Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studios have time and again brought me inspiration. The designs which come from the studio are, in my opinion, consistently incredible. Pacific Place is a complex in Hong Kong which the studio was brought in to work on, the refined many details but the image below is what inspired me the most.
When I first saw this picture, I was immediately reminded of contour lines. Contours and topography are a massive part of this brief and the site is very varied in this respect. I love the idea of using contours as inspiration for my design. It could be very interesting to see the buildings sweep and turn like contour lines do. This could even be mixed with the natural topography of the site in different ways. For example the contour design could follow the topography, or completely work against it.
Alternatively, the forms of my design could perhaps create their own topographies instead of following using the one that is already there. For example, in the image above, the canopy is far up. What if a similar idea was put into the Lumsdale Valley site? The buildings could become an addition to the site which lets people explore new levels and areas. For example the roofs could act like hills. Better yet, what if a canopy was provided in a similar way to the image above? Furthermore, what if these were combined to create an interactive upper layer for the site which can weaved in and out of, walking up onto the buildings, then onto the canopy, then onto the higher up building.
The site itself has areas just like the ones described, where you can walk through tunnels to move through levels of the site. However, upon reflection of the site visit, we only really explored at eye level. Not a lot of the visit was concerned with looking up. Imagine if you could explore the site from a whole other level, and see the ruins from completely new angles. What if the canopy worked it's way into the ruins and wound around them to let people explore even more? What if you could live amongst this? What if your garden fence, was the roof of an old, ruined mill?
I can even imagine looking down at the stream from higher up and walking along it, and above it. More than that, what if you could walk right up to the waterfalls and experience the spray and the noise and the power of the water falling up close?
The contour design could also be used to guide people around, it doesn't have to end underneath the canopy, or in the exteriors of the buildings. The contours could create ridges or walls which guide you around through the buildings and create a completely open space with curving walls to separate it. Even doors could follow the curves to create a seamless system which clicks into place, making them flush with the walls. The same principle could work on top of the canopy to influence your experiences towards more interesting places.
I will definitely be exploring these ideas further.
Alternatively, the forms of my design could perhaps create their own topographies instead of following using the one that is already there. For example, in the image above, the canopy is far up. What if a similar idea was put into the Lumsdale Valley site? The buildings could become an addition to the site which lets people explore new levels and areas. For example the roofs could act like hills. Better yet, what if a canopy was provided in a similar way to the image above? Furthermore, what if these were combined to create an interactive upper layer for the site which can weaved in and out of, walking up onto the buildings, then onto the canopy, then onto the higher up building.
The site itself has areas just like the ones described, where you can walk through tunnels to move through levels of the site. However, upon reflection of the site visit, we only really explored at eye level. Not a lot of the visit was concerned with looking up. Imagine if you could explore the site from a whole other level, and see the ruins from completely new angles. What if the canopy worked it's way into the ruins and wound around them to let people explore even more? What if you could live amongst this? What if your garden fence, was the roof of an old, ruined mill?
I can even imagine looking down at the stream from higher up and walking along it, and above it. More than that, what if you could walk right up to the waterfalls and experience the spray and the noise and the power of the water falling up close?
The contour design could also be used to guide people around, it doesn't have to end underneath the canopy, or in the exteriors of the buildings. The contours could create ridges or walls which guide you around through the buildings and create a completely open space with curving walls to separate it. Even doors could follow the curves to create a seamless system which clicks into place, making them flush with the walls. The same principle could work on top of the canopy to influence your experiences towards more interesting places.
I will definitely be exploring these ideas further.