For the very last assignment for Introduction to Interior Design Projects, we are to create a living space for our client, in this case it would be my superhero character, The Madarin (Sam Shiro) from the previous assignments. The space created had to be 16 in total size, and there cannot be any loose furniture on the inside. It also has to accommodate three activities that
Sam will be doing, which has two active activities and one passive.
I chose the activities Archery, Rock Climbing and reading as I felt it would be appropriate for someone who has the characteristics of Sam. Therefore, I had to cleverly design the space that can fit all these activities without the furniture (all built in!)
Here are some insight of the place!
Location: Aokigahara Suicide Forest
Coordinates: 35.4626° N, 138.6544° E
Short description (from Wikipedia)
Aokigahara (青木ヶ原), also known as the Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees (樹海 Jukai), is a 35-square-kilometre (14 sq mi) forest that is located at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan. Aokigahara forest is very dense, shutting out all but the natural sounds of the forest itself. The forest has a historic association with "yūrei" or angry ghosts of the dead in Japanese mythology, and it is a notoriously common suicide site (in which 54 took place in 2010). For this reason, a sign at the head of the main trail urges suicidal visitors to think of their families and contact a suicide prevention association.
Why I chose this place?
I created a backstory where Sam failed to rescue the 4th victim of bullying who has gone suicidal again of the same month. He blamed himself for arriving too late for each case. To overcome the problem and to stop further suicides, he decided to build a shelter there where he can train to strengthen his abilities while being near to the site to stop further suicides.
Inspirational Context
Before the start of the assignment, we were to find different building designs that has similar design language with my abstract model while still maintaining its unique design characteristics.
Esplanade Theatre, Singapore
Beijing Water Cube, China
Development Progress
Mockup 1
My very first mockup model that incorporates the buildings integration onto a tree trunk. The trunk i represented by a cuboid shape as I was uncertain of the sizing at first, since this model is not to scale.
Side view
Close-up view
Mockup 2
I tried changing the design up a bit to become an enclosed-shell-like design. My lecturer said the last one looks a bit too standard as any modern architecture buildings can be made that way. Also, it looks like a Airport Control Tower.
Exterior View
Back view
Mockup 3 (Interior)
Mockup of the interior and a preview of the platform extension. This model also shows the intergrated multi-tier steps that the structure will have.
View of the interior without the shell
Back view
Mockup 4 (Final Mockup)
This model is the final mockup before I create the final model which has the finalized design and shape. As you can see, the creases arent that smooth yet because this model also still had trial and error going on, hence lots of after-cutting of the model. This model is also accurately in size, measuring at 1:25 scale, the same as the final one.
Exterior
Zoom in detail
Presentation board
When the designs has been finalized it is time to create the presentation board which will be used during my design review session with my lecturers. The criteria for the board is that it has to be hand-drawn, sized in A0 (which is massive by the way), and a summarised view of my entire semester into one board. Therefore, I included every info of my sem such as the insect, character, inspirations and of course, the final model design with all of the accurate drawings with dimensions of the plans, sections and axonometrics.
Full view of the presentation board.
Final Model
The final model is basically an updated version of the final mock up model, but with cleaner lines and surface. This is due to me using PVA glue instead of UHU adhesive like the mock models. I also cut the panels into one large piece and folded it rather than making individual panels that wont align properly.
Front View
Zoom-in detail
Reflection
It has been a challenging 7-week assignment, but I did learn a lot from it. I find that learning through practical assignments is a much more effective way of learning as I now know the architectural terms easily. I got a lot of feedback and tutorials from my lecturers during the tutorial sessions, ones which I would keep in mind and use it in future sems. During my presentation, my lecturers did comment on the look of the structure, as it didn't look scary like how I wanted it to look like. I admit it does look a bit conservative when compared to my inspirational context such as the Esplanade Theatre. I was also encouraged to be more wild when designing because thats what future designers should be. In conclusion, I have learned a lot in the past few weeks from my wondrous lecturers and I whole heartedly am thankful for their guidance. I can now say that I am now more confident in designing spaces for people in the future.
