Hi all. Seeing as I'm now finished my degree - and also because I said I would - I thought I'd post selected images of my studio projects over the five years of my degree.

Feel free to comment, criticise etc. I need to apologise in advance for some of the images, as they were hand drawn (3D modelling and rendering wasn't a big thing, and I didn't know much about it either) and photographed - not scanned.

Enjoy :)

This project took an existing street in Brisbane's West End and alotted each student one parcel each. Our design needed to respond to existing fabric and each other's design.

On my appointed site was a cafe (called Cafe Nouveau), the function of which I chose to retain. The owners' residence would be upstairs with the cafe downstairs. My design was based around a water-formed cave, so I renamed the cafe Cavé Nouveau.

Exploded Isometric showing interior spaces

This project was for a bachelor pad - single male dwelling. We were given sites with varying slopes (mine was at 50°) and had to respond to the needs of the character we invented. Mine was strongly into high-tech stuff, and the design was based around mechanical objects, and how everything mechanical has something circular in it that rotates around a central point (wheels, gears, hard drives, knobs etc).

Section showing response to site slope and view over Newmarket in Brisbane

The Town Hall of Good and Evil. This project needed to work in our understanding and responses to the concepts of Good and Evil. The site was in Cairns, Northern Queensland, so also had to take into consideration environmental and climatic issues.

I responded by saying that Government was based on a Good foundation, but over the years this good core has been corrupted and made false. This corruption, however, has been attempted to be hidden, but this masking is ineffectual and is merely a poor representation of what the original 'good' governmental system was in the first place.

Elevations

The Lost Temple of the Car

This was a Roadhouse design for Caboolture - just north of Brisbane. I based my design on the precept of things ancient and lost and the mystery surrounding temples in the jungle, overgrown with trees etc. I thought it would be intriguing to create a kind of false, ancient history of the car and elevate it to the same status as archeological digs.

To that end, I drew a lot of inspiration from the temples of Incan and Thai cultures.

Isometric

As part of the overall brief was the provision for separate family stay-overs. These were apartements separate from the main complex where travelling families / executives etc could sleep for the night.

I based this design around the wheel arch of the 50's cars - and they were the 'sentinels' that guarded the approach to the main 'temple'. I had fun with the story on this one.

Hungry Hill Youth Arts Centre.

This project was situated in Caboolture. There was an existing youth arts centre in the form of an old community hall, but that was inadequate for their needs. The brief was to renovate the hall to incorporate all the functions for an arts centre (gallery, library, sculpting, studio etc).

I chose to incorporate the entire site - which was vast - and make each discreet part of the brief a node on a connecting path. The main stipulation of the brief that it be 'cheap'. The aesthetic reasoning behind my design was to see this centre as the voice of the community - with everything emenating out from the center of the site (hence the single plane roofs).

This gallery was at the 'tip' of the site at a major intersection. The plan form was derived from the site boundaries. From studying successful galleries it was determined that they worked by making a path, or journey, for the visitors to travel.

The painting/printing studio, and library/resource centre.

Chinchilla Exhibition / Cultural Centre

Chinchilla is situated about four hours northwest of Brisbane (small country town) and the council got the studio out to see if they could 'extract' a free design.

I based my design loosely on the flora that I found on site, and the timber/corrugated iron construction of many of the varnacular buildings.

Isometric

I shall continue with the rest later - my children require my attention

Thanks for sharing Bruce! You seem to have a very eclectic architecture education there... Before the "modern" revolution the assignments at the university here were similar to yours "A Temple of knowledge in the island of freedom" for example...

The first one reminded me of Gaudi, and did like some of them. No need for you to restrict yourself to classicism!
BTW the town hall elevation seems to be giving people the "finger", veeery semantic!

The first one reminded me of Gaudi, and did like some of them.

No need for you to restrict yourself to classicism!

BTW the town hall elevation seems to be giving people the "finger", veeery semantic!

Thanks for your comments primo. I was quite impressed by Gaudi's work in my 'early' years - but I didn't discover him until after the tutor told me my work looked like his. :cheers:

I have no intention of limiting myself to classicism - but I have no intention of limiting myself to 'modernism' (the contemporary form of it) either ;) I will use what I think is appropriate (and what the client thinks so too) for the project etc. :rock on:

About the 'finger' - I was of two minds about the tower, but kept it partly for the reason of the phallic implications - it seemed to fit with my brief somehow.

21st Century Laboratory

This was an interesting one. After being 'away' for three years, I was a bit rusty on the designing front, then got thrown in with the most experimental tutor at the uni.

The project was for a laboratory sited in Newmarket, Auckland. The design was conceived by choosing two images (relating to the field of science), drawing each image on both sides of the same sheet of paper, then oiling the paper down with linseed oil to see how the morphed - or formed a 'chimera' of sorts.

My images were a group of magnified cells (biological) and an evaporator (apparatus). The function of the building was an international bio-chemical company that housed both the research/scientific arm, and the number-crunching/management arm. These different functions are expressed in the architecture.

Floor plan

Newmarket Train Station.

This was my first classical studio - the image is a watercolour analytique I did this year as part of a 'Traditional Architectural Rendering' subject.

The project is actually on the exact same site as 21st Century Lab above. Amazing. It also included a preliminary urban design project to reform the urban space surrounding the station to make it more pedestrian amenable.

I've only posted one image - 'cause I know classical isn't welcome here :P .

Here you go Brian T - a classical design rendered traditionally :D

Food.

This project was derived from FOOD. That's right. We each chose a particular food and researched, explored etc that particular food to inspire our design. I must say this is the first time I've ever been completely at a loss on a project - but with some help I came through.

My food was BREAD - its history, the process of baking etc. The function is a bakery/cafe where people can order their snack and watch and smell it being prepared in the central brick ovens.

The site is off the lake shore in Taupo, New Zealand.

Elevations.

I built a model for this one, and in keeping with the design philosophy, I made it out of play-dough (get it - dough, bread - play-dough). Well, I thought it was pretty clever ;)

The Fashion of Architecture

This project involved taking an existing 'ugly' building (what do you know - I chose an old modernist building :D ) and giving it a new facade - or refashioning it.

My concept was based on a rubber bath mat (hey, I was pushed for time - and they liked it!) that was molded (and mouldy) and formed as needed. This was extrapolated into a glazed facade.

The building started like this:

...and ended up like this:

This was my first major SketchUp project, and I was pushed for time (again) - so the project didn't quite turn out as I wanted. But hey, that's life.

Tank Farm Masterplan

Auckland waterfront has a man-made peninsula currently occupied by storage tanks, used for transfer from shipping tankers over to tanker trucks. This arrangement is soon to end and the site re-developed. Our task was to come up with an encompassing masterplan.

Our team chose to focus on sustainability and all that it entails. This translated into a central 'green' spine of environmentally focussed industries on display for pedestrians along a boardwalk and water reticulation/recycling system. This central spine was flanked by marine and less 'green' industry and also residential. We definitely did not want to turn it into another residential/developer frenzy, but rather wanted to showcase to the world how New Zealand is stepping into the future.

The overall site:

View from the harbour

Image of what the central green space would be like:

what is the tokyo tod's shop doing in nz???

I think that your drawings have a similar style to archigram is this any influence on your work??

also on that facade how do people see out?? or light gets in more importantly?

Auckland Digital Effects house

Into this masterplan I placed my next project - a digital effects house (think ILM, Weta, Digital Domain, Pixar etc). The studio brief was 'Cool, Smart, Green' meaning it had to look 'cool', incorporate smart technologies etc, and be environmentally sensitive and sustainably sound.

In the masterplan, buildings were more fluid the closer to the central spine they were, and became more orthogonal as they move further away. I stayed with this and based my design on the concept of 'Flow' - in both building form and use. The idea was to free up the normally segregated spaces of offices to make for a more coherent team. I don't know if I succeeded or not, but I believe it's certainly got potential.

Image of the main concrete wall - the modular form being digitally fabricated (that's the theory).

Image of interior space - showing the 'flowing' nature of the work environment.

Final project - Aotea Square.

This has been posted and thoroughly disseminated at:

http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1179

Thanks for tuning in - hope you enjoyed it.

Of course, I'd be happy to answer any queries etc that you might have.

Cheers.

what is the tokyo tod's shop doing in nz???

I think that your drawings have a similar style to archigram is this any influence on your work??

also on that facade how do people see out?? or light gets in more importantly?

I researched ArchiGram for my 21st Lab project, but didn't really find anything useful. They don't influence my drawings or presentation (well, not that I'm aware of anyway)

I'm guessing you're referring to the Fashion of Architecture project. All those panels on the front are glazing - so light and sight aren't a problem. You will notice that they consist of three colours - white (clear), blue and green. Each colour will allow in a different level of light and were chosen by determining which areas of the facade needed most shading, and which ones needed the least.

This image might make more sense:

Congratulations Bruce. We can clearly see your evolution through the projects. I think it's worth posting some of them in separate threads with a more complete description and drawings. I'm particularly interested in the Tank Farm Masterplan project.

Cheers :cheers:

the shapes and presntation of your early dwgs is like some early work by peter cooke and i suppose the bread house was the topping on the...errr bread/cake.

i glad you posted that second image that is alot better and you understand the facde better.

ps i must say thanks for posting. all your work it has sent shockwaves through the classical/modernist camps, and i have enjoyed the banter..

I am waiting for someone to say,"well modern classic whatever as long as it keeps the rain out that is all that matters..."

Very nice set of projects. I wish I could put together all my projects like that, but I lost them along the way being so messy.
I particularly like the facade renovation. I agree it needs more developement, but it does look good.
The way the green space of the tank farm looks is very interesting. It gives a sense of a hazy marsh, very cool.
I remember seeing the Digital effects house back in ppb1. Your sketchup skills are great!

Congratulations Bruce. We can clearly see your evolution through the projects. I think it's worth posting some of them in separate threads with a more complete description and drawings. I'm particularly interested in the Tank Farm Masterplan project.

Cheers :cheers:

Be glad to - as soon as I can muster the time it will be done :)

Thanks ouesty for your comments too. :cheers:

Very nice set of projects. I wish I could put together all my projects like that, but I lost them along the way being so messy.
I particularly like the facade renovation. I agree it needs more developement, but it does look good.
The way the green space of the tank farm looks is very interesting. It gives a sense of a hazy marsh, very cool.
I remember seeing the Digital effects house back in ppb1. Your sketchup skills are great!

Thanks for your comments cacapis. You seem to respond better to these designs than the classical one :P

hmmmm only have one word for it....

STRANGE....

That's interesting. What exactly do you find strange? My designs (all/some), my presentation, the thread, my comments, others' comments...?
:confused:

perhaps not strange, but unique. You have a very unique sense to architecture, and we can see from your hand drawn presentations that you've got a very good understanding to scale proportion and space. I like your work, it would be hell to model some of your work, in my book, but it's great.

I'm a student of Architecture here in the Philippines. And this thread helped me better understand what you guys are building in there. The structures are great. The modeling impeccable. Architects are people I truly admired. Thanks for showing the big picture. I'm currently having my thesis work which is Smart House. The integration of smart technologies in the Home. I would appreciate any outputs from any of you here in this thread. Thanks.

That's a great design Bruce... I really like the 'organic' form

:clap:
standing applause...

Good work Bruce,

Don't you love that cut and paste old school style? The cut out text from a white paper and then glue stick it on the mylar.

I didn't read all the theories and ideas behind your design but from a quick look at your presentation, I can see the evolution from your first year to the later ones.

Those second and third year drawings are a big improvement from your first year's but I'm a little dissapointed from your fourth year's drawings (the bread) and this is just graphically speaking... if you would have said that bread project is from your first year, I would have believed you. But what do I know, my hand sketching ability is very elementary.

nice work bruce

were you at uq or qut?

im currently in uq

Nice work Bruce. That first drawing reminds me of Casa Batille. Had I seen that drawing somewhere, I would have guessed an old sketch of Gaudi. I enjoyed the organic shapes in the projects. I was wondering if you had to model the projects. Sometimes I have ideas with many organic, and curvilinear components, however sometimes I shy away because of the physical model building, and how difficult it will be made because of it, or just take it down a level. It is easier to do with computers nowdays, if the only model needed is a 3d one.

excelent work dude!!!