In designing my cabin, I tried to take cues from my exemplar house, the Isaacson/Davis beach house at Balnarring through analysis in terms of a house as an environmental filter, a container for human activities and a delightful experience, or firmness, commodity and delight. I feel that I ahve been successful in this, and believe my architect would probably enjoy this cabin very much.
And what do I feel right now? Accomplished, satisfied, and TIRED!
oh, and all my references are on the link to the right.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I Forgot it Again...
I did another moody picture, to show the similarities and differences between the two designs...
My Cabin!
And here it is!
Site Plan:
I wanted the cabin to be set within the trees, but take advantage of the view down the mountain, so it is set slightly back from the drop.
Floor Plan
The house has a north/south aspect, but the main entry is on the eastern side, just behind the studio. This is to keep the public part (studio) away from the more private parts (living and sleeping) of the house. One can then either enter the living areas through the dining and kitchen, walk down the covered deck, or continue to the bedroom. There is also a separate entry to the bathroom further down the eastern side of the house.
In designing this cabin, I wanted to give specific areas different feelings, so the sunken lounge is in the same space as the dining room, but feels different as it is lower. The decking provides a seperate outdoor room which is versatile, while the unconnected studio portrays a seperation between work and home.
I have two main areas for reflecting, the most obvious being the covered deck. A second area to reflect is the bathroom, which has a full glass wall, protected by protruding timber walls on either side for privacy. This gives the feeling of bathing in the trees, and would be finished in timber to give an earthy feel.
Now some elevations, which I have tried to do similar to the ones by John Wardle
And finally, sections, which have a little more depth than the exemplar.
Site Plan:
I wanted the cabin to be set within the trees, but take advantage of the view down the mountain, so it is set slightly back from the drop.
Floor Plan
The house has a north/south aspect, but the main entry is on the eastern side, just behind the studio. This is to keep the public part (studio) away from the more private parts (living and sleeping) of the house. One can then either enter the living areas through the dining and kitchen, walk down the covered deck, or continue to the bedroom. There is also a separate entry to the bathroom further down the eastern side of the house.In designing this cabin, I wanted to give specific areas different feelings, so the sunken lounge is in the same space as the dining room, but feels different as it is lower. The decking provides a seperate outdoor room which is versatile, while the unconnected studio portrays a seperation between work and home.
I have two main areas for reflecting, the most obvious being the covered deck. A second area to reflect is the bathroom, which has a full glass wall, protected by protruding timber walls on either side for privacy. This gives the feeling of bathing in the trees, and would be finished in timber to give an earthy feel.
Now some elevations, which I have tried to do similar to the ones by John Wardle
And finally, sections, which have a little more depth than the exemplar.
Analysing Part Three
A House is a Delightful Experience
I told a friend of mine, who isn't from a design background, about this concept and he was inspired. he had never though of a building in this way before and said it gave him hope that designers were looking to intellectual backings for what they did. It inspired me to create something here that does fill people with delight.
1) Layering
The Isaacson-Davis House is one that is constantly being called "a suitcase", "a house of layers", "a house that folds and packs" and it does use a variety of layers. The outer shell is a weathered wood, protecting a polished interior, layered with glass and steel, stairs, voids and windows to create an incredibly layered effect.
So in my cabin I tried to create a similar effect, by also layering similar timbers, with glass (and a glass balustrade on the balcony), together with different heights, the use of stairs and void spaces, as is shown below. In addition to this, I have used timber and glass bi-fold doors which open completely onto the deck, in front of which are sliding timber shutters, which can be closed to help protect from the western sun, but which add to the layered effect.
2) Interplay Between Inside and Outside
One of the things that struck me about the house was the fact that from most places, there was a view of the outside, which I have diagrammed below:
The darkest grey areas have no views of outside, while the lgiht grey are partially exposed (by haviing no roof, or a wall missing. The mid-grey areas all ahve a view of outside.
I tried to keep this idea in the cabin I designed, but tried to minimise the darker grey areas.
The only places with no external views are a part of the kitchen interior, a corner of the dining area and the hallway to the bedroom.
3) A Sanctuary
The Beach House at Balnarring acts as a sanctuary for its inhabitants, protecting them from all outside influences. This is achieved by fostering a feeling of seclusion amongst the tress in a relatively remote location, as shown below:
In order to obtain this feeling in the cabin I designed, I also used trees and a remote location on a hilltop to act as a barrier to the outside world.
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