Draft2 Poster

PosterEdit1920-1080.mov

Draft2 Movie

Draft2MovieEdit.mov

Draft2 Text

The following outlines my experiments which are in varying stages of deployment.

Hypothesis 1
That there is an underlying subconscious which determines or contributes to an occupants identification with a space and their ability to navigate such a space. That architecture can be alluring or repelling and that there is a system or pattern for each condition.
This experiment is conducted using a tetrahedron labyrinth that the subject is placed within and encouraged to move throughout to achieve a variety of goals. The tetrahedron sponge limits the variables of the experiment as it is unlike any space encountered in everyday life. The symmetry places the significant decisions on the material and lighting conditions, instead of the geometric relations as these are always the same. Finally the fact that each tetrahedron has 3 accessible doors at any one time means that the occupant upon entering a room is left with a choice between 2 doors, evenly spaced with neither being in a direct line from the door just entered.
What remains is an experiment to test threshold conditions and to determine whether particular materials or lighting conditions have assumed or associated spatial uses. It extends the Cheng Yu Sun, Bauke de Vries and Jan Dijkstra experiment with human behaviour using a head cave in which probable paths of egress were tested according to their proximity and size. Instead proximity and size remain constant to explore the other factors that may contribute to a subjects choice of direction.

Hypothesis 2
That factors affecting recognition of spaces can be distilled down to an overall system that can determine how spaces are created and connected. Architecture that is hard, angular and brutal imposes itself on the memory in different ways to architecture that is smooth, delicate or voluptuous.
In this experiment the subject is presented with a variety of internal spaces each with varying geometric, lighting, and textural complexities. After each space is experienced the subject moves to the same room that warps and distorts. The subject can stop the space warping at any time when they are satisfied that it is the same as the previous static room they were in.
By varying light, geometry and material textures this experiment is able to determine what factors are of greatest use in recognising spaces and what combinations are to be encouraged or avoided for the benefit of those already struggling with memory.

Hypothesis 3
That group involvement is of greater benefit than isolated activities for memory and recall and that such group involvement creates architecure that is alive. Architecture that lights up to engage with the users.
Here the previous experiments are expanded into a new set of spatial relationships that encourage group involvement to navigate. The spaces have barriers, visual, structural and implied, so multiple view points and interpretations are beneficial but not essential.
This not only measures the actual benefit of group involvement as hypothesised but also the subjects willingness to partake in such a group activity. Results are of particular relevance for dementia sufferers as they are perceived as being quite isolated. By engaging in group activities it is expected that the group can combine their experiences into an overall memory that presents a more complete recollection and the fact that the subjects will have experienced it together provides them with a solid base on which to relate to their peers and reduce the feeling of isolation.

Note:
Results of all three experiments are ongoing and form the contents of the proposed final design, with the intention being that these experiments, along with others can be experienced first-hand in the final submission.

Procrastination?

Character Problems have been solved now and i have a range of different coloured ones ready to go. Black, Red or Blue, so far, and me of course. If anyone has a particular request i can make to order :) They are still the blocky model (but slightly less blocky than the game ones) for the guys and the exact same as the game for the girls. The girls seem a bit closer to believable meshes and as changing meshes and skinning is the most time consuming part i left them.
Found a simple way to duplicate stuff in the generic browser as well if anyone would still find that useful.









*The blue guy has black arms for some reason, probably a coding mispell, but the black one works fine

I'm working on a custom weapon now, which is proving far more difficult than characters were, but hopefully i will have an umbrella some time soon. we were going to go for a T-square but the umbrella opens when you shoot, come on that's cool

Experiments

Different Threshold Conditions
An experiment to determine conditions that encourage or discourage the occupant to choose a particular path. The idea being that public and private spaces can be distinguished in subtle ways that could be specific to each user.
It also explores the possibilty of an arrangement of spaces that gives a sense of freedom and choice to the dementia sufferer but at the same time restricting this movement on a subconcious level.

Changing Spatial Relationships & Community Interaction
A variation on threshold conditions exploring how visual linking to, and involvement in a community activity can contribute to the experience of a space.
More pragmatically, it can explore the reception of different spaces, lighting conditions and the resulting arrangements.

Breaking down the structure to produce nodes
This experiment contrasts ideas of repetition in a modular arrangement versus an organic system. It aims to find a balance between the static impersonal hospital and something that can engage with the user on a more subjective level. It introduces breaks to a structural system to find relationships that aid in pathfinding and circulation through the memory of nodes and how they link together

A Holl lot of similarities

Simmons Hall, MIT, Cambridge



Sarphatistraat Offices, Amsterdam

Menger Sponge
*Images from www.stevenholl.com*













here are a few of Steven Holls designs that cover a fair amount of the ideas and forms i was working towards. The Simmons Hall building incorporates light wells that flow and erode the otherwise strict bay structure.
The Sarphatistraat Office draws inspiration from the menger sponge, a famous 3d fractal structure.
I had been experimenting with the menger sponge myself for draft one but couldn't find a satisfying solution. i don't really find Holl's solution satisfying either but its the thought that counts.
These two projects combined would seem to produce a project that is eerily close to what i was imagining, a struggle between organic decay and rational structure. The fractal system gives an underlying order while allowing for repetition and disorientation whilst the organic forms break this structure to produce nodes and links between spaces.

Draft One

DraftOne.wmv

Draft One presents a scheme that develops ideas of decay and erosion, which were present throughout semester 1, into a broader experiential concept. The circulation experiment of experiment 4 is continued in a more physically achievable way through the use of different spaces that are linked in a variety of ways. This diverse honeycomb provides a canvas for observing the behaviour of the dementia sufferer and experimenting with various organisational and hierarchical strategies.
The disorientation of the dementia sufferer is highlighted in groups of similarly proportioned spaces that serve to educate and test progress of the patient. Current activities to try to prevent or delay the onset of dementia are generally removed from everyday activities. The activity of living in this space replaces these more traditional methods with the idea that a relatively unhindered sufferer can be admitted and can find the spaces stimulating and challenging and encourage brain activity in areas of more use than could be achieved with crosswords or similar mental stimulation. The breakdown of the sufferer is accommodated in the variety of spaces and their varying degrees of spatial difficulty or interrelations.
The building form itself is a product of such diverse spaces being bundled together but also draws influence on the idea of the dementia sufferer itself. Composed initially of a large mass, spaces are then carved out as required forming paths and nodes linking activities and occupants in much the same way as the brain forms such paths. These nodes are an integral part of the building. As spaces are carved out nodes are left. Peculiar reliefs, the interplay of light, or monumental forms can all be used to help orientate the occupant. These points of reference are experienced subjectively which breaks the repetition that is commonly experienced in current dementia treatment facilities which create monotonous spaces that are cold and calculating. How each occupant uses such node points in their experience of the space is an area that would be of great interest to the carer and is one of the many outcomes that this scheme has for research in the treatment of dementia sufferers.
The challenge in this scheme lies in making the spaces responsive to a functional treatment facility brief while retaining the elements of diversity and repetition that are required for it to succeed as an experiential experiment. This could be achieved by imposing a method to the way spaces are brought together, in a fractal arrangement, for example where spaces are created to follow an overall planning scheme that will create the repetitive labyrinth needed to create disorientation but allow for each space to be used in the overall operation of such a treatment/training facility. What each room’s role is and how they interact with each other is just as important as the interaction of the occupants themselves and will play an important role in the creation of node points and how the building is navigated.