SKETCHING ASSIGNMENT 7: SYSTEM DETAILING AND SEQUENCING OF URBAN SPACE
PART 7.1: MUSEUM DETAILS
The class visited several museums around Rome: The Capitoline Museums, Zaha Hadid's MAXXI Museum, and Odile Decq's Macro Museum. In each we had to document details in which several materials or parts came together. In the Capitoline Museums, I was intrigued by the stark contrast of the repurposed Renaissance buildings and the modern addition on the second floor. The new construction had a system of clerestory windows and glass fins fastened together by metal brackets that acted somewhat as a shading device to refract and diffuse light in the museum setting.
In the MAXXI Museum, I focused on the overhead system of concrete fins and louvres that aesthetically created lines through the space as well as functionally controlling lighting in the museum. The fins followed the curves of the museum, emphasizing the form, and the louvres were able to rotate to control light in different areas of the museum.
The Macro Museum had lots of interesting steel connections, particularly those of the ceiling trusses. At times, eight or more steel pieces would come together and connect at certain nodes to form the space frame above. Also, the majority of the second floor was suspended from this ceiling structure by more steel connections.
In the MAXXI Museum, I focused on the overhead system of concrete fins and louvres that aesthetically created lines through the space as well as functionally controlling lighting in the museum. The fins followed the curves of the museum, emphasizing the form, and the louvres were able to rotate to control light in different areas of the museum.
The Macro Museum had lots of interesting steel connections, particularly those of the ceiling trusses. At times, eight or more steel pieces would come together and connect at certain nodes to form the space frame above. Also, the majority of the second floor was suspended from this ceiling structure by more steel connections.
PART 7.2: SPATIAL SEQUENCING TO THE SITE AT PORTA PORTESE
This sequence of continuous line sketches was part of a series documenting the spatial sequences along a path from Piazza di Santa Cecilia to Porta Portese as part of our preparation for the final project. I made note of all the important spaces and roads that stemmed from my main path. For the most part, this spatial sequence was rather plain, consisting of two walls or facades on either side with occasional openings to courtyards and other piazzas. It was important to note that this axis functioned as a datum rather than a gathering place, which will influence how I redesign the urban fabric around the final project.
PART 7.3: SPATIAL SEQUENCING IN FLORENCE
This was a similar assignment to the last, except we were observing the spatial sequences in a different city. While I was in Florence, I walked from Piazza delle Signoria, which is usually quite busy during the day and contains the replica of the Statue of David, to Piazza delle Repubblica, which is an exciting piazza with a carousel and many shops and restaurants. The city differed from Rome in that the roads were very strictly gridded as opposed to Rome's winding and curved streets. It was odd that being so large, Piazza delle Signoria was an L-shape.