2. Form and Light Studies

working model.
1:100

2. Narrative

their bickering
came second to civility at the dinner table,
yet the tension
still hung in the air;

2. The Artwork

"Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid"

Johannes Vermeer

c. 1670

The placid scene with its muted colors suggests no activity or hint of interruption. Powerful verticals and horizontals in the composition, particularly the heavy black frame of the background painting, establish a confining backdrop that contributes to the restrained mood.

The composition is activated by the strong contrast between the two figures. The firm stance of the statuesque maid acts as a counterweight to the lively mistress intent on writing her letter. The maid's gravity is emphasized by her central position in the composition. The left upright of the picture frame anchors her in place while the regular folds of her clothing sustain the effect down to the floor. In contrast, the mistress inclines dynamically on her left forearm.

The figures, although distinct individuals, are joined by perspective. Lines from the upper and lower window frames proceed across the folded arms and lighted forehead of the maid, extending to a vanishing point in the left eye of the mistress.

Vermeer shuns direct narrative content, instead furnishing hints and allusions in order to avoid an anecdotal presentation. The crumpled letter on the floor in the right foreground is a clue to the missive the mistress is composing. The red wax seal, rediscovered only recently during a 1974 cleaning, indicates the crumpled letter was received, rather than being a discarded draft of the letter now being composed. Since letters were prized in the 17th century, it must have been thrown aside in anger. This explains the vehement energy being devoted to the composition of the response. Another hint is provided in the large background painting, "The Finding of Moses". Contemporary interpretation of this story equated it with God's ability to conciliate opposing factions.


http://www.glyphs.com/art/vermeer/ladymaid.htm

PROJECT 2

Room and Narrative

doors and windows.
an internatilised room and degree of connection or isolation to the outside world.

ambience.
spatiality.
texture.

1. Final Poche

1. Final Parti

Scale 1:200 @ A3



ENCLOSURE:
- a barrier between the house and the street through the implementation of an unadorned, plane facade, and minimal glazing; small and irregularly spaced. The interaction between interior and exterior is greatest on the North (left of plan) and East (top of plan) facades which do not face the street.

PROGRAM:
- Service (blue): the entirety of lowest level (household heirarchy), and South-East corner (a separation between the street and private domain).
- 'Public' (yellow): the majority of entry level 3, becoming increasingly more private as you move through the corridor to the semi-private spaces on level 4.
- Private (red): the majority of level 5 and 6.




CIRCULATION:
- Service: simple, efficient, stairwell.
- Public/Private: concerned with the creation of flow, spaces and vistas rather than efficiency.

STRUCTURE:
- thick load-bearing exterior walls, and at least 4 significant points for post and beam structure within the exterior walls.


GEOMETRY:
- as a whole from the exterior, a simple rectangle.
- while the house is rich in spatial qualities (such as height changes and split or offset levels), the interior is essentially made up of a 3x3x2 grid, which closely follows the structure of the building.


OVERALL:
- a hybrid of matrix and victorian/corridor (entry level; guests are given a sense of procession).
- the interior is essentially made up of a 3x3x2 grid, which closely follows the structure of the building.

1. Adolf Loos Quote

My architecture is not conceived in plans, but in spaces (cubes). I do not design floor plans, facades, sections. I design spaces. For me, there is no ground floor, first floor etc.... For me, there are only contiguous, continual spaces, rooms, anterooms, terraces etc. Storeys merge and spaces relate to each other. Every space requires a different height: the dining room is surely higher than the pantry, thus the ceilings are set at different levels. To join these spaces in such a way that the rise and fall are not only unobservable but also practical, in this I see what is for others the great secret, although it is for me a great matter of course. Coming back to your question, it is just this spatial interaction and spatial austerity that thus far I have best been able to realise in Dr Müller's house.

Adolf Loos, Shorthand record of a conversation in Plzeň (Pilsen), 1930.

"Raumplan", Villa Muller.
http://www.mullerovavila.cz/english/raum-e.html

1. Final Model - Section

1. Final Model - Elevations

Scale 1:100