IDA THALLAUG

1 week to go before Bachelor project hand in

I have been working on plans, site-plans and a lot of other things simultaneously lately, and realized that the organisation of the inside of the building resembles that of Hershey's characteristic grid with plots mirrored over back alleys.

In my design I propose to raise parts of the ground floor to create a threshold between the more private and more public areas. Building it up to create 2 seating levels loosens up the space and invite for casual interaction. It also makes the transition between inside and out more gradual.

Initially, the second stair stopped 10 cm past a column, and my flexible louver facade would be right at the top step. This creates 2 undesired situations:

1) An awkward entry situation through the doors, where you are blocked on the first step by the new facade.

2) Only the lower stair is ideal for seating, which means people standing near you are towering over you while you almost sit on the floor. 

A natural solution would be to extend the whole elevated area to create seating on the top step as well.

There are also a lot of questions arising around the meeting between the old and the new. In my model and the design, I thought about cutting into some of the structure to build a second story and adjust openings. Most of my design is in wood, and touches the existing structure only lightly, so the more I develop on that, the more appropriate it seems to lay my structure lightly on top, not breaking up the existing structure unnecessarily . 

A way to do this is to make a symbolic gap or a shadow gap between old and new materials. 

Example:    Castelvecchio, Carlo Scarpa

There is also a question about how to design for the humid and hot climate, with plenty of rainstorms in parts of the year. Lifting things from the ground can be a solution, as seen here at  Ry Højskole

Procrastination

Palmyra House / Studio Mumbai - this is a great inspiration to me at the moment.

I am also proposing a new inner facade, primarily made from wooden louvers. This facade will be shaded by the new roof and the existing wall, keeping the inner part of the building cool. The new facade can be completely open ore completely closed, and it makes it easy to ventilate. 

Also inspired by:

I want to create a climate responsive building and have looked at environmental factors on the site, like shading trees, prevailing wind direction and sun-path. 

I am also proposing a slightly tilted roof on top of the existing building. I want it to shade the interior from the sun and help the natural ventilation. At the moment I want to lift the roof of the facade and make it a somewhat free-standing element. This will make it a shading device and gives space for circulation between itself and the living-units, which will make the sleeping area cooler.