Hernesaari Yacht Club Final Images

Following are images from the Sotamaa research studio final review as well as project descriptions:

The research studio, titled “Spasms, Convulsion, Eruptions”, explored sensations of movement in architecture at both the scale of a building as well as at the scale of the city. These sensations of movement were first explored through still images, carefully analyzed for visual traits which conveyed movement. A gradient of light, blurry colors, contorting linework or ripples in a surface are all visual signs of physical movement. When translated to an architectural scale, these sensations move architecture from a purely functional endeavor, but instead provoke an emotional response from the viewer and directly engage them in the work. This studio focused on the role which aesthetics play in design and how to integrate aesthetics with functional concerns.

Architectural examples of movement based design, most notably the work of Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Aero Saarinen, and Antoni Gaudi were studied for the experience they produce. These architects, without being directly metaphorical in their approach, managed to create work which moves beyond the practicalities of program and context and engage the user at an emotional level. At a smaller scale, we also researched automobile design and specifically the use of lines, creases, and folds as a graphical means conveying emotion in design. Car designers are able to highly specifically create designs which are “aggressive”, “cute”, or “rugged”. This kind of design integrates aestheticism and functionalism without becoming superfluous.

This sensibility reinterprets the baroque into an architecture conveyed with a high level of detail articulation, but without superfluous formalism. The Hernesaari urban proposal is treated holistically, not as a collection of individual elements, but as a series of untraceable design moves working in concert to produce overall sensations. Just as in product or automotive design, lines serve both an aesthetic and functional purpose. The site linework both develops structure and program as well as aesthetically ties together the vertical accumulations to the horizontal landmass.

Each tower is programmed using ratios of residential, office, entertainment, retail, essential commercial and hotel which are applied to each tower individually based on contextual information, parking, transportation infrastructure, views and proximity to boat berths. After the program ratio is determined, a scripted process creates the inner core to each tower. This process offsets the tower surface to create an inner skin. The offset distance varies depending on the program mixture. The residential spaces receive a low offset, so that they sit very close to the outer surface, while entertainment and commercial spaces get offset farther inwards, creating a situation where the public programs sit within the poche space of the wall section.

HERNESAARI YACHT CLUB

The yacht club is located at the narrowest point of the site, and is situated almost entirely underwater. The yacht club questions the relationship between the marina and the city. While the use of the water is public, yacht clubs traditionally are highly exclusive environments which attempt to isolate themselves from the rest of the city. In our proposal, this isolation comes through the use of water as a material.

Helsinki Hernesaari Yacht Club and Marina

Mid review model photos from Kivi Sotamaa's research studio, "Spasms Convulsions Eruptions: New Sensations of Movement".

Research Studio Update

Last fall we conducted visual based research on illusions of movement, specifically looking at classifying effects and the resultant affect. The quarter culminated in a small publication of found images and "recipes" of each type of movement (ie. contortion, billowing, turbulence, etc) and how to produce that illusion of movement.


This winter quarter we are doing brief computer modeling exercises to try to produce the same movement effects we studied in the fall. Nothing is meant to be "architectural" yet, it is designed to produce a arsenal of techniques which can be later used with greater rigor in an architectural project.

The effect I was attempting to produce was "contortion", as defined by moi:

Carries traces of a violent transformation. Registers primarily in a skin or surface. This movement appropriates the traits of other movements such as flow and bubbling. When light wraps the surface, it is caught between ripples and vibrates back and forth against dimples and pockmarks. This is not a constant speed, but flexes and releases with violent force, creating smooth flows punctuated by uncontrolled moments of release. Contortion bends and twists, appearing sinuous and muscular but frequently working a surface beyond its capacity, leading to misshapen lumps and tears. When viewed monocromatically, and broken down into its simplest elements, the movement can be seen as transitioning between point clusters and lines.

The techniques used were: Maya particle fields, Real Flow fluid animation, and Maya hair.

Fall Lineup

Classes began last Friday. This quarter I am taking Advanced Topics Studio with Craig Hodgetts, Research Studio with Kivi Sotamaa, Computer Programming, a seminar titled "Soft Monstrosities" by Marcelyn Gow, as well as TA'ing for the Introduction to Computers class. I think the lineup this quarter is one of the strongest yet and will allow me to work between a variety of topics and mediums. The research studio and Soft Monstrosities are heavily interested in a contemporary discourse on affect in architecture, and will develop ideas through both written and graphical means. The studio will focus on implied movement in architecture, working with computer animation software, particle fields, generative scripting as well as physical studies of form and material.
The Advanced Topics Studio has developed in a very hands on manner. Our first project, a large scale light study model, is due this coming Friday. Hopefully this contrast between analog and digital approaches to design will prove productive and not frustrating.
Meanwhile, in the Computer Programming class, I will learning how to write parametric design programs. This quarter presents a very broad spectrum of work and I hope to be able to merge these approaches as the year progresses.