Inhabit 1 - Second Life

This project was one i certainly enjoyed a lot even with all the problems that come with technology. Sculpties are so so so annoying ><, stitching problems galore.

With our readings, the one about the students multimedia mapping of their trip to uni and the consequential overlapping of one project with another creating "happy accidents" is one that you have to experience.

In this project we analysed the Owen G Glen building. I was particularly drawn to the sparse terrace space, which in my research is termed "public" space. There wasn't much "public" using the space. The space was also vast, intimidating and also felt sacred and untouchable with its perfect piece of raised grass.

With my design I wanted to make the space for accommodating for use and also make it "touchable" to make people be the activating element to the space, for give them permission to reclaim that space as their own. To do that, I modified the grass element into rolling terrain in order to break the flatness of the site. Grass also has a less formal feel to it, to get the feeling of park space.

In Second Life we HAD to co-operate. No ifs or buts about it. Dian and Jeffrey ended up working in the terrace space also. By working together our designs started to rely on the other to really make it strong. My terrain reacted to the presence of their ideas, sloping up to create drop offs defining the path of Jeffrey's and cutting out off at Dian's. I wanted to place grass on top of Dian's also but once again - time is not my friend...

The presence of their ideas strengthened my design in the way of breaking the space up. It defined small intimate pause areas for people to sit on the slopes and study or relax to their wish. Jeffrey's design incorporated the need for movement of students which try to get to their lectures while also to bring attention to how people are using the plaza space currently and thus encouraging people to move out onto the grass to pause rather than using the space as just a short cut. Lastly Dian's structures which ripped up the ground, became seats on the edge of my grass or a sheltered interior space for rainy days making the space able to be used rain or shine.

In the end our designs became one space with a obvious goal to encourage people to inhabit the plaza space more and to encourage the integration of all which pass this space.

Thrashold

My Thrashold, was about breaking the barrier between the interior studio space and the exterior courtyard space. The courtyard in its original design was for outdoor project work like the bus shelter which resides there. It was become a space used for lunch and other activities which in itself adds to the culture of NICAI. I always thought it was a shame how our studio space is so walled off and isolated from this space and the only connection is a hidden door in a niche on the interior.

I thought of breaking the barrier between the courtyard and studio but also between the many levels representing the hierarchy of students and staff also. To do this I literally ripped open the building. Like a slice of cake I carved out one "familiar" studio bay and as a stack of tower blocks they come tumbling out of the building in the action the breaking down of this hierarchy and barrier.

The space where the section originally was is left void so the many levels of the building are joined and the heavily guarded studio is opened to the outside.

There are many parts of my design i wished i could of resolved further such as making the different modules left in the courtyard into inhabitable spaces with meaning or purpose and also the working out how the void in the building would work in real life..... torn open buildings with interiors exposed to the outside aren't very sort after.....i think.....