MashUp

Advanced Materials for Civil Infrastructure lead to innovative design strategies whereby the architecture responds to individuals using it and harnesses the surrounding environment.

By implementing "smart" materials that are lighter, stronger and more durable, it has the ability to shape design strategies to create astounding plans, carving new paths for futuristic designs.

2013, 'Russell Cole is Green Engineer of the Year,' ARUP, 10 April, 28/05/2013

http://www.arup.com/News/2013_05_May/22_May_Russell_Cole_is_Green_Engineer_of_the_Year.aspx

1999, 'Researchers Building Lightweight "Bridge For The 21st Century",' Science Daily, 28 January, 28/05/13

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/01/990128073337.htm

2011, 'World's First Sustainable Bridge,' Design Build For Source, 25 July, 28/05/2013

http://designbuildsource.com.au/world’s-first-sustainable-bridge

Environment

 

Due to my Chinese heritage, the environment I decided to base my cryengine on is Jiuzhaigou Valley (Valley of Nine Villages) in China on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau.

This landscape stretches across 72,000 hectares and is made up of waterfalls, dozens of blue, green and torquize-coloured lakes and snow-capped peaks. The vegetation is made up of broad-leaf forest and woodlands where it also is a home to bamboo and rhododendron (brightly colored purple flowers). 

I decided to choose this landscape due to its tranquil atmosphere and its ability to appear unaffected by the rest of the world. I admire its timelessness and its portrayal of uncorrupted beauty.

Here is a draft of my environment. I wanted the environment to exhibit the season of Autumn/winter. I also found difficulties in finding appropriate vegetation that are found in my environment. 

I might also consider scaling down my environment as cryengine is starting to lag.

Exp 2 Submission

For this experiment, we had to create a monument for Frank Lloyd Wright and Aires Mateu, who both worked with the landscape in very different ways. I wanted my monument to juxtapose their two forms of architecture, while considering how the "two" monuments connect with the landscape and articulate the space created between. 

After discussing my concept, I decided to aggregate "Domination of geometric models" and "Artificial cultivation of the environment" and arrived at my final concept, "Dominating geometric forms articulate the landscape." 

 

Using this concept I developed my textures, Sketchup model and Cryengine environment revolving around this idea.

 

This exhibits how geometric forms can both dominate and compliment the landscape.

This is done through the use of dark texture and shadows, which emphasizes the missing volume.

This is the bridge that connects the two separate styles in the monument through the combination of subtraction and addition elements.

 

Downloads: SketchUp: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=d982350ea66163116047a41aa41cf2

Cry Engine: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gn6gptr9ucdnbuw/G9gOXyqDbmEdit: My Cry Engine download does not work, my model disappears when I opened the file in cry engine, please use this link instead.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pn8jobsqp3n9lif/ARCH1101EXP2WK2VS1.rar

Monument Edited

I decided to modify my SketchUp model after discussing with Matt on both my concept and my monument. 

Using my improved concept, "Dominating geometric forms articulate the landscape," I exaggerated the planar blocks that extend from the vertical prism to create contrast and mimic the contours of the sandstone islands in my cry engine environment. 

I also made small platforms at the end of these bridges to mimic the islands in the environment. I want these bridges to lightly touch surface of the landscape through the the thin rods that extend from the bottom of the monument, like stilts.

 Isometric

 Right

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