Mash-up news article.

The act of inhabitation is enriched by the potential to manipulate ways of observing place and landscape, by taking the existing city plan and flipping it to create a new vertical typology. School buildings follow the logic of sprawl, they are familiar, small scale, easily accessible buildings. Collective spaces create a sense of connection, improving the lives of the citizens. All spaces are gathered around a central square, utilising ‘urban voids’ that currently exist within the city's plan in an ‘appropriate’ response to place. “In the realm of social sustainability, the anonymous feeling of immense cities is challenged by interconnecting typically isolated diverse city zones.” It becomes a 'society building', a space of possible multiethnic exchange and comparison. The city will increase in density but reduce in scale, favouring the exchanging of knowledge, experience and socialisation and no longer suffering from an identity crisis. Cultural identity can evolve through a contemporary 'landscape of memory', and at times these are specifically framed views, at other times they are abstracted views. Encouraging the increased connection of social and cultural ties leads to the development of a sequence of platforms for observing the landscape. All the spaces face each other, with a distinct desire to hover above the ground, re-thinking how we perceive the typology of the city by reducing its environmental impact and creating places of knowledge preservation.

Green text: "Vertical typologies in Shanghai: Pinkcloud proposes vertical masterplan."

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=19876&q=editorial

Blue text: “Heavy setting: Contemporary farmhouse touches the earth ‘heavily’?”

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10668&q=touch%20the%20earth%20lightly

Pink text: “Learning through living: Sustainable, affordable school building sets example for children and community alike”
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=21694&q=schools

Valley inspiration

Part of my heritage is Dutch, however Holland is a very flat country without a lot of valleys to be found. So I am considering basing my location on one of the many canals found in Amsterdam and around the rest of the Netherlands.
At the moment I am thinking of having the architecture school bridging the canal, perhaps with various bridging points, since the canals are not very wide, with the 'meeting space' being a pontoon-style space which floats on the surface of the canal and is accessible via elevator from the above bridge (as per the brief).

Experiment 2 final submission

Nomadism is the dominant social force in a growing city where dynamism replaces stasis.

The process

Clients:
Archigram
Winka Dubbeldam

Axonometrics with chosen concepts

Archigram

Winka Dubbeldam

Merged axonometrics with concepts

Chosen combination:

36 Textures - Light to Dark

Chosen textures

5 Image captures

Electroliquid Aggregation:
Nomadism is the dominant social force in a growing city where dynamism replaces stasis.

The waterfall flowing down a steep, rocky cliff creates a constant sense of movement and dynamism, whilst the use of vegetation connects to the concept of a ‘growing city’. The sprawling form evokes a nomadic lifestyle and integrates with the landform.

Entrance

The ramp leads down from the first monument to the meeting space, the diagonal lines forming a dynamic pathway which travels in and around itself. This is enforced by the texture with more slanted lines, criss-crossing to encourage movement.

Meeting space

The overlapping staircase represents nomadism as it is spread out and varies in size, reflecting this changeable lifestyle often situated in wide open spaces. The open-air platform not only reinforces this idea but also allows the dynamic outdoor environment to infiltrate the space. 

Link to SketchUp model via 3D warehouse: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a8cbc4944561db09c1ade5a15d1133c3 

Link to CryEngine file via Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o8ynr6d3dbw5klx/Elise%20Vanden%20Dool%20Exp2.zip

Cryengine development

Electroliquid aggregation for this monument: "Nomadism is the dominant social force in a growing city where dynamism replaces stasis."

Nomadism reflected through sprawling form with large flat expanses. 

Dynamism/growing: monuments contain elements of different sizes, gradually increasing, positioned at different levels. Landscape also has many levels, (planned) use of water - movement, dynamic.

 Planning to create a stream/waterfall in the gully down the mountain.

Meeting space?