use an excessive amount of resources; wood and building supplies. We also wanted to adhere to a limited budget. Therefore, we knew we needed to work smart, challenging ourselves to think innovatively with a design that would respond to our site in a credible way. These limitations also focused and informed us to design with simplicity and efficiency, while still allowing room for potential discoveries during our creative process.

After the site analysis, we knew we wanted to harness the elements of wind and sunlight / shadow play. We also wanted to communicate feelings of openness, lightness, and a connectedness to nature through a dynamic, morphing, moving design. More research and exploration was needed.

This quote provided by our instructor helped me to frame my thinking as we entered the design process:

“The landscape is a kind of text, a constructed ground of signification that inevitably speaks of the culture and the natural forces that made it. Specifically we tracked the ways in which landscape is formed through the natural forces of light, wind, and habitation… Tracking is a means of making a construction within a natural landscape in such a way that it actively engages that landscape.” -- Victoria Meyers, Principal at Hanrahan + Meyers

Roskilde Dome 2012 // Kristoffer Tejlgaard + Benny Jepsen

Iteration 1 // Tensioning, Form + Space

Iteration 2 // Morph

Wind, transformation, and movement were definitely our themes, and the exploration of these concepts was challenging and exciting. Iteration two of the morphing structure shows how it bends, twists and flexes in response to the pressure applied.

Above, a connector joint I designed to accommodate the bend and flex of this model. Although it is simple in form, it represents many rounds of trial and error in my quest for simplicity with high functionality of all parts.

Further research yielded more inspiration. The work of Janet Echelman was light, full of movement and offered an incredible response to it’s surroundings- we sought to achieve the same. This, coupled with the complexity and multitude of unknowns of my previous work, took my thought process and modeling towards our final design.

She is Moving // Janet Echelman

Iteration 3 // Suspension

Finally, all of my ideas and inspirations were coming together in what I knew would be a compelling way. The idea to suspend from above made our project quite site-specific, and therefore difficult to model exactly. Because of this, we knew that our approach would present unexpected design challenges during our building process. However the team was ready to address them as they came, and we proceeded with this final iteration.

Objectives Informed by a strong concept and theme, the design objectives became clear. •  Attention to detail, with applied focus on choosing the best materials. •  Develop and maintain a consistent design language. •  Utilize and respond to the existing site aspects to optimize our design. •  Create individual and community interactive spaces within the structure. •  Quest for simplicity, less is more.

Process Taking into account that our team collectively possessed very little building experience, we wanted to make the building process simple from the start so that we might better utilize our strength in concept design. We unanimously decided on developing a kit of parts to aid our process, which would also achieve our objective to maintain a consistent design language. This meant combing the aisles of Lowe’s Home Improvement store for the best parts to meet our criteria. Each component we chose need to be first and foremost highly functional. We were also looking for simplicity of parts for a cleaner design.

The Kit of Parts:

•  2x2 sections of pine •  ¼” white plastic cable clamp •  ½” black split flex tubing •  White Mason Line on a 1,000 foot roll

•  Industrial rubber straps •  S – hooks •  10” galvanized spike with a 2” washer •  1” screws

Above are four different joints we designed to find the best way to provide flexibility and 360 degree movement desired within the structure.

Installation

The addition of 3 pulleys throughout the structure could be engaged by one individual, or by three people simultaneously, making the structure move and transform.

Final stage: adding the fabric “sail”, which caught so much wind it had to be lowered each night.

Project Completion Our pursuit of creating a moving, transforming, interactive structure which embraced the landscape and it’s inhabitants was finally achieved, with beautiful simplicity. However, not without it’s challenges, many of witch were primarily due to the site-specific nature of our project, as well as the simple fact that we were designing something that had never been built before!

Tackling the unknowns together, this process also yielded many unexpected and beautiful surprises along the way. One such discovery was the feeling of satisfaction and enclosure one felt under the many arrays of sting running throughout the structure. The string created a pleasing sense of organic walls and canopy, without surfacing, that allowed the participant to be both inside and outside simultaneously.

Another discovery that brought our project to final completion was the incredible strength of the wind, and the way it immediately filled the sail to activate the entire design. After solving the issue of a proper connection to raise and lower the sail without impeding our design, we were rewarded with a sail full of wind and the satisfaction of our design coming alive.

As an environmental installation, I believe we achieved our goals and objectives. Our design embraces and responds to nature and the immediate surroundings with a consistent design language. I hope our creation will inspire others to challenge their assumptions of nature and design, while offering an unexpected and beautiful new way to experience both.

Discovery + a Poem Not only had we engaged the landscape as shaped by natural forces, but this project got me thinking on bigger issues within our culture and society. Issues like over-consumption, waste, and our limited earthly resources. How can we as a culture and society live more harmoniously with nature and consume less? Our project begins to tackle this BIG question. Consequently, I discovered I thrive when I am able to channel my values and intentions into a concept that I feel passionate about. This project, under with the wise direction of our instructor, has informed me how incredibly important it is to me personally, as well as a designer, to live and create with intention, imagination, mindfulness, and minimalism.

At the request of our instructor, I am concluding this written portion with a poem, as yet untitled, providing narrative for our design.

Ducking, entering outside in and inside out found under a canopy of strings, leaves and stars.

Wind is stirring bustling, blowing struggling showing transformed ! Relaxing now into a gentle resistance.

Moving through you feel her turning now you see her turn again she disappears. Here, where the outside’s inside Nature’s home.

Less is More Dismantling the project took less than an hour. Photos here to document what remained, this represents the entire project: four small piles of materials – wood, fabric, rubber, and metal – we almost could not believe how little materials there were. Less really is more!