ferion nodus

Frank Lloyd Wrights use of Geometry in Archi tectura l des ign.

Draft 2 Design indd 3 10/10/2011 12:15:02 AM

Warren Bryan Denholm Nicholson

[ A Research Project ]

Submitted in par t ia l fu l f i lment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Archi tecture Profess ional .

Unitec Inst i tute of Technology,

[ 2011 ]

Frank Lloyd Wrights use of Geometry in Archi tectura l des ign.


which underpin the way in which he designed and composed; while the focus of this proposal is on geometry in the architectural design process.

Through critical analysis of a selection of Frank Lloyd Wrights work, I hope to discover the underlying principles of his use of geometry in design. This method of investigation will enable the design of a well-considered and geometrically beautiful building, in this case a ferry terminal for Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland in New Zealand, which draws on the fundamental principles of designing good geometry.

Wrights buildings will be analysed through plan drawings. He believed the two-dimensional plan to be the primary generator of an architectural idea, which in the hands of a master develops into three-dimensional reality. The buildings will be disassembled for the purpose of discovering the two-dimensional geometric forms and spaces of the building and to perhaps discover some of the formal principles

This project intends to seek out and develop an architectural response which focuses on the understanding of Frank Lloyd Wrights use of geometry. How the composition and relationships of space in his plans enhances the experience of his architecture.

The research will explore the nature of Frank Lloyd Wrights architecture and how he uses geometry to define form, space and function within the design process. He is one of many architects who appear to rely on geometry to define the principles on which they depend and their architectural compositions are constructed.

Geometry can exist without architecture but architecture cannot exist without geometry1

1 William Blackwell, Geometry in architecture (New York: Wiley, 1984).

A b s t r a c t


P r e f a c e a n d a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

This research project stems from the idea that there is a missing element in architectural education of the 21st century. That fundamentally, geometry should be taught as a basis for design in architectural education. This view comes from the awareness that in architecture if the intention is to design beautiful buildings, then it may well be a case that there is a process that tends to result in such buildings that we perceive as beautiful. The belief is that geometry plays a major role in the process.

I would like to thank my father Bruce, my mother - Bronwen, my two brothers - Grant and Rowan, my Grandparents - Gogo & Grandpa and Lala & Grandpa, friends and architectural peers for all their

patience, help and encouragement not only in my final year as I undertook my research project but throughout my architectural studies.

To my supervisors and mentors in particular David Chaplin and Peter McPherson, I sincerely thank you.

David Chaplin - Without your dedication, love and passion of architecture I dont know if I would have discovered and learnt as much about architecture in this short period of time as I have done. For this I sincerely thank you.


Ta b l e o f c o n t e n t s

Abstract 9

Preface and acknowledgements 11

Table of contents 13

1 0 Introduction 2

1.1 Research question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.2 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.3 Aims and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.4 Scope and limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2 0 Define project 9

2.1 Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.2 Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.3 Site description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.4 Site location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.5 Panoramic views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

2.5a Panorama one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

2.5b Panorama two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

2.5c Panorama three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

2.5d Panorama four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

2.6 Environment and outlooks . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

2.7 Culture of Waiheke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

3 0 Precedent survey 24

3.1 Precedents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

3.1a Existing ferry terminal at Matiatia Bay . . . . . . .24

3.1b Ferry terminal by C.F.Moller . . . . . . . . . . . .26

3.2 Ferry Terminal Functions for Matiatia . . . . . . . .28

3.3 Survey material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

3.3a Competition A Vision for Matiatia . . . . . . .28

3.3b Future functions for Matiatia . . . . . . . . . . .29

3.4 Frank Lloyd Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Nakoma Golf Club 31

1924 31

Blossom House 31


1892 31

Dana Thomas House 31

1904 31

San Marcos 31

1928 31

Madison Unitarian Church 31

1949 31

Hollyhock House 31

1918 31

Ocotillo Desert Camp 31

1928 31

Marin County Civic Centre 31

1957 31

3.4a Site plan of Ocotillo desert camp . . . . . . . . . 32

3.4b Floor plan of Blossom House . . . . . . . . . . .34

3.4c Floor plan of Dana House . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

3.4d Floor plan of Hollyhock House-plan analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

3.5 Comparative plans of spine typology site plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

4 0 Literature survey 45

4.1 Paul Laseau and James Tice . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

4.2 Influences on Frank Lloyd Wright as a child. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

4.3 Approaches to Wright and his work . . . . . . . . .45

4.4 Influences identified in Wrights work: . . . . . . .47

4.4a Entrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

4.4b Japanese influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

4.4c Academic planning principle . . . . . . . . . . . .47

4.4d Strategies of transformation . . . . . . . . . . . .48

4.4e Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48


4.4f Architectural energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

4.4g A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art Christopher Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

5 0 Develop Project 59

5 1 Design Process 59

5.2 Geometry as a basis for design . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Analysis of site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

5.3 Movement/Journey line of vessel . . . . . . . . . .59

5 3a Movement/Journey line of vessel diagram 60

Geometric construction of land . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

5.4 Response to Geometry analysis . . . . . . . . . . .63

5.5 Design Explorations/Responses . . . . . . . . . . .66

5.6 First Conceptual Response/Composition . . . . . .66

5.7 Second Conceptual Development/Response/Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

5.8 Third Conceptual Development/Response/Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

5.9 Fourth Conceptual Development/Response/Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

5.10 Fifth Conceptual Development/Response/Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

5.11 Initial conclusion of Conceptual Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

5.12 Development of Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

5.13 Three dimensional site analysis . . . . . . . . . . .78

5.14 Development of conceptual plan . . . . . . . . . .80

5.15 Fundamental thinking/ideas drawn from design process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

6 0 Design Development 83

6.1 Development in the Third Dimension . . . . . . .83

6.2 Design iteration one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

6.3 Design iteration two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

6.4 Design iteration three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

6.5 Design iteration four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87


6.6 Design iteration five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

6.7 Exploration outcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

6.8 Development of design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

6.9 Developed Design Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . .96

6.10 Developing of an architectural language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

6.11 Outcomes from the development of an architectural language/style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

6.12 Final Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

6 13 Final design - plan 106

6 14 Final design - aerial perspective 108

6 15 Final design - perspective 110

7 0 Conclusion/ Critical Appraisal 113

8 0 Bibliography 117

List of Figures 119

9 0 Appendix A 125

10 0 Appendix B 127


systems and his arrangement of space in response to a centre; yet the primary focus will be on his use of geometry. The principle characteristics of Wrights architecture reflect his concern for the central artistic question of the relationships between order and experience, the universal and the particular, or consistencies and variations.2 To do so, it is necessary to become acquainted with his work, and by critically analysing them to understand the theories and principles which seem to underpin the geometrical compositions of his buildings. This will begin to establish a framework and a set of guiding principles of how to approach the design process.

2 Paul Laseau and James Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form (1992). 180.

designing. There is something successful about Frank Lloyd Wrights design process which led to architecture that is universally thought to be good and my hope is that by analysing his work I will begin to understand some of the geometric concepts which make this so.

1 .3 Aims and object ives

The primary focus of this project is research by design. The building to be designed in this project is a Ferry Terminal using architectural concepts which draw upon and respond to Frank Lloyd Wrights (FLW) fundamental use of geometry and principles of design; his use of geometry as the core of the design process; the contrast between man-made versus nature and the relationships between order and experience. These will be discovered from analysing his work, specifically looking at his use of symmetry, axis, grids, open and closed

1.1 Research quest ion

The intention of this project is to define and develop a building design which responds to and focuses on the understanding of Frank Lloyd Wrights geometric principles.

1 .2 Background

What began as simply an interest in geometry quickly escalated into something much more complex which explored the depths of architectural design. It began to try and understand the core ideas of the way to approach design as an architect. The belief that geometry played an important role in this process was apparent, but to what extent it did or should was not very well understood.

The study of Frank Lloyd Wrights work was hoped to lead to an understanding of the way in which he used geometry when

1 0 I n t r o d u c t i o n


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

2

simultaneous description of a wide range of features of architecture for comparison. Verbal description has an equally important role of naming and categorising things we see. Through verbal language we can attach meaning to visual evidence, refine our perceptions, and evoke new concepts. The term hearth, for example, includes concepts of home, heart, core, territory, identity, communion, warmth, nourishment, and security. The study of architectural types must combine graphic and verbal description to create a framework for research that is accessible and memorable.

The architectural works of FLW which I intend to analyse graphically are:

+ Blossom House 1892 (figure 1.1) is an example of FLWs early work, referred to as one of his bootleg houses where he was under contractual obligation not

core idea. Geometry doesnt always lie at the core of the architectural design process. Does good architecture eventuate when it does? Although geometry is omnipresent from the initial form-finding stages to final construction in everyones process of design, the ways in which a person may use geometry or not will differ, and the extent to which they know they are using geometry differs again, depending on the person, their design process and their architectural education.

Description in architecture is usually in two forms: graphic and verbal. Graphic description provides the primary visual evidence with which we can interact and explore clues to the underlying principles of form and process. Graphic description helps us to grasp parallels, patterns, trends, contradictions, and inconsistencies in the work. Graphic communication promotes

Wrights impact on architecture seems heavily influenced by his attitudes towards architectural education, namely, that design

excellence was more an acquired skill than an

intellectual pursuit.3The ambition is to provide architects and students with an insight into geometric principles behind the works of one of the great architects of the 20th Century and to demonstrate application of these principles in design. I will investigate the concept of approaching design which responds to an underlying analysis of geometry. To then apply this method of analysis through design - and produce an architectural solution while revealing a design process involving geometry as the

3 Ibid. 180.


to produce designs for clients outside of the firm of Louis Sullivan where Wright worked. Influences of his Prairie house style are imminent in areas of this house, but it is not yet whole heartedly Prairie.

+ Dana-Thomas House/Susan Lawrence Dana House (figure 1.2) was built in 1902-04 and is an expression of FLWs Prairie Style predominantly cruciform in plan with classically informed axes but open in composition and to the site.4 The house style used low horizontal lines and open interior spaces to create connections between the built and its environment while blending with the flat, prairie landscape.

4 Ibid. 50.

+ Hollyhock house (figure 1.3) was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as a residence in Los Angeles for Aline Barnsdall. In construction between 1919 and 1921, the history of the building spans a decade in Wrights life, 1914-1924, and is crucial in the evolution of his career as an architect. Lodged between the creative Prairie years and the consolidation and renewal that led to his second and longest period of professional activity, Wright during this transitional decade was testing his ability to survive and grow as an architect in a world that was changing rapidly around him. More than the other major building of this decade, the Imperial Hotel, the Hollyhock

Figure 1.1: Frank Lloyd Wright Blossom House floor plan.

Figure 1.2: Frank Lloyd Wright Dana House floor plan.

Figure 1.3: Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock House floor plan.

Figure 1.4: Frank Lloyd Wright Ocotillo Desert Camp plan.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

4

which answers that problem. In searching for this correspondence, Alexanders work demonstrates a quest for a rational methodology that could be a useful tool in generating built environments.7 In his book A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art, he describes fifteen principles for designing geometric centres (refer to literature survey) which he believes are used in designing good geometry.

The architectural problem/question is how do we as architects understand, record, generate and compose geometry in order to produce space, form, function and elements which are seen as whole- as described by Christopher Alexander or complete? For what reason is some geometry perceived as good or better geometry, not only to the

7 Ritu Bhatt and Julie Brand, "Christopher Alexander: A Review Essay," Design Issues 24, no. 2 (2008). 93.

The significance lies not in what it tells us about his works so much as what it reveals about architecture itself.6

It was important to establish a source in architectural history which has explored a process for generating architecture on the basis of an underlying geometry. Christopher Alexander, a professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley is most renowned for his architectural oeuvre which comprises twelve books and a range of building projects. The fundamental thesis at the core of Alexanders work is that there is an underlying structural correspondence between the pattern of a problem and the process of designing physical form

6 Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form. vii.

House is related in both form and content to work in Chicago and prefigures the well-known Los Angeles concrete block houses that immediately followed.5

+ Ocotillo Desert Camp (figure 1.4) was built in 1927 and designed as a temporary winter headquarters for Wright and his staff. The compound (formed to keep the rattle snakes out) surrounds a small rise in the desert floor. It enclosed an irregular space with buildings made of wood and canvas canopies and diagonal timber walls.

5 Kathryn Smith, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hollyhock House, and Olive Hill : 1914-1924 (Philadelphia: Society of Architectural Historians, 1979). 15.


hierarchy, scale and proportion.9 Much of the formal qualities in architecture can be described in the lines, shape, colour and the relationships among them.

As an art, architecture is more than satisfying the purely functional requirements of a

building program. As Wright says form and function are one.10

The quote form follows function from Louis Sullivan was adopted and altered by FLW to form and function are one which can be re-adapted by Alexanders thinking to function follows form. Alexanders thinking is similar to Wrights where function and form are seen as equally important centres to acknowledge in the

9 Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form. 180.10 Eric Corey Freed, "http://www.organicarchitect.com/organic/."

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.8

Wright demonstrates that the knowledge of principle is no limit to form. Form has logic, and the knowledge of a structure formal principles can guide and inform building design without dictating or prescribing results. Wright was a great academic planner refers to his systematic arrangement of elements or important parts in a building - and had a highly developed knowledge of traditional compositional principles, including axes, symmetry,

8 Carla Lind, The Wright style (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992). 3.

subjective individual but to the collective whole. The suggestion of universal beauty is an idea which comes from this notion; how the perception of a design in architecture is dependent on an initial structure which is the primary generator of that geometry. Often the structure and therefore the geometry are informed by the proportions and relationships found in nature and begin to suggest and apply a series of geometric rules and principles which respect those proportions and relationships of nature. This formulates an argument about the way FLWs buildings arise out of the land through the connections he creates with the proportions and relationships found in nature.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

6

What is it in his design process or way of thinking that differs from the way in which students today are taught to think and what makes his work successful beyond the realm of production today? What concepts and principles was he aware of and perhaps not aware of that we appear to be unable to grasp.

In the process of design, architects represent buildings with drawings using geometry. Drawings can use geometry to reveal a vision; immediately allowing a greater analysis of relationships of shape and lines, which ultimately make form, and reveal a greater level of structure deep inside an architects process of design. The definition of a space can use geometry to reveal itself sequentially through movement; by generating a series of spaces in which you can enter; the building form can create emotional connection to the space giving a

form may or may not satisfy the function it pertains. There are a vast number of geometrical possibilities and it is to say that if a function is not working within a form then there necessitates a need to find another geometry that handles the function more effectively.

Geometry used in a process of design which deals with form and space are often critical

means of an architecture that is both elemental and timeless.11

The notion of elemental and timeless architecture raises an idea about the designs that were, and are being produced. The architecture of FLW is held as an exemplar throughout architecture schools today. Why is his work so abundantly successful?

11 Frank Ching, Architecture, form, space & order, 2nd ed. (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996).preface/VII.

design process. My principal concern is form; function follows form. Function is ever-present in an architects thinking but the function of space is dependent upon the geometry of the form, for if a good geometry is designed a variety of functions should be adaptable to that space. It is important to examine how the composition of the buildings and spaces in the design affect the functions ability to belong to the forms and volumes of that design; and to determine whether the space is considered acceptable. If the spaces are not designed well, the experience of the space and the way the functions inhabit them falls short. It is important to re-evaluate and ask, is it good geometry? To do this there must be rules and/or principles of good design which can be used in the design process in order to evaluate the geometry that is produced. The evaluation of a good geometry is often dependent on the way the


sense of place.12 The focus will be on how to understand FLWs geometric concepts and principles to aid in the production of a well-considered architectural solution, which belongs to and takes full ownership, giving a sense of purpose and place of its given site.

Part-to-whole-as-whole-is-to-part13There are two ways of walking inside a building. The first one is to try out a route that serves a specific purpose, like seeing a display in a museum. The second one is to walk, as to discover what the building is like and how the architect has sculptured it through a system of geometrical rules.

12 Sophia Psarra, "Geometry and Space in the Architecture of Le Corbusier and Mario Botta," in Proceedings of the International Space Syntac Symposium 1 (University College London, London, UK.1997).37.13 Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form. 4.

Some buildings in addition to social purposes arouse interest and stimulate a viewer to take the second kind of route.14 This notion of journey or movement through space in order to discover what the built environment is like is fundamental in creating successful spaces, both urban and private; for the idea is a person may navigate through a space on the basis of how the spaces are constructed and linked geometrically.

14 Psarra, "Geometry and Space in the Architecture of Le Corbusier and Mario Botta."37.

1 .4 Scope and l imitat ions

The scope of this project will include designing a ferry terminal building(s) through research by design.

The research of Frank Lloyd Wrights work will be limited to his use of two dimensional geometry in the generation of his plans. Exploring Wrights work in a three dimensional way requires a time constraint far beyond the time allowable or allocated for this research project.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

8


2.2), only 17.7km from Auckland and is the current wharf location for the passenger ferry to and from Waiheke Island. The opportunity exists to re-energise the link and create a node between Auckland and Waiheke. There is an absence of presence and there is a necessity for a building(s) which creates a sense of place; a place one can identify with. This was apparent after visiting the site and establishing that Matiatia Bay was a major point of arrival and departure as many of the residents on Waiheke commute to and from Auckland city on a daily basis to work yet there is no significant land mark/gateway which welcomes you to Waiheke Island and introduces you to the culture of the island and the people who live there. There was no real architectural language which had been developed in the buildings or surrounding areas which in turn meant the use of things like materials had no cultural relationship.

2 .2 Si te

2.3 Si te descr ipt ion

Waiheke Island is one of 10 large Islands situated in the Hauraki Gulf and is the most populated island in the gulf and the third most populated island after the north and south islands in New Zealand (figure 2.1). A mix of weekend residents, farmers and those seeking a change of lifestyle dominate the population; though recently it has become popular for people working in Auckland city, creating population growth on the island. There are approximately 8,000 people living on the island and this population swells to over 30,000 over the summer weekends and holidays.

2 .4 Si te locat ion

The location for the proposed Ferry Terminal is in Matiatia Bay on the western end of Waiheke Island (identified in figure

2 .1 Br ie f

The proposed Ferry Terminal is located on Waiheke, a 93 square kilometre island only a 35-minute ferry ride from Auckland Central Business District (CBD). Waiheke Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, is one of Aucklands premier tourist attractions, a popular summertime destination. Passenger ferry operator, Fullers, estimates that there are up to 700,000 tourists and visitors with an additional 300,000 commuters to Waiheke every year. This necessitates the need for a place of arrival and departure an interchange- on Waiheke Island which accommodates the various activities and functions which happen in such a place.

2 0 D e f i n e p r o j e c t


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

10

It lacked a vibrancy or activity in a place which you would expect people to want to dwell and inhabit to portray the lifestyle and display Waiheke as a destination.

The current Matiatia Wharf is the destination of about 90% of the passengers, with each ferry capable of carrying 650 passengers - approximately 1,500 people commute daily into Auckland CBD for work with a large increase in this number on weekends and holidays. It has been chosen because of its close proximity to Auckland CBD which shortens commuting time to and from the island. Matiatia Bay has also been established as a major arrival/departure point for pedestrian ferry commuters with much of the tourism and public transport infrastructure being based around the bay. The site offered the opportunity to enhance the publics

physical connection to the water, which is seemingly lacking currently. The island has five bus routes all of which originate at Matiatia Wharf Terminal.

Travelling to Waiheke Island will enlighten our understanding of the culture of Waiheke and what makes it uniquely different from Auckland, not only in the activities that it sustains, but the architecture of the island; it will also allow us to begin to establish and identify some of the basic geometries which perhaps underlie the structure of how Matiatia bay is constructed. This is fundamental to understanding the architectural response which should eventuate from the geometry. It is important to relate the ferry terminal to the culture of Waiheke Island; it allows the building to not only derive from the geometry of the land but allows people to affiliate themselves with the building and culture.

People should belong to the building just as it should belong to them.15

15 Frank Lloyd Wright, The logic of the Plan .345, in Robert McCarter and Frank Lloyd Wright, On and by Frank Lloyd Wright : a primer of architectural principles (London ; New York, NY: Phaidon Press, 2005).345-347

Figure 2.1: Map of New Zealand.


Figure 2.2: Map of Greater Auckland. Site Identification.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

122.5a Panorama one

This photograph looks from the northern headland back to the existing ferry terminal and across to the southern headland. It displays the enclosure which the headlands create in Matiatia bay and how the focus seems to be on the back centre of the ellipse where the proposed site is.

Waiheke has a diverse culture of the modern versus the old. Many of the people who live on Waiheke look for an alternate lifestyle while on the other hand there has been a recent influx of modern bachs (refer to note below) emerging across the island. It becomes important to accommodate both of these audiences and to also create a prominent connection to Auckland through architectural expression; materiality is an important aspect in achieving this link and some influences for materiality come from the colours in the art, the materials used in vineyards, and the cultural mix amongst the bachs dotted around the island.

2.5 Panoramic v iews

The following characteristics are illustrated in the images below:

Note: Bach - A bach is a small, often very modest holiday home, beach house or shack They are an iconic part of New Zealand history and culture, symbolising the beach holiday lifestyle


Figure 2.3 & 2.4: Map - Photo location and panoramic image.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

142.5b Panorama two

This image looks at the relationship of the existing terminal to the land from a beach on the north-east corner of Matiatia Bay. It will be important to create a connection in the design to this beach as it is such a large portion of the bay; along with the beach on the other side of the terminal.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

162.5c Panorama three

This photograph displays the view out of Matiatia bay to the Hauraki Gulf, towards Auckland City and Rangitoto Island.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

18 2.5d Panorama fourThis image looks from the southern headland at the existing terminal which exists on the site, There is a lack of visual impact or sense of place achieved by the existing ferry terminal.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

20 2.6 Environment and out looksMatiatia Bay is a secluded and protected bay and is seen as the coastal gateway to Waiheke Island. In summer the site receives sunlight and an abundance of daylight from approximately 8am and in winter from 9am, throughout the day until sunset in the evening. It is sheltered from the prevailing winds south-west winds. The site enjoys natural outlooks through the heads in the bay to Rangitoto Island with possible views towards Auckland City. The lack of residential development of any kind in the area means that the vistas are predominantly uninterrupted and have strong connections to the water.

Figure 2.11 & 2.12: Site analysis and environment.


2.7 Culture of Waiheke

Figure 2.13: View towards Rangitoto and Auckland City from Matiatia Bay. Figure 2.14: Waiheke Island Winery. Figure 2.15: View across Waiheke Island headland. Figure 2.16: Art walk on Waiheke Island. Figure 2.17: Mudbrick Vineyard. Figure 2.18: Passage Rock Winery. Figure 2.19: Array of corks. Figure 2.20: View of Vines. Figure 2.21: Waiheke Island House by Mitchell and Stout Architects. Figure 2.22: Outlook from Waiheke Island. Figure 2.23: Wine Barrels. Figure 2.24: Mudbrick Vineyard Cottage style building.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

243.1 Precedents

3.1a Exis t ing ferr y terminal a t Mat iat ia Bay

The Matiatia Bay ferry terminal is the main point of arrival and departure for passenger ferries travelling between Auckland City and Waiheke Island. The current building lacks any sense of place and has a disconnection with the land in its position and scale. The line of movement through the building is fairly abrupt and leaves the occupant feeling rushed and out of place. The building lacks character in its relationship to the culture of Waiheke Island while it attempts to create a connection to the water with the use of tension membrane structures which tack onto the existing structure.

3 0 P r e c e d e n t s u r v e y


Figure 3.1: Canopy covering existing walkway 3.2: View from ferry looking at existing terminal. Figure 3.3: Looking east towards the end of the covered walkway. Figure 3.4: View South at current Ferry location Figure 3.5: North east view of current wharf.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

26The main idea has been to create natural links between central Stockholm and the new urban area in connection with the terminal, so that city life will naturally flow into the area. Therefore the terminal is raised to be at level with the urban zone, so it is easy for both pedestrians and traffic to access. At the same time the roof of the terminal building is designed as a varied green landscape with stairs, ramps, niches, and cosy corners, inviting both Stockholmers and passengers for a stroll or relaxing moments, while enjoying the view of the ferries, the archipelago, and the city skyline.17

The aim is that the ferry terminal will be predominantly self-sufficient in energy and thus stand as an environmental model for public construction. Therefore the architecture of the terminal will integrate

17 Ibid.

solar and wind power, for example the terraced landscape on the roof will integrate beds of solar cells along with the planting. The plan is to communicate the sustainable efforts to the people in the building by using centrally placed television screens, helping to raise awareness of the potential of sustainable construction.18

18 Ibid.

3.1b Ferry terminal by C.F.Mol ler

Danish architectsC. F. Mller won a competition to design a new ferry terminal in Stockholm, Sweden. The new terminal for Stockholms permanent ferry connections to Finland and the Baltics will be a landmark for the new urban development Norra Djursgrdsstaden - both architecturally and environmentally. The terminal, which will have a facade covered with expanded mesh, recalls the shape of a moving vessel and the architecture - with large cranes and warehouses - that previously characterized the ports. At the same time, the terminal has an ambitious sustainable profile, characteristic of the entire development.16

16 "C.F. Moller Architects," http://www.cfmoller.com/p/New-ferry-terminal-Stockholm-i2705.html.


Figure 3.6: Analysis of site. 3.7: Perspective view terminal in relation to ferry. Figure 3.8: Aerial site plan of proposed design. Figure 3.9: Interior view of proposed terminal. 3.10: Photo of design model. 3.11: Perspective view of terminal.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

28

+ Matiatia should be different in character than the mainland. When arriving at Waiheke you should feel as though you are someplace else and the design of the development should reflect this.

+ Parking, while necessary, should not dominate the site and particularly should not dominate the area close to the wharf. However, there is a need to provide adequate pick up/drop off facilities within easy reach of the wharf.

+ The architecture should be contextually relevant and sustainable design is important.

+ The view of the bay as the ferry arrives is important.

3 .3 Survey mater ia l

3 .3a Compet i t ion A Vis ion for Mat iat ia

Community feedback on the designs proposed for Competition A Vision for Matiatia:

A public exhibition of the stage one competition entries was held on Waiheke Island over three days. Approximately 400 people provided written feedback on the entries during this time. The feedback was diverse, and at times contradictory, representing the diversity of views held by the residents of Waiheke. For the interest of the designers, some of the key themes that came out of this consultation are:

3 .2 Ferry Terminal Funct ions for Mat iat ia

Some of the functional requirements of a Ferry Terminal located at Matiatia bay are as follows:

+ Passenger ferry terminal for arrival/departure

+ Public and commercial outdoor spaces

+ Exhibition spaces + Cafes and restaurants + Commercial offices


Waihekes large summertime draw card and the idea that the function of a building may change but its relationship to good space is ever-present.

3 .3b Future funct ions for Mat iat ia

Possible future functions:

+ Boat servicing and repair + Marina + Short term accommodation

+ Matiatia is the link between Waiheke and the rest of the Hauraki Gulf. The view from the site out to Rangitoto should be exploited.

+ Residential use should be minimal and the community has indicated a preference to short-term visitor accommodation rather than long term/owner occupier residential.

Retail should be kept to a minimum as Matiatia should not compete with the existing villages on the island.19

There is a need also to understand the possibilities of future functions which could evolve and cohabit on the site due to

19 Auckland City Council, "A Vision For Matiatia - Stage two design brief.pdf," www.waihekecommunityplanning.org.nz.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

30

3.4 Frank Lloyd Wright

Analysis of Frank Lloyd Wrights buildings: by recognising similarities and drawing conclusions about the underlying geometry in his works, ideas about the principles and rules he used in order to construct his buildings can be applied to aid in generating the architectural idea of the Ferry Terminal.

The formal composition of FLWs buildings on site is an aspect of his design where he responds to a centre geometry of space using building volumes to hold that space. The Ocotillo desert camp is an example:

Figure 3.12: Frank Lloyd Wright time-line.


Blossom House1892

Madison Unitar ian Church1949

Dana Thomas House1904

San Marcos1928

Hol lyhock House1918

Nakoma Golf Club1924

Ocot i l lo Deser t Camp1928

Marin County Civ ic Centre1957

Figure 3.12: Frank Lloyd Wright time-line.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

32

3.4a Si te p lan of Ocot i l lo deser t camp

Although the plan may look haphazard it is actually formed with two primary grids, one shifted at a thirty-to sixty-degree angle to the other. The plan encloses an irregular space, though irregular, the buildings are strengthening a centre of space, the campfire. The buildings also respect the two grids while forming the focus on the campfire. Further the campfire is placed in such a position to generate an entry sub centre while splitting the larger centre into two halves while at the same time acting as the land marking centre of the whole camp.

Figure 3.13: Frank Lloyd Wright Ocotillo Desert Camp.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

34

because if there was not a cap at one of the ends the plan would not be perceived as a whole it would be open ended in a manner of speaking; the geometry of this cap is arbitrary to an extent as it could be square and be as successful it is the idea that a repetitive element within a composition unifies it and allows a coherence in its visual understanding. This is referred to as an echo by Alexander in A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art.

3.4b Floor p lan of Blossom House

The formal compositions of his Blossom, Dana and Hollyhock House plans also draw key characteristics in response to centres of space:

In this plan the spatial extensions, interlocking spaces and asymmetrical composition achieves a balance in geometry as seen in the drawing to the right. The layering and interlocking of space emanate from the hearth which is central to the resulting spatial dynamics of the plan. The hearth is a fundamental centre behind FLWs prairie house plans. A key principle that was drawn from this analysis was the idea of repetition or an echo where by, as in the example of the Blossom House, the placement of a half circle on one end of the plan needed to be reproduced somewhere else within the floor plan in order to cap the two ends of the design. This is evident

Figure 3.14: Frank Lloyd Wright Blossom House.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

36

3.4c Floor p lan of Dana House

The floor plan of the Dana House is largely define by the symmetries which are arrayed throughout the house. The extensions of space allow the geometries in the plan to interlock and unify the plan. The interlocking of the outdoor courtyard space with the interior space reinforces Alexanders notion of the negative space being treated as positive space. The repetitive elements in the plan fuse the plan together in a similar fashion to the concept behind the echo where the use of a subsidiary geometry which echoes another it allows for a sense of wholeness. The semi-circle element in this plan suggests that FLW may perhaps not be aware of some of his own principles. There is no echo of the shape elsewhere in the plan which then makes it appear foreign in the plan.Figure 3.15: Frank Lloyd Wright Dana House.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

38

3.4d Floor p lan of Hol lyhock House-plan analys i s

The hollyhock house is exemplary in the treatment of negative space as positive, creating wholeness. Each major interior space adjoins an equivalent exterior space connected by glass doors, a porch, pergola or colonnade. A series of rooftop terraces are further extensions of space in the exterior spaces of the plan. Two large symmetries control much of the spaces in this house with an echo on the outside edge of each of those lines of symmetry. The use of geometrical elements to balance the weight of the kennels on the top left with the long narrow ledge/wall on the bottom right creates continuity in plan. The same elements also extend to create connections into the landscape.

Figure 3.16: Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock House.


Figure 3.16: Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock House.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

40

results in architecture which is strong in its relationship to outside space; one of the things FLW says is fundamental in designing a successful building .

No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the

happier for the other.23In this research by design project an attempt to embrace nature as an initial form generator was attempted. An underlying geometry of Matiatia Bay was identified as a whole initially with increased detail in the immediate site area. This analysis sets up a structure defining axis and proportional relationships which translate to a geometry which evolves from the land. This two-

23 Frank Lloyd Wright and Donald D. Walker, An autobiography (New York,: Duell, 1943). 168.

their central purpose, and use building materials best suited to those two factors.21 The connection of FLW to nature comes through his relationship to it, Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the days work. I follow in building the principles which nature has used in its domain.22He speaks of building principles in nature and I believe that he is referring to a geometry which underpins the makeup of the landscape and to the proportions and relationships which can be found in nature which he believes are exemplary for our use in architecture. This dialogue between his buildings and the environment

21 Frank Lloyd Wright et al., Frank Lloyd Wright in the realm of ideas (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1988)..165.22 Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, The shining brow (New York,: Horizon Press, 1960). 129.

Frank Lloyd Wrights intention was that his buildings grow out of the land rather than impose themselves upon it. The site patterns appear to be more of a site plan strategy where he recognises critical issues; such as the interface between man-made and natural form; the nature of growth and change, and scale and proportion relationships linking the part to the whole. This observation was made from his treatment of plans and the relationships which he creates with the environment from the interior of his buildings. 20 One of the terms FLW used to define his architecture was organic. Alone and unaided by mainstream international modernism, he defined and created organic architecture, that profound and yet simple concept that buildings must develop naturally out of their environment, reflect

20 Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form. 151...


3.5 Comparat ive p lans of sp ine typology s i te p lans

The spine organises elements into a linear building with a series of epicentres that designate important program space and usually signal a change in axis.

+ Nakoma Country Club The Nakoma County Club on the historic Winnebago Indian camping ground is organised on the brow of a hill; It stretches its one long arm along the brow to make a wall punctuated at one end by the large lodge or wigwam. The octagonal motif with nearly symmetrical flanking arms is apparent in the earlier River Forest Golf Club, which was executed by Wright around the turn of the century and is the obvious precedent. Organisationally the octagon provides a hinge for a secondary arm if services

building wings stretching out from centre to centre.24 Wright began to focus much of his design work on the plan, focusing on shaping the exterior space with the massing of the interior space, with a belief that this was fundamental to designing a successful composition .

The orchestration of public and private space woven through both interior and exterior space allows some of his compositions to achieve a richness of site design where the blur of interior and exterior space is unsurpassed.

24 Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form. 156

dimensional investigation expresses the geometrical idea that the architecture emerges uniquely with its context, it explores spatial organisations of form, space and provides insight into the relationships, while being sensitive to the possibilities of the three-dimensional solids and voids of the site.

The examples selected are all designs which respond to geometries he makes in his design process which essentially have a set of principles which he is following, whether he knows if hes doing it or not is another matter. He has two site strategies for his designs: a closed-system site strategy predominantly used in urban sites where future growth on the site is not a concern; and an open-system site strategy dominated most of FLWs site designs and uses principles of centres and symmetries connected with corridors, pergolas, or


Figure 3.18: Frank Lloyd Wright San Marco.

Figure 3.17: Frank Lloyd Wright Nakoma Golf Club.

Figure 3.20: Frank Lloyd Wright Marin County Civic Centre.

Figure 3.19: Frank Lloyd Wright Madison Unitarian Church.

MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

42


Figure 3.20: Frank Lloyd Wright Marin County Civic Centre.

Figure 3.19: Frank Lloyd Wright Madison Unitarian Church.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

44

+ The Madison Unitarian Church - The Unitarian Church varies from the other three spline type site patterns. The large space is not used as the knuckle or centre point which changes the axis of the design. The building is organised on a ridge of the hill similar to the Nakoma County Club. The diamond motif holds the main meeting space of the church and the geometry is echoed in a similar fashion around the centre point where the design changes axes.

+ San Marcos in the desert - The San Marcos Hotel desert project is a faceted linear arrangement that approximates the contours of the mountain slope on which it is sited, as well as miming the angle of repose of the distant mountain slopes.27 The centre of the hotel complex is the dining room and other shared areas; they act as the pivot that links the arms radiating from its hub. The visitors pass through and under the major wing to arrive at an oasis-like court that is formed by the building and the hillside and is an intimate, luxuriant environment.28

27 Colin Rowe, Character and Composition. In Mathematics of the ideal villa and other essays (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1976). 78.28 Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form. 163.

that pivots at forty-five degrees. This Formula is repeated in the Unitarian Church in Madison, where a similar ridge conditions the architectural response.25

+ Marin County Civic Centre The Marin County Civic Centre does not occur as an edge condition on the brow of a hill; neither does it follow the contours of a hillside against which it is placed. Instead, it acts like an aqueduct, leaping from one hill to the next, an image that may have inspired its pseudo structural arches. The main centre occurs at the top of the larger hill and is reached from the major linear element. Similar to Nakoma it provides a hundred and thirty-five-degree angle relationship between the two wings.26

25 Ibid. 163.26 Ibid.


4 0 L i t e r a t u r e s u r v e y

systems and their design properties (2) sensitivity to three-dimensional solids and voids, (3) an appreciation of the compositional possibilities of diverse elements (4) fascination with the weaving of complex two-dimensional patterns and three-dimensional spatial volumes, (5) ability to visualize the three-dimensional implications of patterns inscribed on the two-dimensional surface of his drawing board.30

4 .3 Approaches to Wright and his work

We contend that Wright developed his architectural concepts through exercise in visual form and pattern, subsequently integrating meaning with those forms. Principle may have grown out of practice. Inherent in the form-generating system

30 Ibid. 17.

For several years I sat at the little kindergarten table top ruled by lines about four inches apart each way making four inch squares; and, among other things, played upon these unit-lines with the square (cube), the circle (sphere) and the triangle (tetrahedron or tripod) these were smooth maple-wood blocks. Scarlet cardboard triangle (60 degrees 30 degrees) two inches on the short side, and one side white, were smooth triangular sections with which to come by pattern design by my own imagination.

The Froebel games were one of the inventions of Friedrich Froebel that grew out of his development of revolutionary methods of kindergarten education in which play was designed to expose children to concepts underlying nature and human endeavour. The experience was important to Wright for it helped instil (1) an awareness of geometrical

4 .1 Paul Laseau and James Tice

Too often, critical discourse sets emotion and intellect in opposition to each other. With some promotion by Wright himself, his designs are largely accepted on an emotional level that avoids the scrutiny of their intellectual roots. Students and architects need to become more aware of the sound, rational, and coherent basis of his architecture and the symbiotic relationship with its emotional, qualitative reality.29

4 .2 Inf luences on Frank Lloyd Wright as a chi ld

Wright wrote about the profound influence of his early childhood experiences with Froebel games:

29 Ibid. ix.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

46

and a higher value on the plan than on perspective, which he claimed could be proof of, but could never nurture, the plan. This interpretation of cause and effect suggests high valuation of form insofar as it concerns the plan not merely the superficial aspect of style. If this notion of plan form as underlying cause is valid, then a formal analysis based on plan is an examination of a central aspect of his architecture.32

No man ever built a building worth the name of architecture who fashioned it in perspective sketch to his taste and then fudged the plan to suit. Such methods produce mere

scene-painting. A perspective may be proof but

is no nurture.3332 Ibid. 12.33 Frank Lloyd Wright, In the Cause of Architecture .342, in McCarter and Wright, On and by Frank Lloyd Wright : a primer of architectural principles., 338-344.

that Wright had adopted.31 Visual form and pattern making as a starting point is sufficient because, to discover principles, an attempt must be made to design from the understanding of FLWs work thus far.

In our research we have relied heavily on the study of plan drawings. Wright often drew distinction between the architectural plan and its expression. For him the one precedes the other and is the generator of the architectural idea. The plan is the seed, the origin of the structure that could, in the hands of a master, develop into three-dimensional reality. Wright seems to have been saying that the chain of creation is from idea (structure) to plan to expression. Although all three are inextricably intertwined, clearly Wright places a higher value on the plan form than on its possible picturesque expression

31 Ibid..4.


response to a spatial program.36 The tower is often used as a geometrical point or knuckle in a plan which allows for a change in axis for the grid or underlying structure of geometry. It is a centre in plan but a centralising vertical elemental which allows orientation in the third dimension.

4.4c Academic planning pr inciple

The academic planning principles of major and minor axis, carefully devised proportional systems, and a developed sense of hierarchy are clearly evident in his work.37

36 Ibid. 36.37 Ibid. 41.

4 .4b Japanese inf luence

The skilful way in which he redirects movement, slows the pace, and prepares one for the climactic experience of arrival at the central space of the house is reminiscent of both the Japanese garden and the entry sequence to a Japanese temple.35 By redirecting movement around an element a centre such as a tower, pool or garden he is able to slow the movement of people through the space which lets the occupants orient themselves. Often this movement line around a centre is orientated with a vista which creates a connection for the person to move towards.

Tower

The purpose of the tower may be its role as a symbol or orientation for the surrounding landscape rather than its

35 Ibid. 25.

4 .4 Inf luences ident i f ied in Wrights work:

The following topics identify elements and strategies which are influential in Wrights work and are based on more fundamental geometric elements:

4 .4a Entrance

If we trace the typical route of entry to the core or central space of any of his mature buildings, we find a consistent pattern of sequential redirection, anticipation, and suspense, until the climax occurs upon arrival at the hearth or central space.34 These central spaces are the large centres in a building which are surrounded by a series of smaller centres which build suspense and anticipation when moving through a space.

34 Tice, Frank Lloyd Wright Between Principle and Form. 174


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

48

between opposing forces: the universal and the particular, the community and the individual, the prototypic and the contextual.

The tension between the universal and the particular is represented by the juxtaposition of strong abstracted geometries and the special, often natural characteristics of the site. The geometry, often in the form of a pervasive grid, acts as an anchoring or stabilising element in tension with the fluid forms of nature.40

Alexander describes that the energy contained in a design/geometry depends on the achievement of wholeness. This is discussed in the following section: A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art by Christopher Alexander.

40 Ibid. 176.

which is seen is that which is not seen. Translated to architectural design, the essence of a building is not the visible construction but the invisible, negative space that is embodied within.39 This relates to Alexanders thinking of the negative being treated as positive, for when neither the positive or negative space dominates another then it is perceived that the geometries are successful and will also contain a high concentration of centres Architectural energy.

4.4f Archi tectura l energy

Most of Wrights work is distinctive for its intensity and vitality. Much of the energy in the architecture is derived from the dynamic tension he creates

39 Ibid. 170.

4 .4d Strateg ies of t ransformat ion

Repetition, shifting, rotation and scaling38 are approaches to the way Wright manipulates geometry in order to create coherence in the plan at both a simplistic and complex level. Basic geometries are transformed to create a whole at the level of the building where he is trying to establish a basic form. It then takes place through a series of levels, down to the detail in a handrail which become a series of small centres which support the centres at a larger scale.

4 .4e Space

As he readily acknowledged, his ideas of space were closely related to the fundamental concepts of Taoist beliefs expressed by the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, namely, that the essence of that

38 Ibid. 44.


There is an agreement about such value and Alexander attempts to ascertain the geometrical realities that seem to be there in the supreme carpets.

A centre may be defined as a psychological entity which is perceived as a whole and which creates a feeling of a centre,

in the visual field.43The quality of the geometry in a design depends on the achievement of wholeness within it. Essentially Alexander is convinced that the wholeness of a carpet was directly correlated to the quality of the geometry used to generate the design. He goes on to say that the quality of wholeness is

43 Ibid. 32.

to provide a degree of explanatory power to underpin these FLW intuitions and these ideas then need to be translated into a process of architectural design in order to produce coherent beautiful buildings. The exploration of geometry using carpets as a resource to analyse why they are universally accepted as powerful achievements and to work out what geometry might have to do with their success.

Alexanders thesis that the quality of wholeness is not a matter of preference or taste for different observers, but is a definite shared objective quality that really does exist to a greater or lesser extent in any given carpet when such observers, whose judgment has been developed over many years of association with such carpets, compare their evaluations with each other.42

42 Ibid. 26.

4 .4g A Foreshadowing of 21 st Century Ar t Chri s topher Alexander

A Foreshadowing of 21st century art is the seventh in a series of books which describe an entirely new attitude to architecture and building.41 Christopher Alexander explores the geometries which he believes are fundamental to the production of beautiful early Turkish carpets. This analysis is hypothesised to be capable of being used to control the development of plans in the same fashion as FLW uses plans to produce coherent beautiful buildings. The research achievement here it that while FLW was acting as an intuitive practitioner this Alexander work attempts

41 Christopher Alexander, A foreshadowing of 21st century art : the colour and geometry of very early Turkish carpets (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993).. Before contents, no page number-how to reference this.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

50

Alexander establishes from his research the following fifteen geometrical arrangements of centres that he believes reflect the success of powerful carpets. He believes that they can be used to evaluate the success of other design entities such as architectural plans for example. The following fifteen principles of arranging centres and principles of good geometry can be used to evaluate a design, assisting in the design of good geometry:

dependent on the structure of centres within the carpet and that it seems that this is what holds the key to degree of wholeness which is achieved.

The centre is itself composed of many smaller centres which in a minor way function in the same fashion that the large centre does.

The treatment of the negative spaceas positive space is probably the single most important factor, in determining the density of centres, in a carpet. In a really good carpet, there is no distinction between figure and ground; every single piece of space, or almost every single piece, is a centre; and the resulting density of centres is enormous, since there are centres everywhere, intertwining, interlocking, overlapping, and side by side.44

44 Ibid. 53.


I. Levels of scale II. Strong centres

Figure 3.13: Hollyhock house analysis - Levels of scale. Figure 3.14: Hollyhock house analysis - Strong centres.

There are many discernible levels of scale, so that entities exist at many levels, ranging from the largest to the smallest.45

Each structure as a whole has a centre, not necessarily a geometric centre but a centre of attention, a centre of focus.46

46 Unpulished manuscript, Version 1, Christopher Alexander, Nature of Order, School of Architecture Library, University of California Berkeley 1980, Chapter 3, Section 22.



III. Boundaries IV. Alternating repetition

Figure 3.15: Hollyhock house analysis - Boundaries. Figure 3.16: Hollyhock house analysis - Alternating repetition.

Everything has a boundary - and it is the same order of magnitude as that which it bounds half, to a third of the thing - a boundary is a substantial

thing. 47

At many points throughout a thing, we encounter repetition of elements. But the key to this property, is the existence of double repetition: of the repetition of the things

between the things which repeat - so that there is a rhythm of two interlocking systems of repeating entities.48




V. Positive space VI. Good shape

Figure 3.17: Hollyhock house analysis - Positive space. Figure 3.18: Hollyhock house analysis - Good shape.

This property states that every part of space, at every level, has good shape. 49

Every visible part of design, at all levels, must have good figure be a strong entity. 50




VII. Local Symmetries VIII. Deep interlocking and ambiguity

Figure 3.19: Hollyhock house analysis - Local Symmetries. Figure 3.20: Hollyhock house analysis - Deep interlocking and ambiguity.

Symmetry is a mutual pairing or a correspondence of two similar centres around a third centre or central point, line, place or position between them. Local Sub-

Symmetry is a particular version of this more general structure.51

This occurs when a given entity enters into more than one larger entity, say A, B .... in such a way that A & B are over lapping, but

neither one is contained in the other.52




IX. Contrast X. Gradients

Figure 3.21: Hollyhock house analysis - Contrast. Figure 3.22: Hollyhock house analysis - Gradients.

The eye needs contrast to be able to perceive a centre against the surrounding field . . opposites are essential: dark/light, empty/full, solid/void, busy/silent,

red/green, blue/yellow, high/low, soft/hard, rough/smooth. 53

This is a graded series of intervals in which a sequence of similar things has a gradually increasing or diminishing size or interval. 54




XI. Roughness XII. Echoes

Figure 3.23: Hollyhock house analysis - Roughness. Figure 3.24: Hollyhock house analysis - Echoes.

All things with it have a roughness about them. It is not accidental or the result of poor technology or handicraft or inaccuracy. It is essential

without it, deep order doesnt exist. 55

Echoes are created by the fact that all the elements in a rug seem, in some

sense, to come from members of the same family.56




XIII. The Void XIV. Simplicity and Inner Calm

Figure 3.25: Hollyhock house analysis - Void. Figure 3.26: Hollyhock house analysis - Simplicity and inner calm.

Often in the most profound thing, there is at its heart, a centre, a void, which is like water, an infinite, timeless depth . . .. surrounded and contrasted with the

clutter of the stuff and fabric around it. 57

There is in some things, a certain slowness, majesty, quietness,

simplicity that might be thought of as an inner calm.58




XV. Not-separateness

Figure 3.27: Hollyhock house analysis - Not-seperateness.

An entity with global wholeness is connected, unbounded in feeling, to what surrounds it, and is not cut off, isolated or

separated.59



5 0 D e v e l o p P r o j e c t

5 1 D e s i g n P r o c e s s

5.2 Geometry as a bas i s for des ign

Analys i s of s i te

In order to begin to understand the way geometry might be involved in the design process, the first exercise was to begin analysing Matiatia bay in a manner which identified some of the basic geometries which seems to exist abstractly in the bay. At a large scale it essentially consists of two rectangular volumes which were axial around a large circular volume; the inner most part of the bay is clearly identifiable as an ellipse .

The exercise gave rise to the idea of geometry existing within a landscape or environment at an abstract level. This enabled the ability to respond to these geometries as an initial generator of ideas. The initial design generation began as

two-dimensional exploration and analysis of geometry in Matiatia Bay. This analysis set out and identified a framework of underlying geometry in the bay and begins to guide some of the decision making for the initial design in terms of generating line, form and space within that geometry.

5 .3 Movement/Journey l ine of vesse l

The geometry identified at the inner most part of Matiatia Bay was that of an elliptical nature; within the geometric make up of an ellipse there are subsidiary geometries which aid in the construction and identification of larger geometries. This prompted an exploration of the geometrical assembly of the land which surrounded Matiatia Bay. This identified major, minor, and supportive geometric elements within the makeup of the surrounding land; essentially this turned into an identification

of prominent headlands and harbours in the bay or centres. The main idea drawn was of rotation around a point between the prominent geometries with focal points along the journey the journey being the navigation of the vessel into the bay and the approach it takes before it arrives at the ferry terminal for the passengers to disembark onto the island.


5 3 a M o v e m e n t / J o u r n e y l i n e o f v e s s e l d i a g r a mM

ATIA

TIA BA

Y FERRY TERMIN

AL

60


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

62

circles in this mapping instance the geometry identified happened to be circles were more prominent and held a greater significance in Matiatia Bay. This mapping exercise responds to the initial crude exercise where an ellipse was first identified. After this analysis it was established that the site holds an advantageous position for lines of movement to-and from the island through Matiatia bay and that it is more than appropriate in terms of its hierarchal stature and geometrical richness due to the dominance of the ellipse over the rest of the geometry identified.

This analysis of geometry set up a framework containing a series of axes and guides which were bound by the circular elements that made up the bay. These axes and guides are translated across the site and this is where an exercise in visual form and pattern to create a sound, rational

geometrical response began. Understanding the ideas and concepts in the two-dimensional analysis and two-dimensional plan is integral to the translation of this framework into an architectural idea or expression which develops into a three-dimensional design dealing with the form, space and function as a coherent element. It is integral because if there was no understanding or knowledge of the underlying structure then it makes it hard to try and respond to it. The Ocotillo desert camp is an example where FLW identifies a raised portion of land, identifies a grid which appears to underpin the makeup of the land and responds to it accordingly with his placement of buildings.

This is why the formal analysis of Wrights work based on the plan is the most appropriate way to investigate the central aspects and principles of his architecture.

Geometr ic construct ion of land

After identifying a possible journey the focus was on analysing the land forms which made up the bay. This began with a response to the ellipse identified in the initial exercise, as the proposed site was located almost directly along the edge of the centre of the ellipse. The exploration of how to construct an ellipse using technical drawing methods became a primary analysis tool for the mapping of the site in order to translate the makeup of the land into a geometric understanding which could be responded too. After establishing the richness entailed in ellipse construction technique a mapping exercise began of the land and water edge inside the bay, which in turn identifies two-dimensional geometry at that particular level of the topography. This translated into the idea of major, minor and subsidiary geometries to the next level by establishing which


of major and minor centres was primary to understanding the make-up of the land. This in turn changed the response of the positive and negative in order to adhere to the hierarchal importance of each of the centres.

Each response was a development or iteration of the previous concept or idea. It was a process discovering and developing a system of principles and rules which responded to the analysis work of FLW and observations made through the course of conceptual design. Design response to the initial site analysis:

He describes his plan as his primary generator of ideas and by adopting a process whereby it becomes a primary generator of design in my work it creates a correlation and connection between the two sets of data and design process. By approaching this design process in a fashion which appears to mimic a way which FLW may have approached design it will lead to insights and discoveries in the design process which may lead to a greater understanding of what Wright does in his designs.

5 .4 Response to Geometry analys i s

The design response to the analysis was one of composition whereby the placement of positive and negative spaces was a reaction to the geometric mapping exercise. The response to the circles was to respect the hierarchy established by the elliptical mapping exercise where the identification

Figure 5.1: Construction of Ellipse tangent lines.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

64

site; this is done because a space is stronger when it contains a higher concentration of centres, this idea comes from Alexander and his analysis of Turkish carpets which translate into his geometry of centres, It is for this reason that it is appropriate to begin the exploration/response in this particular part of the site as the concentration of centres circles is at its densest.

The degree of wholeness which a carpet achieves is directly correlated to the number

of centres which it contains. The more centres it has in it, the more powerful and deep its

degree of wholeness.60

60 Ibid. 36.

+ The responses explore how the principles and rules of good design might relate too, or negate a design response and begin to guide the ways to evaluate and progress the design.

+ Each conceptual drawing was an exploration dictated by a response to the hierarchy of circles. At this stage in the concept design it was a systematic approach of iteration achieved through two-dimensional drawing in order to develop a design which was coherent as a composition in geometry and design.

The conceptual responses are exercises in composition whereby the placement of particular geometry in the drawing responds to a structure set out by the elliptical mapping and centres that make up the bay. Each composition is responding to the array of centres circles located in the


Figure 5.2: Ellipse analysis if Matiatia Bay.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

66

5.5 Des ign Explorat ions/Responses


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

68

5.6 Fir s t Conceptual Response/Composi t ion

This response was the first in a series of developments; an exercise in composing elements in response to centres, movement lines and possible ideas of function. The response was particularly focused on responding to the major centre located on the middle circle of the ellipse in the innermost part of the bay the circle is identified in the image below and is the most predominant centre on the site because of the numerous centres which create it.

The lines of extension intend to connect to other centres surrounding the site and to express ideas of movement in, out and through the site while giving balance to the composition as a two-

dimensional response. The grid lines are guides referencing relationships to centres/circles while keeping the axial nature of the underlying geometry.

The density of positive space in the composition is situated around the epicentre of the centres which make up the geometry on site. The composition not only responds to the circular centres, but creates its own centres which then draw their own response to the design.

The initial design work was predominantly sketching and two and three-dimensional computer drawing/modelling until a concrete proposal began to form. Throughout this initial process of design, ideas, principles and discoveries from literature and precedent studies as well as knowledge gained through discovery of design became increasingly influential on the project. The following concept iterations were preliminary ideas showing a progressive understanding and development of how to apply geometry to an underlying structure of centres in a given site:


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

70

A way to access whether it appears coherent is to judge whether anything annoys your eye, as if to say, is there anything that appears out of place and needs to be reworked? A dialogue between the drawing with and without the element that seems to annoy the eye allows this judgement to happen and the irritant can be identified.

The essence of the way the buildings are designed was that in responding to centres they in turn created their own centres in which the other buildings then had to respond. The design issue then became how to adjust the placement of buildings or space on the basis of another building or space. After evaluating this concept the idea of a cap is missing; whereby the echo of the half circle on the bottom is not repeated elsewhere in the design in order to unify the design as a whole.

5 .7 Second Conceptual Development/Response/Composi t ion

This exploration extended the response to multiple circles or centres and introduced the notion of figure ground in terms of buildings and outside space. The darker objects represent buildings and the lighter grey as external outside space for movement, function and composition in supporting the buildings.

Responding to the hierarchy of centres was still a major part in establishing the locations for the geometries in the design. An idea that became apparent was that the buildings now had multiple centres to respond to in order to create a coherent composition or possibly the design would fall apart.


MA

TIATIA

BAY FERRY TERM

INA

L

72

Island which is in turn another centre in the wider context of the Hauraki Gulf; as Alexander describes it in carpets they are themselves microcosms of wholeness.62

62 Ibid. 32.

The focus of this concept was the creation of centres within the design; to create outside space between buildings which was as strong as the buildings themselves. Again how to shift and adjust buildings in order to change the dynamics of the composition; the ways in which this might operate as architectural space and form. Another aspect that this concept dealt with was the level of engagement that the design had with the waters edge, to interact and relate compositionally to this large volume. It could be described as a border between the site and the surround context of not only the water but also the land. The design becomes the transition between the water and the land with a gradient of transition across this edge while still containing a multiplicity of centres in order to unify the whole at the larger scale of Matiatia Bay. Essentially Matiatia Bay itself can be considered as a small centre on Waiheke

5.8 Third Conceptual Development/Response/Composi t ion

The development of this iteration led to a response to a greater number of centres once again; after

ferion nodus

Documents