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UTOPIA:
A DECONSTRUCTION
The development of a realistic, structurally informed design inspired by its own inhabitation
This project directly followed Memoirs of a Drifting Isle and is also informed by a narrative. However, this Centre for Creative Arts & Practices demanded a much larger programme than the Wellington Library, creating several issues and inviting complexity. As a result, the narrative is less tangible. As before, 3D modelling was essential, as well as Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop.
Different disciplines are to be merged into one building to provide an interdisciplinary education. An installment on such a scale needs to consider the advancement and capability of future studies - it will become a UTOPIAN vision of creative integration.
UTOPIA is an imagined community that produces almost perfect conditions for its citizens. However, it is the CITIZENS themselves that eventually become the cause for DISRUPTION and societal COLLAPSE. The design’s identity stems from the moment before collapse, interpreting utopia as a DECONSTRUCTION that is broken open and laid bare.
SITE ANALYSIS
PRELIMINARY DESIGN
STRUCTURE
CANTILEVER BEAMS
The design relies heavily on cantilevers, because of the ‘upper body’ notion of the design. As sections of the building move outwards from each megacolumn, deep beeams are needed to support the floor slabs and additonal loads.
INVERTED V BRACE FRAMES
Resisting lateral loads, these frames are spread throughout the structure. This system was selected for its strong visual expression and can be clearly expressed as the ‘bones’ of the building beneath the construction.
The bracing frames are visible on the ground floor, due to the open public nature.
MEGACOLUMNS
Resisting gravity loads, this feature consists of thick steel columns grouped in a square. These megacolumns as act the ‘feet’ of the design, with one in the centre of each divided building section. They are also integrated into the circulation network, each host to a public egress stair that allows selected access into different parts of the building.
DRAWINGS
PLAN + SECTION
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