Model-it: Fisher House - Site Model

Upon being assigned the task of reproducing a site model of the Fisher house on a scale of 1:200, I did some research into the building and its site. As always, research is essential to get my head around what the building and the architect is about, allowing me to reflect this in my presentation of the model. Looking at the site that Louis Kahn's Fisher House was in, I decided it was all about materiality, textures, the roughness and earthy colours of the site. Here are the images of the completed model: I decided to use cardboard instead of balsa. While I wanted to achieve an almost rustic effect, I also wanted the model to be clean and neat. After some experimentation with lacquers and stains in my previous model I decided to do the same with this one. As a result I spent several hours experimenting with different finishes. This one is varnish. It darkened and gloss the cardboard I quite liked the effect, and ended up using this mixed with another more reddish stain for the final model.

White enamel paint, took too long to dry, and too many coats to achieve the desired finish.

Model-it: The Barcelona Pavillion

This is the first architectural model I have ever constructed. It is Mies Van de Rohe's Barcelona Pavillion at 1:200. In this model I found myself experimenting with varnishes and stains, something which served me well in later models. I came to grasps with my tools and techniques I could use when constructing my models. Overall I was relatively pleased with the result. Progress photos:

Draw-it: The Rose Seidler House

Essentially I wanted my drawings overall to be crisp and accurate yet have a certain edge about them, allowing them to stand out. As an avid fan of Frank Lloyd Wright I spotted in one of his own drawings a rendering technique that involved using horizontal lines behind the building as a way of presenting the sky and adding a strong sense of unity to the entire drawing. I realised this would work well with my composition, and so after much thought and experimentation, I presented the elevations along the same ground line spread across the two A2 pages, then with much patience ruled the lines, using different shades of blue, for above and below the datum. The drawings themselves were all simply and neatly presented, and rendered with different shades of graphite. By the drawings I included two quotes from the architect, in order the the viewer might gain an understanding of the architects approach. The only experience I have of drawing before this course was what I managed to do in highschool in my spare time. I did art for my HSC but my body of work did not involve drawing. Overall I was surprised at how happy I was at the result and greatly enjoyed the process of drawing this! Here are the individual final drawings that were presented at the conclusion of the Draw-it Course.



This poster is a summation of the work in the Draw-it module for ARCH1142.