Massing Update
Here I changed 1st floor massing and columns to make it resemble roots. I changed ramp to make it wavy, and some paths so it is fluid-like. Railing was made to represent my intentions to make it voluminous, and not simply slab-like (thank you, Andy, for "Canyon project" tip). Leaf-like structures serve as a shade for the outdoor rollerblading space and hangout space. Mechanical space (roof, in the middle of observation deck) has organic embellishment as well.
As of now I'm thinking to make 1st floor of concrete with large vertical window openings, and do other floors of glass to emphasize ramp and railings.
Is this the right direction, or which aspects of the mass should I rethink?
Right and wrong are subjective. Does it feel better for you? Although critics are at your disposal to help, ultimately, you are the master of the fate of this project. Perhaps the statement here is "Have the confidence to defend your choices...and the rationalization to support that defense."
ReplyDeleteIt is getting better. Your negative spaces are still resultant and not causal with regard to the massing. Maybe sculpt a form to be the organic negative space then boolean it out of the massing. The reason that the Kanyon project was suggested is that when it was designed, the negative spaces were conceptualized and then subtracted from very simple geometric primitives. You have an opportunity here to interact organic solids with organic voids and take the experiential aspect of the space WAY up a notch.
To that end, your massing now needs to escape its extruded nature as well. There is something that is recalling maritime/shipbuilding geometry here. The battleship grey color that you are rendering is probably contributing to that. Also, do not be afraid to thicken slabs, make them wavier, not flat, etc. Remember, you do not have a "budget." Take advantage and go nuts with the form.
Side question, what software are you utilizing for modeling?
I do feel better about this result. And, yes, I do have rationale for it and strong defense, but I'm not completely satisfied with the result yet. I think I know what can be done to model massing more organic, coherent, and less "extruded". The problem is that I don't know tools/technique, and/or have experience to make it happen. Hopefully it is just an 'experience' issue; tomorrow I'll try again.
DeleteI use LightWave3D for modeling (and animation). It is primarily a mesh-modeling software, with nurb-modeling capability (unlike Rhino3D where it is reversed). LW is somewhere in between 3DMax and Maya, and not easily import/export compatible.
I can always smell a mesh model. Try lofting operations instead of extrusions. Draw the top and bottom profiles. loft between them. experiment with turning the objects, skewing and angling them before lofting. Directionality usually governs the final form. You can also add curves intermittently and loft more than 2 objects. You are ahead enough to experiment with your "tools" until you are mastering them. I would encourage you to look at getting your hands on a copy of Rhino. It does have the ease of (and compatibility with) AutoCAD and the versatility of Maya without the clunkiness. Most all of these softwares can communicate in .IGS at the very least. Most will now give you a DXF as well. The compatibility issue comes in the inability of surface modelers reading meshes and vice versa as the geometry is mathematically driven by different logics.
ReplyDeleteLast semester was my first time experimenting with Rhino. I like it a lot, as it gives me precision tools LW doesn't have, and ease with which I can work splines. But even though I have Rhino at home, unfortunately I'm not as comfortable with it as I am with LW (not even close). Hopefully my future job will require me to make a switch, but as of now I don't have enough time to do so. What you suggest I do with lofting I can do in LW so tomorrow I'll try. Thank you for the tip.
DeleteValentinov, you are so ahead of the game. Please do try experimenting with Rhino.
ReplyDeleteIt will give you the freedom that other programs don't have