Final Model

As the images below show, my concept has changed somewhat since my last update on my direction. Each floor has been rotated ten degrees further than the one below it, creating a spiral effect similar to that of the Vitra Museum's spiral staircase. The steel pylons on the exterior of my car park have been remodelled to fit the structure's new shape. This has moved my design away from Gehry's Rasin Building, but has brought it more into line with my case study's (the Guggenheim) curvaceous form. Most other elements remain unchanged, such as the cube above the main entrance and the curved ramp. Two central cylindrical pylons have been added inside the car park as extra support, doubling as the elevator and stair well. The ramps between each level have ended up as simple curves, but I think they work well with my overall design. I have also decided that the cross-shaped roof will be a solar panel, giving my design an environmentally friendly lean.

By remodelling the shape of my building I believe I have made the design more interesting, and more in keeping with the free flowing curves of some aspects of the Vitra Museum, as well as the Guggenheim. My car park bears definitive hallmarks of the Vitra but takes the randomness of the Vitra's design and converts it into a more ordered structure that fulfills the requirements of efficiency that every multi-story car park must do.

A3 Montage

Texture Palette

Concrete - Will be the main material used. The ramps, roof, floors and central pylons will all be made primarily from it.

Wood - Will be used for details such as signs and doors.

Steel - Will be used for the external support pylons and the frames for the solar panel.

Solar Panel - To be positioned on the roof of the car park.

Yellow - This colour will be used to adorn certain details, such as signs, parking lanes, directional arrows and barriers.

Frank Gehry Case Study

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao:

The Guggenheim Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum, featuring permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists. It is seen as one of the most important works of architecture completed since 1980, and is admired universally by critics, academics and the general public.

The curves on the museum were designed to appear random, and Gehry has been quoted as saying that “the randomness of the curves are designed to catch the light”.

The Guggenheim Museum is a prime example of Gehry's style and method. Like many of his other works, its structure consists of sculpted organic contours, with its reflective titanium panels resembling fish scales.

This organic affiliation is a feature commonly associated with Gehry’s work. Located as it is in a port town, the museum is designed to resemble a ship. Also typical of Gehry is the fact that the museum is a product of the technology of the time. Computer aided visualisations were used prominently in the design process. This enabled the construction of shapes that had previously been unfeasible.

The Museum was surprisingly completed on time and on budget, a rarity for architecture of its type. Gehry insists he achieved this through preventing political and business interests from interfering in the design process, formulating a detailed and realistic cost estimate before he began work, and using computer aided design to control costs during construction.

The Guggenheim Museum was constructed as part of a revitalisation effort for the city of Bilbao, and upon its opening became an immediate popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the globe. The building had been widely credited with placing Bilbao on the map.

References:
- Wikipedia, “Guggenheim Museum Bilbao”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guggenheim_Museum_Bilbao
- Great Buildings Online, http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Guggenheim_Bilbao.html
- DeTnk, http://www.detnk.com/node/2388
- "Building Anticipation", http://blog.toyota.co.uk/building-anticipation

Update on the Direction of my Re-representation

As my design has progressed, my vision has followed suit. My carpark is now much taller than five stories, as I had to add extra levels to compensate for the previously excessive ceiling height of each level. I have for now scrapped the idea of an external car park, which was going to slope up from the ground floor to level 3, reminiscent of the sloped form to the left of the Vitra Museum's main entrance. In its place I am constructing a curved ramp. However I have not ruled out an external car park altogether, and will explore further ways of incorporating one into my design. I have also scrapped the idea of using bright colours.

While I have attempted to somewhat rationalise the abstract nature of the Vitra Museum's design in my own structure through my repeated use of the cross shape, I will continue to add interesting features to my car park that will further highlight its origins in the Vitra Museum. These may include more use of white, further inclusion of solid forms, and the addition of more randomised geometric forms.

Further Research Into/ Development of Re-representation

Some renders showing my design's progress. As you can see, more floors have been added to bring the ceiling height down, and construction of the curved ramp has begun.



The spiral staircase of the Vitra Museum will be used in my design as ramps from one floor to the next.




The sloped form seen on the left of the Vitra Museum in the picture below has inspired a curved ramp running from the main entrance of my carpark up to level 3.


The warped cube above the main entrance of the Vitra Museum will be replicated above the main entrance of the carpark, to be used as a sign post.



The cross on the top of the Vitra Design Museum informs the overall shape of my design, and inspired the tilted glass and steel roof of my structure.





The warped nature of the external supporting pylons was influenced by Gehry's Rasin Building, seen below. These rough renders show them in a partially completed state. Internal pylons will also be added.




I am considering incorporating vibrant colour into my design, reminiscent of Gehry's Venice Beach House, seen below:

Early Sketches