The Organon Architecture Blog
I’ve been playing around with “hypar” shells again: thin shells made of a doubly-curved surface that equalises stresses across the whole surface, which and can be generated out of straight lines (as you can see from the bottom pics)–easy to construct, and so expressive.
The car is there to give the models a sense of scale. And some style. :-)
Houses by Fred Stevens and by Peter Cresswell at Lake Tarawera
A project for an owner-occupied ‘chalet’ looking out to the Alps, with a ‘twin’ intended for sale
A project for a spectacular elevated site outside Rotorua, with views to the north-west to a local geothermal outcrop, to the south-east down to Mt Ruapehu; out to the west to a small lake, and off to the north-east to Rainbow Mountain.
A concrete home, as ordered, wrapped around the hill top not on it ("build on the hill and you take away the hill"). The lap pool, which also forms the ‘gateway’ to the forecourt entry, lines up on the Mt Ruapehu-geothermal axis, ‘pointing’ at both—the pergolas lead out to the Rainbow mountain view.
LOCATION CONCEPT:
A second (lesser) proposal for the same site.
Lower Floor Plan:
Main Floor Plan:
Upper Floor Plan:
Renovation of a ground-floor apartment looking over Westhaven, removing the rabbit warren of walls and the assorted hindrances to the view.
Sketch for a Mt Eden ‘spec home.’ Lower Floor:
It was all changed somewhat in the finished version…
I’ve had the pleasure of renovating one Montessori school, on Auckland’s North Shore, and of designing this one as a representative project.
Terrace:
It takes its inspiration from Muriel Dwyer’s suggestion that Dr Montessori favoured an octagonal layout for her children’s houses—which allows equal space for each of the four main subject areas, and the four minor areas, without preferencing any—and the attempt to solve the ‘inside-outside’ problem which seems to plague so many Montessori children’s houses.
Main Space:
Entrance, from Car Park:
The staff wing and parents’ area is exploded from the main space, and both staff and kitchen areas overlook the garden and terrace.
‘Afternoon’ Terrace,’ with Staff Wing on left:
It might still need a bit of work on the colour scheme . . . still, this is only a ‘sketch’ model.
Looking North, with light from above to the main space.
Looking South-East. The child and Directress give some idea of scale (and unfortunately the Archicad programme used to produce this has no dress-wearing Directresses!):
