Final LearningPortfolio

Heather WoodARCH 21

Fall 2010

ProgramWe were asked to design a temple with sacred qualities. It was to be timeless and imbued

with reverence.• The scale of the “temple” doesn’t relate to the usual size of human beings, but to the

indeterminately larger stature of the “god” to whom it is dedicated. The “temple” hasits own ideal system of proportions within its own fabric. This characteristiccontributes to its detachment from the found world. At the same time, fellow humanswill construct your temple design. Thus both the “god” and human scale must existtogether. The “temple” does not provide for the bodily needs or functions ofmortals.

• The “temple” relates, by axis, to something distant and above the ordinary: a sacredplace on the peak of a distant mountain, a star, or the rising sun.

Activity or Event Areas• a. An approach that is ceremonious linking the “found world” of your making to the

“temple”• b. A transitory area that bridges between outside and inside; profane and sacred• c. A place to contemplate the natural world and our relationship to it• d. A place to contemplate the inner space of the human mind• e. An inner sanctum or genius foci (the spirit of place) that bridges the natural world

and inner• space of the human mind.• f. Associated paths that link the three places within the “temple”

Site• I wanted to create a

site that had as manyelements found innature as possible. Iincluded mountains,valleys, a cave, and anarea of flatlands. Ioriented the openingof the cave towardsthe north axis, so thatit would be dimly lit.

• One mountain sits onthe north south axisand will always remainlit because of the pathof the sun. The othermountain is orientedtowards the east westaxis. The sun will risebehind it, and castlight on it as it sets.These wereexperiences I wantedbring attention tothrough the use offramed views.

First Iteration

First Iteration

• I struggled with this design because I lacked direction. I had not yet developedfully my concept of the sacred, so many elements in this design werearbitrary and thoughtless.

• I had however decided on the sun’s path, so I was able to orient my temple inthe way that I wanted, despite being unable to create a temple form that I washappy with. The platform of the temple is oriented towards the rising andsetting sun, offering you a way to track the time (perhaps this is not such apositive thing in a sacred place. Shouldn’t one be able to contemplate life andoneself for hours on end, without the stress of time?)

• The entrance to the temple requires you to climb a steep/treacherous (albeitlow) mountain- you cannot merely walk into this temple- you must earn yourright to be there. The narrow path tests one’s nature. If you are notcourageous enough to cross, you will not reap the benefits found in thespace of the temple.

To be honest, I feel that this was something of a throwaway iteration. Withouthaving direction, I was struggling to satisfy the program requirementsmerely for the sake of satisfying them. I had not yet implemented my ownguidelines or concepts into the design, and clearly it suffered because of it.

It was not a complete waste however, as a few things were made more clear tome- after this design I realized the importance of creating an environmentfree of the pressures and stress of passing time. In some areas, like the spaceto contemplate the inner mind, I would have to block the path of the sun,allowing one to sit and meditate for as long as they’d like. This was my first selfimposed guideline to follow. This was a minor step, sure, but at least I now hadsome direction to go from here!

Inspiration

• I realized after my first iteration the importance of a fullydeveloped concept. Without one, my designs would continue tolack meaning or purpose, which I equate in my mind to have novalue. I spent some time after iteration 1 developing my concept ofthe sacred, using images as inspiration and guidance. Because Iwas new to the process of model-making, I struggled with my ownideas- I became too heavily reliant on these inspirations. Theyinfluenced what I did in my designs- the shape of the floor, thelocation of the temple. I became fixated on them, and lost myselfalong the way.

I became fixated on this idea of a womblike space. A cocoon seemedlike an

ideal place to find safety and comfort, offering a good environmentfor

self-reflection. This prompted me to move the location of my templeto

incorporate the cave element into my design.

Second Iteration

• I moved my temple’s location so that one would enter down through the cave,and then ascend upwards after contemplating the inner mind. Many thingswere still unclear to me at this point but this idea of using the cave became afixation of mine. Despite the limitations I imposed on myself (like creating away back out of the cave) I continued to work with this design.

• Even the drawings and explorations I did at home were about how to improvethis specific design. I was not fully utilizing the explorations because I wasdetermined to find a way to make my idea work. I wasn’t able to look at anyother design options- unfortunately I didn’t realize how fixated I was until thevery end, and I missed out on opportunities to improve my design.

• I do still feel like the idea of using natural elements as a base for my designcould theoretically be successful. My concept was that nature is sacred,and without it, nothing else can exist. For this reason I wanted my temple to berooted in the natural world and use it as a base to grow. The design of mytemple was to take on a similar form to represent the growth one will gothrough on their journey from temple’s beginning to end.

• Iteration 2 lacked sacred qualities. It reads as a children’s maze witharbitrary elements. I could not answer ‘why’ anything appeared the way it did,with the exception of the location of the temple, and the slight upward angleof the walls. It was a meager attempt at reaching towards the heavens. Whywas this wall curved this way? Why is this wall lower than that wall? There isno answer to these questions yet; I was still merely going through themotions- adding arbitrary details to fit the program guidelines. For thisreason, I was not yet happy with any of the work that I had produced. Therewas no meaning behind it, I felt I could not defend it.

Third Iteration

• I elevated this temple off theground in an attempt toseparate the sacred from theprofane

• The curvilinear spiral stairswork to create upwardmovement and direct onesview towards heaven.

• Each program area has itsown level, beginning with adescent below ground tocontemplate the inner mind,and ending on a raisedplatform framing views ofthe mountain tops.

• At this point I was beginningto move away from arbitraryelements, and towardselements with meaning,though there are stillelements in this design thatlack purpose (ie the columnson the second floor)

• I wanted to keep a curvilinear,rounded shape to guide oneup towards god, and I alsowanted to use cut out toallow one to see where theyhave been (ie the roundedhold on the second floorthat enables you to see downto the level you came from)

Fourth Iteration

• This iteration continuedwith a curvilinear formheading upward. Thearbitrary circle initeration three wasaddressed in thisiteration with a wall tomake peering over theedge safer.

• To be frank thisiteration holds littlevalue to me. It is a primeexample of what poordesign I’m capable ofwhen my work lacksintegrity and focus.

• I still had not allowedmyself the opportunityto explore other formsof temple or locationsfor it via drawings. Mydrawings were stillfocused on improvingthe design I alreadyhad- not how to changeit (which, in retrospect,I can say would havebeen a good idea)

Fifth Iteration

• This was my first ever skeleton model, and it forced me to thinkabout my design in a way that I hadn’t previously. I never took timeto think about structure or supports- trusses or haunches. Theywere irrelevant to my designs before this one.

• I tried to include qualities that would be found in realarchitecture while still maintaining a level of abstraction in mydesign. I tried to incorporate a cantilever system as well astensile structures.

• I failed to meet the program requirements in this design because Istruggled with framework. How do I use a skeleton model to showpaths and stairs? How do I differentiate between wall supportsand window openings? Adding these types of program responseswas possibly the biggest challenge I had faced thus far.

• I had not developed hierarchy in my line weight because I usedonly one type of wood to construct my model. This madedifferentiating things even more difficult than it might otherwisebe in a skeleton model.

• Using wood was a limiting factor in my design. I am already modelmaking challenged and this seemed to pose a lot of problems forme. How can I create a perfectly rounded platform with straightsticks?

• Between this iteration and the final one I had to experiment bothvia drawings and via material explorations. I had to learn thelimits of my materials, and adjust my design wherever I may need.

Sixth Iteration

• My obsessions with a cocoon!• I met the parameters laid out for me in the program, but barely.• Each area was addressed but I don’t think the spaces were clear.

Some were left very minimal and only made sense once I describedthem. I struggled with readability to the very end in the class. Thespace to contemplate nature was an ongoing issue for me- I didnot understand how to create and inside space to offer an areato contemplate nature and the outside. (reminds me of my refusalto spend money on a wallet- a space to hold the money I amspending on it)

• For this reason the ‘nature’ areas usually remained open andunchanged- a meager attempt at offering one an unobstructedview of the world surrounding them.

• The shape of the platform does curve outward towards bothmountains. It frames the views of the rising sun on one side, and ofthe south facing mountain on the other side.

• I am happy with the concept I settled on for my temple, though itdid not come to fruition like I’d hoped. The idea of this templegrowing from the ground, and of the temple itself opening up andgrowing from this cave into something beautiful is a sucesfulconcept in my opinion. Unfortunately, my fixation of cocoons, andmy inability to use inspiration as a guide rather than something tocopy hindered my design .

• I feel I reached a point in my designs where I finallyhave a direction. As the semester comes to a close,and I reflect on my work, I see many of the errors Iwas too blinded to see at the time. I have learned fromthem, and will continue to progress, working on my‘temple’ over winter break. I am inspired by the levelof learning others achieved in the course, and knowthat if I allow myself to explore options and takerisks I will reach a successful iteration soon.

• Regardless of some of my failures I have gained animmeasurable set of tools and knowledge. I havedeveloped a tectonic language, that prior to thiscourse was essentially nonexistent. I’ve learned totrust the iterative process, which was something Istruggled with throughout Design 101 and the firsthalf of Arch 21, and through our wall, floor, andceiling studies I gained insight into the way oursurrounding manipulate us everyday (narrow paths,steep stairs)- and how I can use that to manipulatebehavior in my own designs!